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The Boy Jesus in the Temple—Luke 2:46 









HE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

and BEAUTIFUL TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE 


Systematic Course °i Bible Study 

WITH 

REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 

INCLUDING CHAPTERS ON 

HOW WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD 

AND 

What Great Men and Women Say about The Bible 

By REV. JAMES M. GRAY, D. D. 

AN 

Illustrated Bible Commentary 

J. W. BUEL 

ALSO 

THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 

COMPRISING 

A Popular and Concise Cyclopedia of the Bible 

SELF-PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY 
CONCORDANCE OF SUBJECTS AND COMPLETE INDEX 

By REV. JOHN BARR, REV. J. L. PORTER, D.D., L.L. D., and REV. M. G. EASTON, D.D. 

WRITTEN IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE AND BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED 

=============== WITH ======= 

A SUPERB GALLERY OF CHRISTIAN ART 

"" " -THE WHOLE - 

Designed Especially for the Young People in our Homes, for Sunday Schools, 
Teachers and others interested in Christian Endeavor. 


PUBLICATION OFFICE 
OF 

THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

121-127 Plymouth Placb, CHICAGO, III. 


















































• >- V 


(■ I*. 




COPYRIGHT 1910 
BY 

J. R. GAY 








C Cl. A268500 


FOREWORD 


The World’s Bible Auxiliary is intended as a teacher, guide and companion 
for all who seek to know the Scriptures, presenting in popular form the beautiful 
teachings of the greatest and grandest work the world has ever known—the Bible. 

As a self-instructor in Bible knowledge its object is to invite to inquiry, en¬ 
courage a study of the events and characters of sacred history and simplify the 
Bible narrative, in fact to provide a simple course of religious instruction for the 
home, as an auxiliary in connection with the lessons taught in our Sunday Schools. 

The authenticity of the Bible and its divine origin being first in importance, 
is briefly stated under the heading of “How We Know the Bible is the Wofd of 
God / 3 This being firmly established in the mind of the reader, the work proceeds 
to give the testimony of world leaders as to the power and truth of the Scrip¬ 
tures; this is given in classified quotations in a department entitled, “Whdt Great 
Men and Women Say About the Bible / 3 and it is hoped this testimony will lead 
both young and old to a realization of the beautiful teachings of the Book of Books. 

The arrangement of the auxiliary begins with a series of “Review Questions 
for Young People 33 giving reference to the page whereon the answer may be 
found or where further information may be had; this indeed will furnish inter¬ 
esting leads to many inquiring minds and should prove invaluable to those seeking 
light on Scripture history. 

A most important and useful feature of the work is, “How to Study the Bible ” 
outlined in a simple plan to study the Bible through in one year. This part of the 
“Auxiliary” embraces “A Systematic Course of Bible Study,” divided into fifty- 
two weekly lessons, and should prove an incentive to general Bible study, 
as it provides weekly portions for reading in the Auxiliary and in the Bible also. 

The principal part of this work consists of an “Illustrated Bible Commen¬ 
tary / 3 to which is added “The Bible Student's Assistant / 3 the latter possessing all 

5 



6 FOREWORD 

the combined advantages of a Cyclopcedia of the Bible, a Self-pronouncing Bible 
Dictionary , Concordance of Subjects, and a Complete Index to the Bible , with ac¬ 
curate references ■, all conveniently arranged and classified in such a way that any 
desired subject may be found and every question answered with ease. 

In everyday life in every Christian household many questions arise concern¬ 
ing the Scriptures. Parents are frequently asked to explain the teachings of the 
Bible, their children often seeking information which the average mother or father 
is not prepared to give unless provided with an invaluable work of reference, such 
as this work proves to be. 

There is a demand for instruction in the Bible today such as this generation 
has never before known. No one can study the Bible with real profit without know¬ 
ing a great deal more than is contained in that portion of the Bible which is the 
actual text of the Sunday School lesson. We are coming to realize that to properly 
understand a single verse we must know the chapter of which it is a part, that to 
know the chapter we must know the book that to know the book we must know 
the other books. 

The seven years International Sunday School Lesson Series, of necessity, are 
selected from here and there in the Bible. The lessons allowed by the seven years 
only suffice to explain a small part of what God has written, and, while careful 
thought is given to the selected paragraphs, there is great danger that the Bible as 
a whole may be neglected or misunderstood. 

With the foregoing in view, all must agree that an Illustrated Bible Auxiliary 
for every-day reference, in addition to the Sunday School lessons, must prove in¬ 
valuable, not only as a help to the study of the Scriptures, but also as an education 
in the highest conception of Christian art. 

Considered as a fC Superb Gallery of Christian Art ” this Auxiliary offers price¬ 
less treasures, presenting an unusually large number of the choicest gems of the 
great art galleries of the world. 

No more popular aid to the understanding of the Bible can be had than that 
conveyed through the medium of good pictures, therefore each chapter is made at¬ 
tractive by many illustrations, which serve to elucidate and impress on the memory 
of both young and old nearly all the important events of Scripture history. 

In the preparation of the World’s Bible Auxiliary, the Bible narrative has been 
closely followed, using largely the exact language of the Holy Scriptures. In no 
instance has the meaning of the sacred writers been departed from in making ex¬ 
planations in simple language wherever required. This work, which is entirely free 
from sectarian bias, will be found especially valuable to the young people in our 





FOREWORD 


7 


homes, Sunday School teachers, Bible students in general, societies of Christian 
workers and others interested in Christian Endeavor. 

With “The World’s Bible Auxiliary” as a guide, the reader is taken step by 
step on a visit through the Temple of God. 

A noted writer has made a comparison in somewhat the following language: 
“IN MY FATHER S HOUSE THERE ARE MANY MANSIONS.” 

In a sense the Bible may be compared to a magnificent temple, we approach 
by the beautiful garden of Eden, with its innocent flowers, its groves and lucid 
streams. Shall we enter? 

The first part of the temple bears the name of the Chamber of Law and Jus¬ 
tice. There are five apartments in the first division, the books of Moses. One of 
these is the entrance or vestibule to the others, and is a long gallery with portraits 
and pictorial scenes of surpassing interest of persons and events—such figures as 
Abel and Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Hagar, Sarah, Jacob, Esau, and Joseph, such 
beautiful and wonderful scenes as Paradise and the Flood, the Departure from Ur 
of the Chaldees, the Tent-door at Mamre, the Flaming Cities of the Plain, the 
Offering of Isaac, Rebecca at the Well, and the Governor of Egypt Weeping on 
the Neck of his Brethren. 

We pass through a number of imposing apartments, the Chambers of Historic 
Records. These consist of the magnificent library of the edifice, and in them are 
the Church’s archives for more than a thousand years. These rooms are twelve in 
number, and stretch from Joshua to Esther. 

Then we come to the gymnasium of the building, or the saints' exercising 
ground, the Book of Job. Entering to the right of this is the music gallery of the 
Psalms, the grand orchestra of the temple, where dwell all the daughters of the 
song, with cymbal, trumpet, psaltery and harp. We then pass at once to the great 
chamber of commerce, the Book of Proverbs; not far from which is the jail of the 
place, where sorrowful bankrupts and other defaulters remain for a time with 
profit—the Book of Ecclesiastes. 

Further on we open into a small parlor in the midst of larger rooms—the cham¬ 
ber of sympathy and mourners—the Book of Lamentations. Interspersed among 
these the eye is delighted with conservatories of flowers, such as the Book of Ruth, 
and of the Songs of Solomon. 

Next we come to lofty apartments, some of great capacity with extraordinary 
splendor, no less than seventeen in all. These are called the Halls of Ancient 
Prophecy in grand succession from Isaiah to Malachi. 




8 


FOREWORD 


We now pass on to the portion of the edifice of more modern construction, we 
enter four spacious chambers of peculiar beauty. These are of marble, fairer than 
that of Carara. We look upon the walls; on them we see not golden reliefs of palm 
trees and lilies, but four full-length portraits of the Lord of the Building Himself, 
drawn by the hand of the Holy Spirit. These are the Books of the Four Evangelists. 

Stepping forward we hear sounds of machinery, and entering a long apart¬ 
ment we find wheels and shafts and cranks, whose motive power is above and out 
of sight. This is the Chamber of Celestial Mechanics—the great workroom of the 
building—the Book of Acts. 

We are now conducted into the stately halls of the Apostolic Epistles, no less 
than twenty-one in all. The golden doors of fourteen of these bear the honorable 
name of the Apostle to the Gentiles, the other seven are inscribed with the names of 
James and Peter and John and Jude. Within these halls the choicest riches of the 
Lord are stored. 

At last we arrive in the mysterious gallery where beautiful lights and dark 
shadows so curiously intermingle, and where in sublime emblems the records of the 
Church of Jesus are unveiled till the bridegroom come—the glorious Apocalypse. 
Let us step out on the veranda and look abroad. 

Before us is a fair field through which the pure River of the Water of Life 
is winding its way; on either side stands the Tree of Life, with its twelve different 
fruits and its beautiful leaves for the healing of the nations. In the distance, high 
on the everlasting hills, the city of purest gold, bathed in precious light and shin¬ 
ing with glory—the New Jerusalem: its walls of jasper, its foundation of prec¬ 
ious stones, its angel-guarded gates of pearl; the city that needs no sun, no moon, 
“for the glory of the Lord doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof!” 
Let us make this beautif ul house our home . Let us live in this Christian empire 
of peace and love . 





CHR. KOEHLER. 


HAGAR 


AND 


ISHMAEL 

















































































) 


How We Know the Bible is the Word of God. 


It is a striking fact that the Bible is the most 
popular book in the world today, that its circu¬ 
lation far exceeds that of any other book pub¬ 
lished. The two great public societies (the 
British and Foreign Bible Society, and the 
American Bible Society) at the Centenary cele¬ 
brations held in 1904, reported having then dis¬ 
tributed 250,000,000 copies of the whole Bible, 
or parts of it. Since then the average annual 
output has been about 15,000,000 copies of 
whole Bibles and portions. In addition to 
these figures there are hundreds of thousands 
of copies sold annually by the great private 
publishing houses. 

The origin and authority of such a book de¬ 
mands careful consideration. This article will 
present in brief the evidence upon which the 
Bible is accepted as the Word of God to men. 

THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE. 

Can we be certain that the Bible as we have 
it today is the same as when it first came 
among men? This is an exceedingly import¬ 
ant question and at the same time a question 
that can be satisfactorily and positively an¬ 
swered. The history of the Bible can be traced 
more completely than that of any other ancient 
book. 

Its history can be traced from our own day 
through its various translations and copies 
back almost to the days of the apostles them¬ 
selves. Careful comparisons made by well 
equipped scholars show that there are no varia¬ 
tions among all these thousands of copies 
affecting seriously any one of the great foun¬ 
dation truths of Christianity. 

In the leading libraries of our great cities 


may be found printed copies of the Bible from 
the time when printing was invented. In the 
British Museum, London ; the Vatican Library, 
Rome; the Library of St. Petersburg, Russia, 
may be seen written copies made in the fourth 
and fifth centuries. 

There are thousands of these old written 
copies in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and other lan¬ 
guages carefully preserved in various libraries 
in America and Europe. 

In the writings of the great theologians, usu¬ 
ally called “the church fathers,” of the first 
three Christian centuries, have been found in 
quotations all of the New Testament, with the 
exception of eleven verses. 

All of these facts together prove conclusively 
that the Bible of our day is the same revelation 
as originally given by God to man. 

RECENT DISCOVERIES AND THE 
BIBLE. 

For a long time the Bible was the only 
source of information concerning the ancient 
empires of the East. Many of its statements 
were hard to understand. It wrote of a state 
of civilization in the days of Abraham and 
of Moses that seemed far too advanced for 
that age, and scientists scoffed at it and de¬ 
clared it was all romance. But in recent years 
the excavations made by various organizations 
in Bible lands have proved beyond a doubt 
that the history of the Bible agrees with what 
the monuments reveal, that life in those old 
lands was just as pictured in the Bible. The 
laws of Moses that seemed too advanced for 
his day are almost duplicates of the recently 
recovered laws of Hammurabai. who was king 






10 


HOW WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD 


500 years before Moses was born. Private let¬ 
ters, legal contracts, and account books of that 
age have been recovered, certifying the nat¬ 
uralness of the Bible stories. 

The cities and other remains of that very 
ancient people, the Hittites, have been recov¬ 
ered, and prove that the references to this 
nation in the Bible are correct. Yet all trace 
of them, apart from the Bible, was so com¬ 
pletely lost, that scholarly men confidently de¬ 
clared (until these recent discoveries) that no 
such people ever existed. 

Monuments of various kinds erected by 
heathen kings who came in contact with the 
ancient Hebrews, have been dug up, and on 
them have been found records of their wars 
with Israel, corroborating the accounts of the 
same given in our Old Testament. 

In fact, in the thousands of discoveries made 
which touch the Bible at all, not one has been 
found which indisputably proves one error in 
the Bible. 

Instead of the days of Abraham being lost 
in a mist of uncertainty as they used to be, 
there is now such a mass of evidence as makes 
it possible for the scholar to know the history 
of that period as thoroughly as he used to 
know that of Julius Caesar. 

ITow, then, can the trustworthiness of the 
Bible even merely as an ancient book, be ac¬ 
counted for, except by the fact that God super¬ 
intended the writing of it? What other expla¬ 
nation will fit the facts? 


FULFILLED PROPHECY TESTIFIES 
THAT THE BIBLE IS RELIABLE. 

The testimony to the truth of the Bible, as 
seen in the prophecies already fulfilled, is a 
very convincing argument that it is the Word 
of God. 

There are numerous prophecies in the Old 
Testament concerning the Messiah and His 
coming, which history proves were fulfilled 
exactly. 

He was to be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14), in 


Bethlehem of Judea (Micah 5:2). He was to 
be preceded by a messenger (Isa. 40:3; Mai. 
3 :1; 4:5), to be of Abraham’s seed (Gen. 22 :18) 
and to be of the tribe of Judah and house of 
David (Gen. 49:8; Isa. 11:1-10). 

A study of the Gospels, together with the 
Old Testament references as given in the mar¬ 
gin of any reference Bible, will show how ac¬ 
curately the events of the Messiah’s life were 
foretold by the inspired prophets, and how ex¬ 
actly the life of Jesus of Nazareth fitted the 
picture drawn hundreds of years before His 
birth. 

“The death of Christ,” says Dr. Alexander 
Keith, “was as unparalleled as His life, and 
the prophecies are as minutely descriptive of 
His sufferings as of His virtues. His growing 
up as a tender plant (Isa. 53:2) ; His riding in 
humble triumph into Jerusalem ( Zech. 11 :12) ; 
and being scourged and buffeted and spit upon, 
the piercing of His hands and of His feet, and 
yet every bone of Him remaining unbroken ; 
the last offered draught of vinegar and gall; 
the parting of His raiment and casting lots 
upon His vesture (Psalms 22, 69) ; the manner 
of His death and of His burial (Isa. 53:9); 
and His rising again without seeing corruption 
(Psa. 16:10), were all as minutely predicted as 
literally fulfilled. The last three verses of the 
fifty-second, and the whole of the fifty-third 
chapter of Isaiah, written above seven hundred 
years before the Christian era, prophetically 
describe, like a very history of the facts, the 
sufferings and the death of Christ.” 

This is but one line of the evidence from ful¬ 
filled prophecy. There are the prophecies con¬ 
cerning Jerusalem, the Jewish people, the land 
of Judea, the nations and lands surrounding 
Israel, the cities of Tyre and Nineveh and 
Babylon, which have been fulfilled to the very 
letter. This is all set forth in a very simple 
yet intensely interesting way in Dr. Keith’s 
book, quoted above, entitled The Evidence of 
Prophecy. 

How can these things be satisfactorily ac¬ 
counted for except by the statement of the 
Bible itself that holy men of old spake, being 
moved by the Holy Ghost” (I Pet. 1:21)? 






HOW WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD 


11 


pires of the world to become the emancipator 
of a nation of slaves, a man educated in all the 
learning of a learned people and to whom the 
civilized world owes the foundation of its laws, 
tells us that when called to his life work by 
Jehovah he was loath to obey and urged his 
slowness of speech as an excuse. But Jehovah 
said to him, “Now therefore, go, and I will be 
with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou 
shalt say/’—Ex. 4:11, 12. After that assurance 
Moses went about his duty, and Jehovah ful¬ 
filled His promise, speaking to him, and to us 
through him. His message. 

David, with his dying breath, tells us that 
the secret of his sweet songs that have cheered 
and encouraged the hearts of countless millions 
of men and women, is that “The Spirit of the 
Lord spake by me, and His word was in my 
tongue.”—2 Sam. 23:12. 


THE HUMAN ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE. 

While we usually speak of the Bible as one 
book, it is really a volume or library made up 
of sixty-six books. These were written not. 
by one man, but by more than forty men. They 
were not written in the lifetime of one man, or 
of one generation, but cover a period of at 
least 1,600 years, from about 1500 B. C. to 100 
A.D. The writers were not only separated 
from each other by the ( time in which they 
wrote, but were separated by their varied train¬ 
ing and position in life. Among them we find 
kings, soldiers, statesmen, herdsmen, shep- 
herds, priests, fishermen, a doctor and a tax 
collector. 

Keeping these facts in mind how strange that 
these books should nevertheless, when brought 
together, form one harmonious whole, and 
bear one united testimony to mankind. How 
can it be accounted for? 

When in one of our large cities we see the 
great blocks of marble and granite being quick¬ 
ly and accurately put together, until the beauti¬ 
ful building stands complete before us, we 
know that back of the men in the quarry, and 
back of the masons, and bricklayers, and car¬ 
penters and other mechanics, was one master 
mind—the architect who planned it all; that 
the finished building is not the outcome oi 
some lucky chance. The writers of the Bible 
are the mechanics, let them tell us who is the 
architect. 

THE DIVINE ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE. 

As we read the Old Testament we soon be¬ 
come accustomed to such statements as these ■. 
“The Lord said; the word of the Lord came; 
thus saith the Lord,” and phrases of similar 
meaning, and if we were to read to the end of 
Malachi, keeping count of them, we would find 
they occurred over 1900 times, or an aver¬ 
age of twice in every chapter. Let us see how 
these statements are made, looking at just two 
or three representative passages. 

Moses, that wonderful man who turned his 
back on the throne of one of the mightiest em- 


Take but one writer from among the proph¬ 
ets of Israel, Jeremiah. Explaining how he 
came to speak in the Lord’s name he says, 
“But the Lord said unto me, Say not I am a 
child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send 
thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou 
shalt speak. Then the Lord put forth His hand 
and touched my mouth. And the Lord said 
unto me. Behold, I have put my words in thy 
mouth.”—Jer. 1:6-9 

These three writers are representative of all 
the others. And their claim to be heard, and 
to be believed, not for their own sake but for 
their hearers’ sakes, is that their message is 
not from themselves, but from God. A con¬ 
sistent life added its weight to their claims. 
No personal pride caused them to pose as the 
leading thinkers of their day; rather did the 
sense of their responsibility humble them be¬ 
fore God. 


OUR LORD AND THE OLD TESTA¬ 
MENT. 

Continuing our search into the New Testa¬ 
ment, we find in it that our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Son of God, again and again endorses the 
claims of the Old Testament writers regarding 








12 


HOW WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD 


their messages, by showing that they wrote 
of Him. 

In Luke 24:27 we read that, “beginning from 
Moses and from all the prophets, He inter¬ 
preted to them in all the Scriptures the things 
concerning Himselfand in the 44th verse we 
read, “All things must needs be fulfilled which 
are written in the law of Moses, and the proph¬ 
ets, and the psalms, concerning me.” The writ¬ 
ings which our Lord here refers to were, of 
course, the sacred books of the Jews, our Old 
Testament. And when He speaks of the law, 
the prophets and the psalms, He is referring to 
the three divisions of those books as commonly 
used by the Jews in somewhat the same way in 
which we speak of the Old and New Testa¬ 
ments. He thus declares that the Old Testa¬ 
ment from first to last in all its parts contains 
teaching referring to Himself and His mission. 

In John 10:35 He quotes Psalm 82:6, calls it 
“the word of God,” and declares that “the 
Scripture cannot be broken.” In Matt. 15:4 
He quotes the fifth commandment from Exo¬ 
dus 20 and prefaces it with the assertion, “for 
God said.” It was with the Old Testament 
Scriptures that He overcame Satan in the wil¬ 
derness (Matt. 4:1-11), and the Pharisees and 
others who tried to entangle Him in His teach¬ 
ing (Matt. 22:29-32). In this latter instance 
He bases His triumphant argument on the 
tense of the verb “to be.” 

He endorses the trustworthiness of the inci¬ 
dents related, such as the destruction of Sodom 
(Matt. 11:23), Lot’s wife (Luke 17:29-32), the 
widow of Zarephath (Luke 4:26), Naaman’s 
cure (Luke 4:27), the story of Jonah (Matt. 
12:39-41). 


THE APOSTLES AND THE OLD TESTA¬ 
MENT. 

The Apostle Peter on one occasion declared 
that our Lord Jesus, the living Word, was the 
Son of God, and was told that this was not the 
mere reasoning of flesh and blood, but that 
God had revealed it unto him (Matt. 16:17). 
In the same way this apostle declares of the 


written word, “the prophecy came not in old 
time by the will of man; but holy men of God 
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 
—2 Pet. 1:21. 

The Apostle Paul similarly endorses the 
claims of the writers of old, saying in 2 Tim. 
3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of 
God.” 


OUR LORD AND THE NEW TESTA¬ 
MENT. 

Not one of the books of the New Testament 
was written while our Lord was here on earth 
in the flesh. But before His death He assured 
the apostles that they should be divinely 
guided in their testimony. He said, “But the 
Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom 
the Father will send in my name, He shall 
teach you all things, and bring all things to 
your remembrance, whatsoever I have said un¬ 
to you” (John 14:26), “I have yet many things 
to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 
Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come. 
He will guide you into all truth; for He shall 
not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He 
shall hear, that shall He speak: and 
He will show you things to come.” (John 16: 
12, 13.) This, then, was His provision, that in 
their teaching and preaching (including writ¬ 
ten teaching, of course) these men of the new 
dispensation should have truth revealed to 
them, and be guided in it by the Holy Spirit 
who had guided the men of the old. 

In Acts 2 we have the record of the coming 
of the Spirit as promised, the very manner ot 
His coming proving also the fulfilment of the 
promise of His guidance. 

THE APOSTLES AND THE NEW TESTA¬ 
MENT. 

And so did the apostles understand what 
had occurred. In I Thess. 2:13; I Cor. 2:13: 
14:37, the apostle Paul declares that the mes¬ 
sage he delivers is not his own but God’s, and 








13 


HOW WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD 


that he declares it not in his own words, but 
in words given him by God Himself. 

The apostle Peter endorses this statement, 
classing Paul’s writings with “the other Scrip¬ 
tures” (2 Peter 3:15, 16), which, as we have 
already seen, he affirms to have been divinely 
inspired, and he makes a similar statement re¬ 
garding his own teaching (2 Pet. 3:2). 

These men of both the old and new dispen¬ 
sation, by their holy lives and triumphant 
deaths, verified and established beyond suc¬ 
cessful challenge that they were God’s mes^ 
sengers to men, and the Son of God Himself 
endorses their claim. 


EXPERIENCE AND THE BIBLE. 

The last line of evidence is one that is 
within the reach of everybody who has a Bible. 

It is this: There are some 30,000 promises 
in the Bible, most of them promises connected 
with prayer. There are promises of pardon, 
of comfort, of blessing both temporal and 
spiritual. 

Millions of men and women have put these 
promises to the test and found them true in 
life and death; have proved by personal ex¬ 
perience that the Bible is the Word of God. 
Have you? 











THE BIBLE 


The Most Wonderful Book in the World 

ATREASURY OF 
DIVINE WISDOM 


Rev. Dr. Torrey > the great Evangelist, gave 
many reasons for his belief in the Bible. 
He said: 

CL “ What man has produced man can exhaust. But eighteen centuries 
of study on the part of tens of thousands of the ablest minds have been 
unable to exhaust the Bible. Many men of strongest intellect, of mar¬ 
velous powers of penetration, of broadest culture, have given a lifetime 
to the study of the Bible, and no man who has really studied it has ever 
dreamed of saying that he had gotten to the bottom of the Bible. 

CL “ Indeed, the more profoundly one digs into the Bible the more clearly 
he sees that there are still unfathomable depths of wisdom beneath him 
in this inexhaustible mine of truth. 

CL “ Thousands of men in co-operation with one another have delved into 
this mine, but, so far from exhausting it, there are still new treasures of 
truth awaiting each new student of the Bible. New light is constantly 
breaking forth from the Word of God. How are we to account for this 
unquestionable fact? 

CL “ The human mind has been progressing during these eighteen cen- 
turies—we have outgrown every other book that belongs to the past, but 
so far from outgrowing the Bible we have not yet grown up to it. The 
best interpretation of the most recent events of our own time is found in 
this old Book. 

CL “ If the Bible were man’s book we would have fathomed it centuries 
ago, but the fact that it has proved itself unfathomable for eighteen 
centuries is proof positive that in it are Hidden the Infinite Treasures of 
the Wisdom and Knowledge of God.” 











What Great Men and Women Say About the Bible 


OUR PRESIDENTS AND THE BIBLE. 


THOMAS JEFFERSON, 1801-1809. 

“I have always said, and always will say 
that the studious perusal of the sacred volume 
will make us better citizens, better fathers, and 
better husbands/’ 

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, 1825-1829. 

“I speak as a man of the world to men of the 
world; and I say to you, ‘Search the Scrip¬ 
tures.’ The Bible is the Book of all others to 
be read at all ages and in all conditions of hu¬ 
man life; not to be read once or twice or thrice 
through, and then laid aside; but to be read in 
Small portions of one or two chapters a day 
and never to be omitted unless by some over¬ 
whelming necessity.” 

.ANDREW JACKSON, 1829-1837. 

“That book,” pointing to the family Bible, 
“is the rock on which our republic rests.” 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 1861-1865. 

“I am profitably engaged in reading the 
Bible. Take all this book upon reason that 
you can, and the balance on faith, and you will 
live and die a better man.” 


ULYSSES S. GRANT, 1869-1877. 

“Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor 
of your liberties; write its precepts in your 
hearts, and practice them in your lives. To 
the influence of this book we are indebted for 
all the progress made in true civilization, and 
to this we must look as our guide in the 
future.” 


THEODORE ROOSEVELT, 1901-1909. 

“Every thinking man, when he thinks, real¬ 
izes what a very large number of people tend 
to forget that the teachings of the Bible are so 
interwoven and entwined with our whole civic 
and social life that it would be literally—I do 
not mean figuratively, I mean literally—im¬ 
possible for us to figure to ourselves what that 
life would be if these teachings were removed. 

. Almost every man who has by his life 
work added to the sum of human achievement 
of which the race is proud, of which our people 
are proud, almost every such man has based 
his life work largely upon the teachings of the 
Bible. ... I plead for a wider and closer 
and deeper study of the Bible, so that our peo¬ 
ple may be in fact as well as in theory, ‘doers 
of the Word, and not hearers only.” 


GREAT SCIENTISTS AND THE BIBLE. 

SIR WILLIAM HERSCHEL. SIR ISAAC NEWTON. 


“All human discoveries seem to be made 
only for the purpose of confirming more and 
more strongly the truths that come from on 
high and are contained in the sacred writings/’ 


“We account the Scriptures of God to be 
the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure 
marks of authenticity in the Bible than in'any 
profane history whatever.” 


15 






16 


WHAT GREAT MEN AND WOMEN SAY ABOUT THE BIBLE 


PROFESSOR J. D. DANA. 

“The grand old book of God still stands, and 
this old earth, the more its leaves are turned 
over and pondered, the more it will sustain 
and illustrate the sacred Word.” 

which were hostile to the Scriptures, but not 
one of these theories is held today.” 

MICHAEL FARADAY. 

SIR CHARLES LYELL. 

“Why will people go astray when they have 

“In the year 1806 the French Institute enum¬ 
erated no less than eighty geological theories 

this blessed book to guide them?” 


GREAT STATESMEN AND THE BIBLE. 


WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE. 

EDMUND BURKE. 

“Talk about the questions of the time; there 
is but one question—how to bring the truths 
of God’s Word into vital contact with the 
minds and hearts of all classes of the people.” 

“I have read the Bible morning, noon, and 
night, and have ever since been the happier 
and better man for such reading.” 

GARIBALDI. 

WILLIAM WILBERFORCE. 

“This (the Bible) is the canon that will 
make Italy free.” 

With almost his dying breath the great 
emancipator of the slaves in the British em¬ 
pire exclaimed: “Read the Bible! Read the 
Bible!” 

PATRICK HENRY. 

“There is a book worth all other books 
which were ever printed.” 


GREAT LAWYERS AND THE BIBLE. 


DANIEL WEBSTER. 

He is a patriot; but the man who carries the 

“I have read the Bible through many times, 
and now make it a practice to read it through 
once every year. It is a book of all others for 
lawyers, as well as divines; and I pity the man 
who cannot find in it a rich supply of thought 
and of rules of conduct.” 

Bible to the people is also one, and he is doing 
more for his country than the victors of all 
the battlefields.” 

SIR MATTHEW HALE. 

“I have been acquainted somewhat with men 

CHIEF JUSTICE JAY. 

and books, and have had long experience in 
learning, and in the world; there is no book 

When that illustrious man was dying he was 
asked if he had any farewell address to leave 
his children. He replied, “They have the Bible.” 

like the Bible for excellent learning, wisdom, 
and use; and it is want of understanding in 
them that think or speak otherwise.” 

CHIEF JUSTICE BREWER. 

WILLIAM H. SEWARD. 

“The man who brings this Bible home to the 
people of the nation is a patriot. Too often 
the soldier is regarded as the only patriot. 

“The whole hope of human progress is sus¬ 
pended on the ever growing influence of the 
Bible.” 








WHAT GREAT MEN AND WOMEN SAY ABOUT THE BIBLE 


17 


JOHN SELDEN. 

“There is no book in the universe upon 
which we can rest our souls in a dying hour 
but the Bible.” 

CHANCELLOR KENT. 

“The Bible is equally adapted to the wants 
and infirmities of every human being. No 


other book ever addressed itself so authorita¬ 
tively and so pathetically to the judgment and 
moral sense of mankind.” 

JUDGE STORY. 

“Let us cling with a holy zeal to the Bible. 
Let us proclaim that the Scriptures only can 
be the final judge or rule” (of faith). 


GREAT MONARCHS AND THE BIBLE. 


ROBERT, KING OF SICILY. 

“I protest, the Scriptures are dearer to me 
than my kingdom, and if I must be deprived 
of one of them I had rather lose my diadem 
than the Scriptures.” 

EDWARD VI, OF ENGLAND. 

On the day of his coronation, King Edward 
VI had presented before him three swords, 
signifying that he was monarch of three king¬ 
doms. He said there was one sword missing. 
Being asked what that was, he answered, “The 
Holy Bible, which is the sword of the Spirit, 
and is to be preferred before all these ensigns 
of royalty.” 

NAPOLEON I, EMPEROR OF FRANCE. 

“The Gospel is not merely a book, it is a liv¬ 
ing power, a book surpassing all others. I 
never omit to read it, and every day with the 
same pleasure. Nowhere is to be found such a 


series of beautiful ideas and admirable moral 
maxims, which pass before us like the bat¬ 
talions of a celestial army. . . . The soul 

can never go astray with this book for its 
guide.” 

QUEEN VICTORIA. 

“Go tell your prince that this (the Bible) 
is the secret of England’s greatness.”—Reply 
of Queen Victoria to an ambassador who asked 
the secret of England’s superiority among the 
nations. 

WILLIAM III, EMPEROR OF GERMANY. 

“In your lessons you have read and heard 
of many great men who have elevated and even 
inspired you, but theirs are only human words 
and no human words can be considered equal 
to any single word of our Lord. Never has a 
human word succeeded in inspiring the people 
of all races and all nations equally to the same 
goal.” 


GREAT WRITERS AND THE BIBLE 


BACON. 

“There never was found, in any age of the 
world, either religion or law, that did so highly 
exalt the public good as the Bible.” 


JOHN MILTON. 

“There are no songs comparable to the songs 
of Zion; no orations equal to those of the 
prophets; and no politics like those which the 
Scriptures teach.” 









18 


WHAT GREAT MEN AND WOMEN SAY ABOUT THE BIBLE 


JOHN RUSKIN. 

“Read your Bible, making it the first morn¬ 
ing business of your life to understand sonit 
portion of it clearly, and your daily business 
to obey it in all that you do understand. To 
my early knowledge of the Bible I owe the 
best part of my taste in literature, and the most 
precious and on the whole, the one essential 
part of my education.” 

SIR WALTER SCOTT. 

“The most learned, acute and diligent stu¬ 
dent cannot, in the longest life, obtain the en¬ 
tire knowledge of this one volume. The more 
deeply he works the mine, the richer and more 
abundant he finds the ore; new light continu¬ 
ally beams from the source of heavenly knowl¬ 
edge, to direct the conduct and illustrate the 
work of God and the ways of men; and he will 
at last leave the world confessing that the 
more he studied the Scriptures, the fuller con¬ 
viction he had of his owp ignorance and of 
their inestimable value.” 

VICTOR HUGO. 

“Give the people who toil and suffer, for 
whom this world is hard and bad, the belief 
that there is a better made for them. Scatter 
Gospels among the villages, a Bible for every 
cottage.” 


BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

“A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a 
good school in every district, all studied and 
appreciated as they merit, are the principal 
support of virtue, morality, and civil liberty.” 

EUGENE FIELD. 

Just before his death he said, “I would not 
now exchange for any amount of money the 
acquaintance with the Bible that was drummed 
into me when I was a boy.” 


THOMAS CARLYLE. 

“The one Book wherein, for thousands of 
years, the spirit of man has found light and 
nourishment, and the response to whatever 
was deepest in his heart.” 

RALPH WALDO EMERSON. 

“The most original book in the world is the 
Bible. Shakespeare, the first literary genius 
of the world, leans on the Bible. His poetry 
pre-supposes it. People imagine that the place 
the Bible holds in the world it owes to mira¬ 
cles. It owes it simply to the fact that it came 
out of a profounder depth of thought than any 
other book.” 

LORD BYRON. 

Within this awful volume lies 
The mystery of mysteries— 

Oh! happiest they of human race 
To whom our God hath given grace 
To hear, to read, to fear, to pray, 

To lift the latch and force the way 
But better had they ne’er been born 
Who read to doubt, or read to scorn. 

HORACE GREELEY. 

“It is impossible to mentally or socially en¬ 
slave a Bible reading people. The principles 
of the Bible are the groundwork of human free¬ 
dom.” 

CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER. 

“Wholly apart from its religious or from its 
ethical value, the Bible is the one book that no 
intelligent person who wishes to come into con¬ 
tact with the world of thought and to share the 
ideas of the great minds of the Christian era 
can afford to be ignorant of.” 

SAMUEL JOHNSON. 

\ oung man, attend to the voice of one w r ho 
has possessed a certain degree of fame, and 
who will shortly appear before his Maker. Read 
the Bible every day of your life.” 









REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR YOUNG 

PEOPLE. 


NO. 

1 . 

2 . 

3. 

4. 

5. 


6 . 

7. 

8 . 

9. 


10 . 


11 . 

12 . 

13. 

14. 

15. 


16. 

17. 

18. 

19. 

20 . 


21 . 

22 . 

23. 

24. 

25. 


26. 

27. 

28. 


29. 

30. 


CHAPTER I. 

The first story in the Bible is what?. 

Who did God inspire to write the story?. 

What are the Books of Moses called?. 

Where did God put Adam and Eve to live?. 

What was the first sin and punishment?. 

CHAPTER II. 

What are the names of the first two children?. 

Which of the two found favor with God?. 

With what result?. 

What was the name of the first city?. 

What happened to Enoch son of Seth?. 

CHAPTER III. 

For man’s sinfulness what did God resolve to do?. 

Who found favor in God’s eyes?. 

Name his sons. 

How long did the waters prevail over the Earth?. 

On what mountain did the ark finally rest?. 

CHAPTER IV. 

What was God’s purpose in separating Abram from his people? 

What did God promise to Abram?. 

What characteristic does Abram show to Lot?. 

How did God test Abram’s faith?. . 

How would you sum up Abram’s character?. 

CHAPTER V. 


Name Isaac’s two sons. 

Which of the two deceived his father?. 

Who came to Isaac desiring his friendship?. 

What name did Jacob give to the place after his dream?. 
What was the name of Jacob’s last son and its meaning? 

CHAPTER VI. 

In what way did Joseph displease his brothers?. 

Into what country was Joseph sold?. 

With what result?. 

How did Pharaoh reward Joseph?. 

In what part of Egypt did the Israelites live?. 

19 


See 

page 

See Bible Students' 
Assistant, page 

37 

596 

37 

622 

.38 

617 

39 

599 

40-41 

598 

42 

579, 591 

42 

579 

42 

622 

43 

600 

43 

600 

44 

603 

44 

624 

. 44 

607, 611 637 

45 

597 

45 

584 

47 

580 

47 

580 

48 

580 

. 55 

580 

60 

580 

61 

601, 611 

61 

611 

62 

579 

65 

588 

72 

588 

73 

614 

76 

599 

. 77 

614 

. 82 

627 

. 92 

606 
































20 


REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


no. CHAPTER VII. p s a e g e e 

31. How did Pharaoh persecute the Israelites?. 98 

32. Whom did God raise up to deliver His people?.102 

33. What was the nature of the plagues?.104 

34. How did God take care of the Israelites in the wilderness?.109 

35. Where in the pilgrimage did God give Moses the Commandments?. .111 


CHAPTER VIII. 

36. What was the punishment for blasphemy?.116 

‘ 37. When did Moses take the census of the people?.,.117 

38. Who of the spies desired to go in and possess the land?.120 

39. What punishment fell on Israel for disobedience?.121 

40. How was Aaron’s selection proven to the people?.122 

CHAPTER IX. 

41. What was Aaron’s punishment for disobedience?.125 

42. What escape was offered to those bitten?.125 

43. How many were destroyed for their idolatry?....129 

44. How was Balaam punished for his treachery?.131 

45. On what mountain did Moses die?.132 

CHAPTER X. 

46. Job probably lived about the same time as whom?.133 

47. In what land did he live?. 133 

48. Who accused Job before God, and of what?..134 

49. What severe affliction did God allow to come to Job?.134, 135 

50. What was the outcome of Job’s chastening (see Heb. 12:1-11)?_137 

CHAPTER XI. 

51. Who was chosen to succeed Moses?. 138 

52. What was to be the signal from Rahab’s house?. 140 

53. What great lesson should we learn from Rahab?.142 

54. What was Achan’s punishment?. 144 

55. How did Joshua walk before God?.:.150 

CHAPTER XII. 

56. How were the Israelites punished for their idolatry? ..151 

57. Who was the nation’s fourth ruler?.158 

58. How was the power of the Lord manifested toward Sisera?.160 

59. Where did Sisera take refuge?.160 

60. What was the occasion of the “ Song of Deborah and Barak ”?.160 

CHAPTER XIII. 

61. Whom did God now select to deliver Israel?.162 

62. What was the sign used by Gideon?. 163 

63. What was the war cry used against the Midianites?. 164 

64. What vow did Jephthah make to the Lord?. 168 

65. What was the test word used at the fords of the Jordan?.169 


See Bible Students 
Assistant, page 

590, 641 
622 
628 
646 
638 


589 

622 

591 614 
634 


579 

590 

627 

587 

623 


622 

644 

635 

581 


614 

631 

631 

580 

614 


586 

597 

638 

611 

611 


605 

605 

605 

612 

628 




































REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


21 


NO. 

66 . 

67. 

68 . 

69. 

70. 


CHAPTER XIV. J 

According to some Hebrew scholars what is the meaning of the word 


Samson?...172 

What was the famous riddle of Samson?.173 

From what city did Samson carry off the gates?.174 

From what heathen nation did Samson deliver Israel?.172 

The temple of what idol did Samson destroy?.178 


CHAPTER XV. 

71. Into what land did Elimelech and Naomi move?.179 

72. What was Ruth’s answer to Naomi’s entreaty?.180 

73. How did Boaz treat Ruth?.181 

74. In course of time Ruth became a direct ancestor to whom?.183 


See Bible Students’ 
Assistant, page 

635 

634 

604 

627 

596 


600 

634 

590 

596 


75. 

76. 

77. 

78. 

79. 


80. 

81. 

82. 

83. 

84. 


85. 

86 . 

87. 

88 . 

89. 


90. 

91. 

92. 

93. 

94. 


95. 

96. 

97. 

98. 

99. 


CHAPTER XVI. 

Where in the line of Judges does Samuel appear?.184 

Who were his parents?.184 

What was the fate of Eli and his sons for disobedience?.186 

What was the result of the ark being captured by the Philistines?... 186 
Who was chosen as the first king of Israel?.192 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Where was Saul ordained king?.194 

What was Saul’s sin against God?.198 

What was Saul’s explanation to Samuel?.198 

Who was named as Saul’s successor?.201 

Who was to be a descendant of David?.202 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

Over whom, and by what means, did David gain his great victory 

for Israel?.204, 205 

What did Saul try to do to David?.208 

Who was David’s bosom friend and how did he prove his friend¬ 
ship? .208, 211 


Driven to despair, whom did Saul consult?.219 

What was Saul’s end?.224 

CHAPTER XIX. 

David was crowned king where?.225 

Who was crowned king over the ten tribes?.224 

In bringing up the ark what tragic event occurred?.234 

Who rebelled against David- and with what result?.244 

What did David buy from Araunah and for what purpose?.251 


CHAPTER XX. 


What does Mount Moriah signify and what is related as having there 


taken place?.. 

What was David ambitious to build for God?. 

Who succeeded David as king and who disputed his claim? 

What occurred in Israel on the death of Solomon?. 

Who was the great prophet in the reign of Ahab?. 


252 

252 

253 
265 
274 


635 

600, 607 
600 
584 
635 


605 

598 

635 

596 

613 


606 

622 

614 

646 

635 


608 

610 

585 

580 

582 


622 

641 

638, 581 
612, 632 
600 



































22 


NO. 

100 . 

101 . 

102 . 

103. 

104. 


105. 

106. 

107. 

108. 

109. 

110 . 
111 . 


112 . 

113. 

114. 

115. 


116. 

117. 

118. 
119. 


120 . 

121 . 

122 . 

123. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


CHAPTER XXI. 


See 

page 


Who succeeded Elijah as prophet?. 

Of what disease, and how, was Naaman healed?.... 
What idolatrous worship did Jehu destroy in Israel? 

Who was the ablest of all the kings of Israel?. 

What great nation invaded Israel and Judah?. 


289 

294 

304 

310 

310 


CHAPTER XXII, 

To what city was Jonah sent, and to do what?.314 

What great feast did King Hezekiah renew?.319 

From what foreign king did God deliver Hezekiah and by what 

means?.321 

Who was Judah’s most wicked king, and how did God first punish, 

and then show him mercy?.323 

By whom was Jerusalem captured and destroyed?.331 

What did he do with the people of Judah?.332 

What prophet foretold all these things?.328 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


What prophet was carried, while a lad, a prisoner to Babylon?.336 

By doing what did he rise into the king’s favor?.337 

Whose coming did he foretell?.339 

For what did he especially pray to God?.347 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

What proclamation did King Cyrus issue regarding the Temple at 


Jerusalem?.350 

What people especially hindered the work and why?.351 

In what book of the Bible is this recorded?.350 

What great abuse did Ezra reform?.353 


CHAPTER XXV. 

What beautiful Jewess became Queen of Persia, and under what 


circumstances?.357 

By whom had she been brought up?.357 

What was Haman’s wicked plot, and how was it defeated?.358 

What feast of the Jews celebrates this event?.366 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

124. Who was commissioned by the king of Persia to rebuild the walls 


of Jerusalem?.367 

125. How was the king moved to do this?.368 

126. Who sought to hinder the work?.368 

127. What feast was celebrated at the conclusion of the work?.370 

128. What service also was held?.370 

129. What reform of Sabbath observance did Nehemiah institute?.372 


See Bible Students’ 
Assistant, page 

600 

617 

586 

612 

585 


623 

626 

636 

619 

623 

592 

612 


596 

599 

602 


596 

635 

602 

619 


601 

622 

602 


623 

628 

583-622 

640 

634 
































NO. 


130. 

131. 

132. 

133. 

134. 


135. 

136. 

137. 

138. 

139. 


140. 

141. 

142. 

143. 

144. 

145. 

146. 

147. 

148. 

149. 

150. 

151. 


152. 

153. 

154. 


155. 


156. 

157. 

158. 


159. 

160. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


Who came 


CHAPTER XXX. 


glory? 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


Describe briefly Christ’s triumphal entry into 
Who anointed His feet at Bethany, and why? 
What memorial did He institute the last nig 


What did the disciples do when He was 


LE 

23 

See 

See Bible Student's 

page 

Assistant, page 

...376 

635 

...378 

582 

...379 

...380 

600 

...383 

...389 

...392 

...393 

584 

...397 

582 

...402 

608 

...405 

596,610,620, 647 

his 

...404 

608 

...406 

613 

...409 

619 

...412 

583 

...415 

646 

...416 

599 

’ ..418 

623 

...420 

633 * 

,...432 

608 

...427 

591 

.. .441-460 

...461 

604 

Lfe..457, 464,488 611, 617 

His 

,...474 

642 

5on?495 

618 

....503 

612 

....512 

619 

His 

....513 

618 

....517 

605, 614 

....519 






























£4 REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


NO. 


CHAPTER XXXII. 


See See Bible Student’s 

page Assistant, page 


161. Before what ecclesiastical rulers was Jesus examined?. .523 

162. What charge was made against Him then?.. . .520 

163. Before what civil rulers was He tried?.523 

164. What was the charge then brought against Him?.524 

165. What was Pilate’s verdict of Christ’s guilt or innocency?.525 

166. What did Pilate, nevertheless, do with Jesus? Why?.525 

167. What was the end of Judas?.. 526 

168. With whom was Jesus crucified? Why?.528 

169. What was His dying prayer?.529 

170. What strange signs occurred during the crucifixion?..531 

171. In whose tomb was the body of Jesus laid?. 533 


584 

589 

628 

636 


614 


599 

614 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 


172. What strange event took place on the Sabbath?.535 633 

173. Who were first at the tomb?.535 619 

174. To whom did they carry the glad tidings?.536 613-627 

175. How did Thomas express himself on hearing of Christ’s resurrection?540 642 

176. From what place did Christ ascend?.542 624 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

177. What was the first miracle of John and Peter?.544 613-627 

178. What answer did Peter make to the Sanhedrin?.547 627 

179. Who was the first to give up his life for Christ?.549 639 

180. What was the cause of Saul's conversion?...552 635, 626 

181. At what place do we hear of Christians for the first time?.557 584 


CHAPTER XXXV. 


182. Of whom did Paul preach to the Athenians?.563 

183. For what was the city of Ephesus famous?.566 

184. On what charge did the Jews seek Paul’s life? .569 

185. What was the end of Peter and Paul?.576 

186. On what island did St. John see the great vision, and what was 

revealed to him?..576 


626 

601 

641 

626-627 

626 



























Interesting Facts About the Bible 

T HERE is one Book that will live forever. Other books die, but The 
Bible is immortal. It is always new and never fails to awaken in¬ 
terest. No other book can compare with it in the numbers that 
have been printed, distributed and read over and over again. It is a Sub¬ 
lime Volume and rises majestically above all uninspired writings. 

VALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BIBLE 

The Old Testament embraces 39 books, 929 chapters, 23,214 verses, 
593,493 words. These words contain 2,728,100 letters. 

The New Testament embraces 27 books, 260 chapters, 7,959 verses, 
181,253 words containing 838,380 letters. 

There are 66 books in both Testaments, 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses, 
774,746 words and 3,566,480 letters. 

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. First Chronicles 
1:25 is the shortest verse. The word “And” is printed 35,543 times in 
the Bible. Ezra 7:21 contains the full letters of the alphabet. The word 
God or Lord does not appear in the Book of Esther. The last two verses 
of Second Chronicles and the first two verses in the Book of Esther are 
the same. Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 are also the same. 

The smallest book in the New Testament is Second John. The 
shortest verse in the New Testament is St. John 11:35. The word “And” 
is printed 10,684 times in the New Testament. The word “Jesus” appears 
nearly 700 times in the Gospels and Acts, and in the Epistles 70 times. 
The name Christ appears 60 times in the Gospels and Acts, and occurs 
240 times in the Epistles and Revelation. 

The shortest chapter in the Holy Bible is Psalm 117. The longest 
book is Psalms. The longest chapter in the entire Bible is Psalm 119. 
The word Jehovah (or Lord) appears 6,855 times in the Bible. 

The Bible has 50 authors in all. The original Bible was not divided; 
into chapters and verses. The dividing of the Bible into chapters has 
frequently been attributed to Lanfrank, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the 
Reign of William I. However, Cardinal Hugo de Sancto-Caro (about 
1236) was known to be the real author of this division. 

There are about 2,500 languages in the whole world. The Bible, or 
many parts of it, has been printed in very nearly 400 languages and dia¬ 
lects. The first English translation of the complete Bible was made by 
Wickliffe about 1384. In 1530 it was translated by Tindale, in 1535 by 
Coverdale, in 1539 by Cranmer, in 1558 at Geneva, in 1568 by the Bishops, 
and by authorized translators in 1611, when the King James Version 
was announced. 

The first American edition of the Bible was published at Cambridge, 
Mass., by Rev. John Eliot, in the Indian language, in 1661. The second 
Bible was published in the German language at Germantown, a suburb of 
Philadelphia, in 1743, by Christopher Sower. The first Bible published 
in the English language in America was printed in 1752. 


Unique ©ritwfr tn tht Mxblt 

The following is from an old manuscript that was found in ^Westminster 
Abbey, London, without signature or date: 

A nation would be truly happy if it ivere governed by no other laws than those 
of this Blessed Booh, which contains everything needful to be known or done. 

It gives instruction to a senate, authority and direction to a magistrate. 

It cautions a witness, requires an impartial verdict from a jury, and furnishes 
the judge with his sentence. To understand it, is to be wise indeed, to be ignorant 
of it, is to be destitute of true wisdom. 

It exhibits immortality and life everlasting, and shows the way to glory. 

It entails honor on parents, and enjoins obedience on children. 

It prescribes and limits the sway of the sovereign, and the ruler, the authority 
of the master, commands the subjects to honor and obey; and promises the blessing 
and protection of the Almighty to all who walk by its rule. 

It gives directions for weddings and for burying the dead. 

It points out a faithful guardian to the departing husband and father; tells him 
with whom to leave his fatherless children, and whom his ividoiv can trust. 

It teaches a man how to put his house in order, and how to make his will; it 
appoints a dowry for his wife, and shows how the young branches shall be left. 

It contains the choicest matter; gives the best instruction; and affords the 
greatest degree of pleasure and satisfaction that mankind has ever enjoyed. 

It contains the best laws and the most profound mysteries that ever were 
penned; and it brings comfort to the disconsolate. 

It is a brief recital of all that is to come, and settles all matters in dispute. 

It reveals the only living and true God, and shows the ivay of salvation; in 
short, it is a book of ivisdom that condemns all folly and makes the foolish wise; 
a book of truth that detects all deceit and confronts all errors. 

It contains the most ancient antiquities and describes strange events, wonderful 
occurrences, heroic deeds and unparalleled wars. 

It teaches the best rhetoric, and exercises every power of the most skillful 
arithmetician, puzzles the wisest anatomist, and confounds the wisest critic. 

It is the best covenant that was ever agreed upon, the best deed that ever was 
sealed; the best evidence that ever ivas produced, the best will that ever will be signed. 

It is the king's best guide; the young man’s best companion; the schoolboy’s 
spelling-book and the great and learned man’s masterpiece. 



ifflui tn Stubg Sthl? 

A Simple Plan for Studying Bible History in One Year 


The lack of a systematic method of Bible study is probably more to blame 
than almost anything else for the Bible being misunderstood. 

We believe that the simple plan here outlined for Bible study in connection 
with “The World’s Bible Auxiliary,” will stimulate interest, and will, if faith¬ 
fully followed, give the reader an intelligent grasp of Scripture history. 

The plan embraces a reading course consisting of a chapter, or portion of a 
chapter, of “The World’s Bible Auxiliary,” and in connection with it the corres¬ 
ponding portion of the Bible itself; a series of Review Questions and suggestions 
for further research. 


The study outlined in the following pages is in weekly portions and will 
lead the student through the Bible in one year. 

In some instances the weekly study will be in the Bible alone, embracing 
selections from the prophetical books of the Old Testament, and the doctrinal books 
of the New Testament. 


The Review Questions will be found on pages 19 to 24, by means of which 
each reader can test his, or her, actual knowledge. The reference following each 
question to the page on which the correct answer is found will prove convenient. 

“The Bible Students’ Assistant,” pages 579-648, will be found an invaluable 
help not only in carrying out the course of study here outlined, but in all independ¬ 
ent study also. The Scripture reference for persons, places, events, and even 
words, is most complete. 

The condensed information furnished in it will be a boon to busy men and 
women. The Sunday school teacher and scholar will find it highly convenient in 
preparing the weekly lesson. 

As an illustration in the lesson on Paul’s Voyage and Shipwreck (Acts 27), 
reference to the following words in “The Bible Students’ Assistant’’ furnishes a 
guide to their pronunciation and a wealth of information, answers a hoSt of ques¬ 
tions that arise in a teacher’s mind, or are put by the scholars in class: 

Centurion, Adramyttium, Cypress, Alexandria, Cnidus, Crete, Fair Havens, 
faSting, Euroclydon, undergirding, tackling, Adria, fathom, rudder. 

In connection with each review question (see page 19), is given one or two 
references to The Bible Students’ Assistant (see page 579 to page 648), which throws 
additional light on the point raised. 

The plan here outlined will also furnish an interesting course of reading for 
the family and will help any father and mother in the proper training of their 

children. 






























































































































A SYSTEMATIC COURSE OF 

BIBLE STUDY 

-ARRANGED FOR FIFTY-TWO WEEKS- 


READ THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

READ THE BIBLE 

FIRST WEEK 


CHAPTER I. 

The Story of Creation —Beauties of Eden—The birth of love—First sin PA ® E 
of Adam and Eve—Their punishment—Driven from the garden. 37-41 

CHAPTER II. 

Birth of Cain and Abel— The first murder—Cain is made an outcast—He 
founds the first city—Enoch, the wise man—Jubal, the first musician— 
Tubal-cain, the first worker in metal—Enoch translated to heaven 42-43 

CHAPTER HI. 

Story of the Great Flood —All the world’s creatures drowned save Noah 
and those with him in the ark—The ark floating on a waste of waters 
—Re-peo*pling the world—Building of the tower of Babel—Confusion 
of tongues—The people are scattered. 44-46 

GENESIS 

Chapters 1 to 9 

inclusive. 

SECOND WEEK 


CHAPTER IV. 

The Story of Abraham— The famine in Canaan—Wickedness of the 
Egyptians—Sarah taken as a wife by the king—A plague sent to 
punish Pharaoh—Abraham rears an altar—Lot and Abraham com¬ 
pelled to separate—Lot moves to Sodom—He is captured by four 
kings—Abraham to the rescue—Barrenness of Sarah is complained 
of —Abraham takes Hagar to wife—The poor woman afterward driven 
from his house—Hagar’s wanderings with her babe—An angel comes 
to her aid—Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah—Abraham and the 
three angels—Abraham is called to sacrifice his only son—Death of 

Sarah, and marriage of Isaac—The story of Isaac and Rebekah— 

Death and burial of Abraham. 47-60 

GENESIS 

Chapters 12 to 25 
inclusive. 

THIRD WEEK 


CHAPTER V. 

The Story of Jacob and Esau— The Philistines worry Isaac—Abimelech 
enters into a covenant with Isaac—Jacob takes Esau’s birthright— 

Jacob deceives his blind father—Jacob’s vision—Jacob’s hard service 
for a wife—Jacob marries two sisters—He meets his brother Esau in 
the desert— The birth of Benjamin—The crimes of Simeon and Levi 
—Death of Rachel—Jacob and Esau burv their father. 61-72 

GENESIS 

Chapters 26 to 35 
inclusive 


27 




























28 


HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE 


READ THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

READ THE BIBLE 

FOURTH WEEK 


CHAPTER VI. 

The Story of Joseph —Joseph the tale-bearer—His brothers resolve to page 
kill him—Reuben saves Joseph’s life—Joseph sold to the Egyptians 
—Joseph becomes an interpreter of dreams—Interprets Pharaoh’s 
dream—The famine—Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to buy corn— 

Meeting of Joseph and Benjamin—The brothers brought to great 
grief—Joseph reveals himself to his brothers—An affecting scene— 

Joseph sends for his father—Meeting of Joseph and his aged father— 

Jacob blesses Joseph’s children and dies,. 73-95 

GENESIS 

Chapters 37 to 50 

inclusive 

FIFTH WEEK 


CHAPTER VII. 

The Story of Moses— Oppression of the Jews—Birth and finding of 

Moses—The manhood of Moses—Moses kills an Egpytian—Flees 
from Egypt and marries in Arabia—Returns to free the Jews—His 
miracles before Pharaoh. 96-104 

EXODUS 

Chapters 1 to 10 
inclusive 

r - 

SIXTH WEEK 


- 

CHAPTER VII—Continued. 

The Ten Plagues —-The Jews flee from Egypt—Pharaoh’s host drowned 
in the sea Wanderings of the Israelites—Water brought out of the 
rock Horeb—Fed with manna—The ten commandments—Moses 
talks with God.. 104-115 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Stoning a Blasphemer— Taking a census of the Israelites—The Israelites 
resume their journeyings—Spies sent into Canaan—Rebellion of the 
princes The miracle of Aaron’s rod—An earthquake swallows up 

Korah—A pestilence stayed by a miracle .. 116-124 

EXODUS 

Chapters 11 to 20 
inclusive 

SEVENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER IX. 

The Sins of Moses and Aaron —The brazen serpent set up—The Israe¬ 
lites are victorious in two battles—The story of Balaam and the Angel 
—The cupidity of the prophet—Death of Moses—A grave made by 
thel ? andof God. ...., . 125-132 

N U M B E R S 

Chapters 11 to 17 and 

20 to 25; 

also Deuteronomy 34 

EIGHTH WEEK 


CHAPTER X. 

The Story of Job’s Faith— Who was Job?—Purpose of the story—Job’s 
great wealth His domestic joys—Satan obtains permission to afflict 
him—Job’s possessions are destroyed—His children are killed by 
a storm—He is afflicted with boils—Job’s friends—Riches and 
children again sent him. ... 133 137 

JOB 

Chapters 1 and 27, and 32 
to 42 inclusive 

NINTH WEEK 

—- 

CHAPTER XI, 

Joshua Chosen to Succeed Moses— Spies sent into Jericho—They are 
hidden by a woman—Their escape—The capture and slaughter of 

Jericho—The crime of an avaricious man—Stoned to death—Capture 
of Ai and league of the kings—Strategy of the Gibeonites—The bat¬ 
tle of Beth-Horon—Joshua divides the land—His death 1.38.160 

JOSHUA 

Chapters 1 to 6, 7, 8, 23 
and 24 
































































HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE 


29 


READ THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

READ THE BIBLE 

TENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XII. 

God is Forsaken by the Israelites—Punishment sent upon them—Assas- rage 
sination of King Eglon—Story of the destruction of the tribe of Ben¬ 
jamin—The great battle of Shiloh—Massacre of the people of Jabesh- 
gilead—Four hundred virgins made captives—Deliverance of Israel 
by Deborah—Jael kills Sisera with a nail.'.. 151-180 

JUDGES 

Chapters 1 to 5 and 19 to 21 

ELEVENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XIII. 

The Story of Gideon—Gideon visited by an angel—Called by God to 
lead the Israelites—Gideon’s fleece—A wondrous victory—The re¬ 
bellion of Abimelech—The murder of sixty-nine brothers—Massacre 
of the inhabitants of Shechem—The story of Jephthah and his 
daughter—Jephthah’s rash vow—He sacrifices his only child—The 
rebellion against Jephthah... . 161-170 

JUDGE S 

Chapters 6 to 12 inclusive 

TWELFTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XIV. 

The Story of Samson—An angel predicts his birth—His marvelous 
strength—Samson destroys a lion—Samson marries a woman who 
deceives him—His riddle—The singular means he took to spread a 
fire—Slays the Philistines with the jaw-bone of an ass—He carries 
off the gates of Gaza—How he was finally overcome by his enemies 
—He pulls down the temple of Dagon. 171-178 

JUDGES 

Chapters 13 to 16 inclusive; 
also book of Ruth 

CHAPTER XV. 


The Story of Ruth and Naomi—A sorrowful widowhood—In poverty 
among strangers—Ruth gleans in the fields of Boaz—Her beauty 
wins a noble lover—Boaz redeems the inheritance of Ruth—Her 


THIRTEENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XVI. 

The Story of Samuel—Samuel called by God—Instructed in the priest¬ 
hood by Eli—Israelites are defeated by the Philistines—The sins of 

Eli’s two sons—The Philistines capture the ark—The calamities that 
followed it—The ark returned—A terrible punishment for profana¬ 
tion of the ark—Israel is delivered through the prayers of Samuel— 

The Israelites demand a king—Saul ordained king..... 184-192 

I SAMUEL 

Chapters 1 to 10 inclusive 

FOURTEENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XVII. 

k i 

The Reign of Saul—His first battle—Jonathan’s great valor—Samuel’s 

advice to the people-Saul’s expedition against the Amalekites— 

Saul’s sin against God—Samuel prophesies the downfall of Saul— 

David appointed Saul’s successor—David plays the harp to drive 
away Saul’s melancholy.... 193-202 

I SAMUEL 

Chapters 11 to 16 inclusive 
















































30 


HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE 


READ THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

READ THE BIBLE 

FIFTEENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Story of David—He slays the giant—Saul jealous of David—David page 
compelled to flee for his life—A second time he escapes Saul’s ven¬ 
geance—David in exile—Saul renews the hunt for David—David re¬ 
fuses to revenge himself — David again spares Saul’s life — The sin 
and deception of David — Saul consults the witch of Endor — David 
driven out of the Philistine camp — The death of Saul . 203-224 

I SAMUEL 

Chapters 17 to 31 inclusive 

SIXTEENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XIX. 

David is Proclaimed King — Assassination of Abner — David laments for 

Abner — Assassination of Ishbosheth—David lays siege to Jerusalem 
— Rebuilding of Jerusalem—David commits a great sin—War with 
the Philistines—David brings the ark to Jerusalem—David prose¬ 
cutes war for spoils—David adopts Jonathan’s son—His war with 
the Ammonites—David’s greatest iniquity—Nathan condemns David 
—David’s punishment. 225-241 

II SAMUEL 

Chapters 1 to 12 inclusive 

SEVENTEENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XIX—Continued. 

Amnon Conceives a Passion for Tamar — Absalom murders his brother 
— Absalom’s rebellion — Death of Absalom — David’s lamentations — 

David remits the offenses of his enemies — Battle with the Philistine 
giants — David is punished for numbering the people. 242-251 

PSALMS 

51 and 32; 

II SAMUEL 
Chapters 15 to 18 inclusive 
and chapter 24; 
also Psalm 3 

EIGHTEENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XX. 

David Prepares to Build a Temple — Adonijah’s ambition to succeed 

David — David’s last charge to Solomon — God’s great gift to Solomon 
— Adonijah and Joab slain — Solomon restores a contested child — 

Building the temple — Dedication of the temple — Building of the 

King’s palace — Solomon visited by the Queen of Sheba — Solomon 
bows down to idols. 252-265 

I KINGS 

Chapters 1 to 11 inclusive 

NINETEENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XX—Continued. 

Israel is Divided—Golden images set up by Jeroboam — Jerusalem captur¬ 
ed—The temple spoiled—Downfall of Jeroboam — Asa’s great 

victory—Baasha’s war with Asa—Ahab’s wicked reign _ The 

miracles of Elijah—Elijah before Ahab—Elijah persecuted by 

Jezebel—Ahab has Naboth stoned to death—Siege of Samaria— 
Jehoshaphat’s reign—God performs a miracle. 265-286 

I KINGS 

Chapters 12 to 22 inclusive 

TWENTIETH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXI. 

Ahaziah’s Reign and Death—The messengers destroyed by fire—Elijah 
translated to heaven—A league against the Moabites — Miracles 
wrought by Elisha—An army sent to apprehend Elisha—Miraculous 
termination of a famine. $87 301 

II KINGS 

Chapters 1 to 8 inclusive 



























































HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE 


31 


READ THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

READ THE BIBLE 

TWENTY-FIRST WEEK 


CHAPTER XXI—Continued. 

Jehu Anointed King — Terrible death of Jezebel—Destruction of the wor- page 
shippers of Baal—The yougest king of Israel—A dead body brought 
to life—Amaziah’s great victories — Jeroboam’s prosperous reign — 

The Assyrian invasion. 801-313 

II KINGS 

Chapters 9 to 17 inclusive 

TWENTY-SECOND WEEK 


CHAPTER XXII. 

The Story of Jonah — Jonah is ordered to go to Nineveh — Disobeys God 
—Starts to Joppa by sea—The storm—He is thrown overboard— 
Swallowed by a great fish—Vomited on to land—He preaches in 

Nineveh—The city is converted—Jonah’s anger—Captivity of Israel 
— Hezekiah’s reign — Miraculous destruction of Sennacherib’s army — 

Hezekiah escapes death by a miracle — Capture of Manasseh — Josiah 
— kills the false prophets — Anion is murdered — Josiah becomes king 
— Josiah slain in battle . 314-327 

BOOK OF JONAH; 

II KINGS 

Chapters 18 to 24 
inclusive 

TWENTY-THIRD WEEK 


CHAPTER XXII—Continued. 

The Destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar — Captivity of Judah 

— Zedekiah’s eyes burned out . 327-334 

ISAIAH 

Chapters 52 to 55 inclusive; 

JEREMIAH 
Chapters 36 to 38 and 40 to 43 

TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Jews Become Oracles in Babylon—Daniel interprets Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar’s dream — Predictions of the coming of Christ — The three 

Hebrews in a fiery furnace—Nebuchadnezzar becomes insane — Bel¬ 
shazzar’s feast—Daniel is cast into a den of lions — Daniel’s prayer 
for Jerusalem — Daniel’s visions . 335-348 

BOOK OF DANIEL 

TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

Return of the Jews from Captivity—Rebuilding of the temple—Ezra 
goes to Jerusalem—Separation of the Jews and their wives taken 

EZRA 

Chapters 1 to 10 inclusive 

TWENTY-SIXTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXV. 

The Story of Esther—Vashti disobeys the king—Esther chosen to suc¬ 
ceed her as queen—The king orders the Jews to be slaughtered— 

How Esther saved her people—Mordecai’s triumph—Execution of 

Hainan . 354 - 366 

B O OK 

O F 

ESTHER 

TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

Nehemiah Sent to Rebuild Jerusalem — Celebrating the restoration- 

Abuses reformed—Nehemiah the seal of the prophets . 367-373 

BOOK 

O F 

NEHEMIAH 






























































32 HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE 


READ THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

READ THE BIBLE 

TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK 

% 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

The Apocrypha —Discussion of its admission to the Bible—Israel after page 
N ehemiah’s death—A second temple built by a schism in the church 
—Alexander the Great—Jerusalem captured by Ptolemy—The death 
of Simon—Eleazar—Hiliodorus scourged by an angel. 374-385 

EZEKIEL 
Chapters 1 to 10 inclusive 

TWENTY-NINTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 

The Sack of Jerusalem —Pollution of the temple—Dreadful persecution 
of the Jews—Horrible punishment of a mother and her seven sons— 
Deliverance of the Jews by Maccabeus—Battle with the Syrians— 

Eleazar slain by an elephant—Alexander the Horrible—Mark Antony 

and Cleopatra—Cruelty of Herod. 386-402 

BOOK 

O F 

ZECHARIAH 

THIRTIETH WEEK 

- \ 

Study the Bible Only 

BOOKS OF 

M I C A H 
and 

M A L A C H I 

THIRTY-FIRST WEEK 


BIRTH OF CHRIST 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

The Four Gospels— A golden promise—An angel appears to Zacharias— 

Gabriel appears to Mary—The birth of John—The birth of Jesus— 

An angel announces the glad tidings—Naming of Christ—H erod 
murders the children of Bethlehem—Escape of Jesus—Jesus dis¬ 
putes with the doctors—Preaching of John—John declares the com¬ 
ing of Christ—J ohn baptizes Jesus. 403-423 

Luke, chapter 1, verses 1 to 
4 inclusive. 

John, chapter 1, verses 1 to 
18 inclusive. 

Matthew, chapters 1 and 2. 

Luke, chapter 1, verse 5 
through to verse 38 of 
chapter 3. 

THIRTY-SECOND WEEK 


CHAPTER XXIX—^Continued. 

The Forty Days’ Fast, and Temptation —The first miracle —Money 
changers driven from the temple—Conversion of Nicodemus—John 
is beheaded— JESUS discourses with a Samaritan woman 494 441 

Matthew, chapter 3 and 
chapter 4, verses 1 to 11 
inclusive. 

Luke, chapter 4, verses 1 to 
13 inclusive. 

John, chapter 1, verse 19 
through to verse 42 of 
chapter 4. 

THIRTY-THIRD WEEK 


CHAPTER XXIX—Continued. 

Healing of the Nobleman’s Son —The Nazarenes conspire to kill Jesus 
—M iraculous draught of fishes—Healing the sick—Healing of a 
leper—J esus illustrates His discourse . 150 

Matthew, Chapter 4, verse 
12 through to 35th verse 
of chapter 18. 

THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXIX—Continued. 

The Pharisees Demand His Punishment —Christ heals the cripple— 

Twelve apostles chosen—The centurion’s faith is rewarded— Jesus 
raises the widow’s son-jESUS anointed by a penitent woman- 
Parable of the sower Parable of the tares and mustard seed 450-460 

Luke, chapter 4, verse 14 
through to verse 50 of 
chapter 9. 

John, chapter 4, verse 43 
through to verse 71 of 
chapter 6. 

















































































HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE 33 


READ THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

READ THE BIBLE 

THIRTY-FIFTH WEEK 


CHATEER XXX. 

Jesus Calms the Tempest-^-Devils cast out of two demoniacs—The rais- rage 
ing of Jairus’s daughter—JESUS feeds the multitude—JESUS walks 
on the sea—The true bread of life—JESUS predicts His death and 
resurrection—The disciples are scoffed at—Parable of the generous 
king—Healing the ten lepers—Parable of the good Samaritan—The 
two Marys—The woman taken in sin—A blind man healed—Parable 
of the good shepherd. 461-488 

JOHN 

Chapters 7 to 10 
inclusive; 

M A T T H E W 

Chapters 19 and 20 

THIRTY-SIXTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXX—Continued. 

Raising of Lazarus— JESUS escapes to the wilderness—Parable of the great 
supper—Parable of the prodigal son—Parable of the rich man and 

Lazarus—The Pharisee and publican—The rich young man—Parable 
of the laborers. 488-501 

LUKE 

Chapter 9, verse 51 through 
to verse 28 of chapter 19 

THIRTY-SEVENTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXXI. 

Zaccheus Acknowledges Christ— The triumphant entry into Jerusalem 
—Parable of the vineyard—Parable of the wedding feast—The poor 
widow’s mite—Destruction of the temple foretold—Parable of the 
ten virgins—Parable of the talents—Designs against the Lord’s life. 502-512 

M ATT H E W 
Chapters 21 to 25 inclusive; 

LUKE 

Chapter 19, verse 29 through 
to verse 38 of chapter 21 

THIRTY-EIGHTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXXI—Continued. 

The Last Supper —The passion in the garden—The betrayal of JESUS— 

Jesus taken captive—Peter’s denial. 518-520 

JOHN 

Chapter 12, verse 12 through 
to verse 27 of chapter 18 

THIRTY-NINTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXXII, 

The Trial of Jesus— Pilate tries to save Him—They cry, “ Crucify Him!” 

—Jesus is mocked and scourged—Remorse and suicide of Judas— 

The crucifixion—The soldiers divide His garments—C hrist’s last 
words—The manner of crucifying practiced by the Jews—Horrible 
sufferings—The earthquake—Graves give up their dead—Burial of 
- „ 6 . 521-533 

Matthew, chapter 27; 
Mark, chapter 15; 

Luke, chapter 23; 

John, chapter 18, verse 28 
through to verse 42 of 
chapter 19 

FORTIETH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 

The Resurrection of Christ— JESUS appears to the disciples—The doubts 

of Thomas—Mary meets JESUS—A miraculous haul of fishes—JESUS ^ ^ ^ 
eats with the disciples—The ascension. 534-542 

Matthew, chapter 28; 
Mark, chapter 16; 

Luke, chapter 24; 

John, chapters 20 and 21; 

I Corinthians, chapter 15, 
and 

I Thessalonians, chapter 4 






































































34 


HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE 


READ THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

READ THE BIBLE 

FORTY-FIRST WEEK 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Acts of the Apostles — First miracle of John and Peter—Arrest and trial rage 
of the apostles — Punishment of Ananias and Sapphira—Seven 
deacons chosen—Conversion of the eunuch —Stephen is stoned to 
death. 543-551 

ACTS 

Chapters 1 to 8 
inclusive 

FORTY-SECOND WEEK 


CHAPTER XXXIV—Continued. 

Conversion of Saul —Ananias sent to restore Saul’s sight— The Jews seek 
to kill Paul — Resurrection of Dorcas—Conversion of Cornelius— 

Peter’s vision — An angel delivers Peter from prison — Paul is called 
to Antioch — Paul and Barnabas driven from Antioch — The two after¬ 
ward return. 551-558 

ACTS 

Chapters 9 to 15 
inclusive 

FORTY-THIRD WEEK 


Study the Bible Only 

I and II 

THESSALONIANS 

FORTY-FOURTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

Paul and Barnabas Dispute — Paul and Silas are scourged — The people 
again threaten Paul — Paul teaches the Athenians — The Unknown 

God—An evil spirit punishes the impostors — Paul is apprehended at 

Corinth—A mob goes crying through Ephesus. 559-567 

ACTS 

Chapters 16 to 19, and 

I CORINTHIANS 
Chapters 1 to 6 
inclusive 

FORTY-FIFTH WEEK 


Study the Bible only flEW 

I CORINTHIANS 
Chapters 7 to 16 inclusive 

FORTY-SIXTH WEEK 


Study the Bible OnlyH^* 

BOOK OF GALATIANS 

FORTY-SEVENTH WEEK 


Study the Bible OnlyJ^* 

ROMANS 
Chapters 1 to 8 inclusive 

FORTY-EIGHTH WEEK 


Study the Bible Only 

ROMANS 

Chapters 9 to 16 inclusive 

FORTY-NINTH WEEK 


CHAPTER XXXV—Continued. 

A Young Man is Killed, but Restored to Life— Paul arrested in the 
temple—The people again try to stone Paul—Shipwreck of Paul— 

Riot in Rome and Paul’s death—Crucifixion of St. Peter—Exile of 

St. John. 

ACTS 

Chapters 20 to 28 
inclusive 




























































































HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE 35 


READ THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

READ THE BIBLE 

FIFTIETH WEEK 


Study the Bible Only 

BOOK OF EPHESIANS 

FIFTY-FIRST WEEK 


CHAPTER XXXV—-Continued. 

Visions of St. John on Lonely Island of Patmos . 576-577 

REVELATION 
Chapters 1 to 11 inclusive 

FIFTY-SECOND WEEK 


Study the Bible OnlyB^ 

REVELATION 
Chapters 12 to 22 inclusive 



























mwmmmwi 




THE WORLD’S 

BIBLE AUXILIARY 

__ 




ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


CHAPTER I. 


THE STORY OF CREATION. 


Genesis . 


EFORE our beautiful world was brought into 
existence by the command of God, there was 
neither sun, moon, stars nor living thing; 
yet there was a heavenly host, and the 

King of kings sat on His great white 
throne and received the praises of those 
radiant beings, the cherubim and seraphim 
(cherubs and seraphs) who, after the crea¬ 
tion, became messengers between God and 
man, and guardians at the gates of Para¬ 
dise. The Bible does not tell us much 
about the angels that were born in the 

celestial city, nor of God, before the world 

was fashioned by His mighty hand, but is 

chiefly a record of the works of the Almighty 

and His relation to mankind as the Father 
of all. 

The first story in the Bible is that of creation—how the world was made. 
As there were no men on the earth until after God’s great labor had been 
accomplished, no one would have been qualified to .write a history of creation 
had not God inspired some man with the knowledge necessary thereto. And 
this is what He did. In the day of Moses there were none, not even the 

wisest, who knew how the world came into being, or how it had once been 

drowned for its wickedness. Desirous that His children should be enlightened 
upon the manner in which the world was spoken into existence, God endowed 
Moses with the gift of revelation, by which he was enabled to describe things 

( 37 ) 






















38 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


he had never seen or heard of, for it was indeed God who directed his hand 
in the writing, so that Moses was but the instrument, or the pen, which God 
used to tell the story of creation. It was thus that the first five books (called 
the Pentateuch ) of the Bible were written. 

The beginning of God’s labor was the creation of the earth, and of heaven, 
which was the air, or atmosphere, round about the earth, for heaven itself 
already existed. We still call the blue vault overhead, studded with the bright 
constellation of stars, the heavens, and it was this heaven, in contradistinction 
from that which is the abode of God, that is thus referred to by Moses. The 
earth was without form and in darkness, until by the divine command the sun 

and moon and stars burst into being and cast their first light upon the new 

world. The light and darkness were now separated so that at appointed times 
the earth should be bathed with the sun’s rays, and again be covered with 
darkness, and these changes God designed should occur every twelve hours. 
The former He therefore called day, and the latter night. 

He divided the waters and made the dry land to appear, and in the latter 
planted the seed of every kind of tree, grass, and herb, which were made to 
spring up and yield their fruit to bless the earth, and the creatures which were 
speedily to be brought into being. The waters were now made to bring forth fish 
of every species, including the great whales and other monsters which belong to 
the deep, and winged fowls were made to fly above the waters and the earth. Then 
followed the creation of all manner of beasts and cattle, and things that creep as 
well, so that on the last day of God’s labor the earth was teeming with life, both 
great and small, blessed by His generous hand, and ready for the dominion 

which He was about to give to a creature yet unborn to exercise over them. 

Over all this beautiful world, so fresh and perfect, so wondrous with rich 
vegetation and marvellous with abundant and diversified life, God cast his grati¬ 
fied eye, and was pleased with His labor. But His great work was yet incom¬ 
plete, for though all things which He had made were beautiful and perfect, He 
had given to none of His creatures the divine attribute—reason—which could 

make them mindful of His goodness and their de¬ 
pendency upon His bounty and mercy. To complete 
the measure of His omnipotence, God 
therefore said unto the celestial 
host by which he was sur¬ 
rounded, “ Let us make man 
in our image, after our 
likeness.” And so God 
fashioned Adam in His 
own image, and gave 

th£ heavens DECLARE THE glory OF GOD. to him dominion over 

.1 . - , every living thing 

that was on the earth, and made every tree and herb to bring forth fruit for him. 





ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


3D 


It was on the seventh day that God completed His work of creation, and 
He rested on that day and blessed and sanctified it, being greatly pleased with 
what He had done. 

But after resting one day God returned to His labor, not of creating, but 
of preparing the earth for the being He had fashioned in His own likeness. 

The record of Moses tells us that u the Lord God 
planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put 
the man whom He had formed.” In this garden God 
made to grow every tree and flower that was beautiful 
to the sight, and that 3uelded the most delicious of 
fruits. In this garden Adam was placed and told to 
freely eat of everything that pleased him except of the 
fruit of a single tree that stood in the centre of this 
earthly paradise, and this he was forbidden to touch. 

God told Adam that this tree bore fruit which was mortal 
to the taste, and that if he ate of it the penalty would 
be death. 

After giving possession of the garden to Adam, 

God caused every species of bird, animal and reptile 
that he had created to pass before Adam, who gave to 
each the name by which it should ever afterward be 
known. But though Adam had dominion over every 
living thing, and was set in the midst of all the beau¬ 
tiful things that prolific and exuberant nature could 
yield, he was nevertheless lonesome, and sighed for a 
companionship which nothing that God had yet made 
could supply. The birds of the air builded their nests 
and warbled sweetly .their orisons together, while the 
beasts of the field lay down beside each other or sported 
over the green fields in happy freedom and joyful 
communication. Adam alone was without a mate to 
share the pleasures of Eden with him, a lonely creature 
amid the splendors of paradise. 

God had compassion upon Adam, however, and 
resolved to give him a companion that should make 
happy the days, and fill his heart with renewed thanks¬ 
giving. Accordingly, God caused a deep sleep to fall 
upon Adam, and while he slept a rib was taken from his side, which God 
fashioned into a woman, and when Adam awoke the most beautiful of all of 
God’s creatures stood before him to be his companion for life, a joy 
unspeakable to his heart, a peace pure and perfect to his soul. This was 
the birth of love, the holiest feeling that God ever planted in human breast, 

















40 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


the link that binds us in image, likeness, and aspirations to God the Father, 
the bond that neither time nor grave can sever. 

Njw was Adam happy, and the companion whom God had thus provided, 
whose name was called Eve, ministered to his joy as only a loving wife can. 
How were their hearts gladdened by the pride that burst from every flower 
scattering its incense, and every tree laughing with its golden fruit, and every 
herb yielding its succulent roots. But with all these wayside pleasures, limpid 
streams, musical winds, singing birds, delicious fruit, fragrant buds, and eyes 
that reflected love’s image, hearts speaking loyal devotion, and words garlanded 
with honeyed phrases, there was that in the midst of these which should turn 
the heart from loving and the soul from thankfulness. Within this beautiful 


garden there was a serpent 
tempter, who was more cun¬ 
ning than any beast of the 
field, and he came to Eve, 
assuming the appearance of 
one wise, and said, “ Yea, 
hath God said ye shall not 
eat of every tree of the 
garden ?” 



Then Eve answered 
him b}^ saying they were 
permitted to eat the fruit 
of every tree in the garden 
except of the one which 
stood in the centre, and this 
they were forbidden even to 


FAI.Iv OF ADAM. 


touch under penalty of death. The tempter, however, beguiled her with assur¬ 
ances that the fruit was not hurtful, but as grateful to the taste as to the 
sight, and, moreover, that the eating of it would make her as wise as God 
himself. These specious promises at length so excited the curiosity of Eve that 
she took the fruit and ate of it, and finding it pleasant to the taste, she persuaded 
Adam also to eat. When they had committed this great sin they heard the 
voice of God calling to them in the garden, and they hid themselves, being 
conscious of their guilt, and fear-stricken for the punishment that they had 
thus merited. 

God asked Adam and Eve if they had eaten of the forbidden fruit, to which 
they made reply that they had done so, being tempted and deceived by Satan. 
Whereat God was much angered, and told them that their disobedience, should 
be punished in a most grievous manner: The serpent should thenceforth crawl 
upon the ground with its mouth in the dust, and every man should seek its 
life; the woman, Eve, should be heir to great pain and sorrow; and the man, 
Adam, should thereafter be forced to labor in the fields and earn his bread by 







ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


41 


the sweat of his brow. But beyond this punishment there was yet a greater, 
for God, finding them unfitted for the beautiful garden that He had provided 
for them, drove Adam and Eve out of Eden, and to prevent their return He 
placed at the east of the garden cherubim in whose hands were flaming swords 
with which the gates were guarded. Instead of perpetual joy and everlasting 
life, which were their original inheritance, God rightfully afflicted them with 
sorrow and doomed them and their descendants, forever, to death; yet His 
mercifulness was exhibited even in His anger, for though they should pass 
through the grave, immortality was provided by a resurrection and redemption 
which should ultimately restore them to the blissful condition in which they 
were first placed. 



•fi* jfc it 


JV^ep ^eggi) to JVJtiltipIg oi) the pace sf the parti 


{y a- fl* 


CHAPTER II. 

HOW THE WORLD BECAME PEOPLED. 

Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden they 
began to cultivate the soil, which, though 
choked with briers and weeds, by hard labor 
was still made to produce abundantly for their 
uses. God soon after gave them two sore, the 
elder of whom was called Cain and the younger 
Abel. As these grew up the former became a 
tiller of the soil and the latter looked after the 
flocks, so that the}' became great helps to their 
parents. 

Though punished sorely by God, Adam* 
did not lose the love and reverence which he 
first had for his gracious Father, and after 
leaving Eden he worshipped God and offered 
up becoming sacrifices that won His favor. 
Cain and Abel were also taught to be devo¬ 
tional, and they too made sacrifices of the 
fruits of their labor. On one occasion, while working in the field together and 
alone, Abel made the sacrifice of a lamb, and Cain offered one of the grain and 
grasses of the field. Both would have been acceptable to God had they been 
made in the same loving spirit; but Cain made his offering with a rebellious 
and sinful heart, or sacrilegious spirit, while Abel rendered up grateful thanks 
for the mercies he had received. Thus was God pleased with Abel’s offering 
and offended with Cain, whereat Cain became so incensed with his brothr that 
he killed him. 

After committing this foul murder Cain was sorely troubled in his heart 
and would gladly have hidden himself from the All-seeing eye, but God called 
to him and asked where was his brother. Cain’s response showed plainly how 
troubled and yet rebellious was his spirit, for in a pettish mood he answered, 

(42) 




















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 




“Am I my brother’s keeper?” But God had been a witness to the murder 
and would avenge it by placing a curse upon the criminal. God did not kill 
Cain, but sent him out a vagabond and outcast upon the world, with a brand 
upon him that would serve to show to all who should thereafter meet him that 
he was his brother’s murderer. 

Cain now became conscious of the great sin that he had committed, and 
realized how bitter was the punishment which God had pronounced against 
him, so he cried out, partly in remorse, but chiefly as an appeal for mercy, 

“ My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me 
out this day from the face of the earth.” 

Cain, after being banished forever from the face of God, became an out¬ 
cast. He left the home of his father and mother, and for many years wan¬ 
dered over the land, until at length he settled in a country called Nod, where 
it is related he took a wife and founded a great city. 

Shortly after Cain left Adam and Eve, another son was born to them, 
whom they named Seth, and though the Bible does not tell us the names of the 
other children of our first parents, it is probable that many were born to them, 
both sons and daughters, for Adam did not die until he was nine hundred and 
thirty years of age. Eve’s age is not given. When Seth was one hundred 
and five years old he had a son whom he named Enos, at which time there 
were a great many people on the earth, descended from the sons and daugh¬ 
ters of Adam and Eve, a fact which we can more readily understand, knowing 
that in those days men and women lived to be many hundreds of years old, 
so that more than one hundred children might be born to each couple. The 
increase was therefore so extremely rapid that after Cain s many years of wan¬ 
derings he found people spread over a large extent of country. 

Some time after Cain had taken a wife in the land of Nod, a son was born 
to him whom he named Enoch. The piety and wisdom of this son was so 
great that Cain founded and named a city in his honor. There was also 
another Enoch, a descendant of Seth, and who was equally noted for wisdom, 
and was withal so righteous a man that he did not die, but was translated to 
heaven. 

Cain had a great many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren 
among whom were Jubal, the inventor of the first musical instrument, and 
Tubal-cain, who was the first metal founder, and made tools of iron and brass. 
Another was Jabal, who was a great herder, and became “ the father of all such 
as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.” 

Enoch, although the most upright and godly man of his time, yet had many 
children who were unmindful of the goodness and mercy of God, and who 
refused to walk in the footsteps of their father. The Bible does not describe 
the wickedness of Enoch’s children, but it tells us that in the earlier life of 
his grandson, Noah, the people were so sinful that God began to repent that 
He had made man, finding in him nothing but waywardness and ingratitude. 



CHAPTER III. 

DESTRUCTION OF THE EARTH’S CREATURES. 


O great became the wickedness of men on the 
earth that God resolved to destroy the beautiful 
world which He had first fashioned for the 
abode of a being made in His own image and 
likeness. Now, among the many thousands 
of people who were upon the earth there was 
but one who found favor in God’s eyes. This 
one exception was Noah, who had always walked 
uprightly and given praise for the manifold 
blessings God had bestowed on mankind. Noah 
had three sons, whose names were Shem, Ham, 
and Japheth, all of whom had also wives, and 
the family were devoted to the things which 
were just and righteous. When God deter¬ 
mined to destroy the world, He therefore excepted Noah and his family from 
the calamity, reserving them to re-people the earth after every other living 
thing, save two of every creature, should be destroyed. To save them, God 
therefore told Noah to build an ark, which was an immense boat, capable of 
containing not only his family, but two of every species of living thing found 
upon the earth, and seven of every clean beast, which should serve for food 
during the period that Noah should remain in the ark. 

It required a long time to construct so large a vessel, and we may im- 
agine how earnestly Noah sought to convert the people from their wickedness 

( 44 ) 























':,■<' . t 

/ xSW^ 











W'?fc*v' *».■ 



MOSES DEFENDING THE WOMEN. 































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


45 



during the time of its building; but they were so corrupt that none gave heed 
to his warning. When, at length, the ark was completed, God commanded 
Noah to enter, together with his wife and sons, and their wives, and two of 
all creatures, both great and small, animals, birds, insects and every living thing. 
Seven days thereafter a great rain began to fall, which continued for a period 
of forty days and as many nights. The waters rose rapidly, and the wicked 
people and creatures that were doomed to destruction fled from their homes and 
caves and sought high 
places out of the reach 
of the waters. But lit¬ 
tle did this avail them, 
for the flood rose higher 
and higher, covering 
first the plains, then 
the hills, and at last 
the highest mountain 
tops, so that everything 
perished not housed 
within the ark, and the 
world became still with 
death and desolation. 

Not a thing was visible 
save Noah’s vessel, 
which alone rode the 
waves that rolled un¬ 
fettered over the wide, 
wide waste, with noth¬ 
ing to break their force 
against. 

The boundless wa¬ 
ters prevailed over the 
earth one hundred and 
fifty days, when God 
made a wind to blow 
over the great sea, 
which evaporated the 
waters gradually, until after seven months the ark rested on a high mountain 
peak in Arabia, called Ararat. Three months later the tops of less lofty 
mountains became visible, and forty days after Noah sent forth a raven to 
see if it could find a congenial resting-place. The raven continued to fly 
over the face of the waters, so Noah next sent forth a dove, but the bird found 
no place to set her foot and so returned to the ark. Seven days thereafter he 
sent out the dove again and in the evening it returned to him with an olive leaf 


SEEKING TO ESCAPE THE FLOOD. 








46 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


in its beak, which was a sign that the waters had abated. But Noah still remained 
in the ark another seven days, when he again sent forth the dove, which did 
not return any more. This was a sign to him that the waters were removed 
and that the earth was ready to receive him. He therefore “ removed the cov¬ 
ering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.” By 
command of God, Noah then came out of the ark, followed by his wife and 
sons and their wives, and every living thing that had been shut up therein 
with him. Upon reaching the valley, Noah built an altar, upon which he sac¬ 
rificed of every clean beast and fowl, as an offering of his thankfulness, where¬ 
upon God was so pleased that He made a promise never to destroy the world 
again; and He blessed Noah and his family, and bade them replenish the 
earth. God then made a covenant with Noah, the token of which was the rain¬ 
bow, which, whenever seen, was to be a reminder of His promise never again to 
drown the world, or the creatures thereon. Three hundred and fifty years after 
the deluge Noah died, and his age was nine hundred and fifty years. 

When Noah and his family left the ark, they scattered and went into differ¬ 
ent countries and began to replenish the earth as God had commanded, so that 
when Noah died there were a great many people on the earth again. The 
largest settlement, we are led to suppose by the record, was somewhere near 
the central portion of Arabia, where the people were in such numbers that they 
began to forget God. At length there was a large emigration from Arabia east¬ 
ward, and, as the people reached the plains of Shinar, along the Euphrates 
River, they found the country so fertile that they concluded to stop there and 
build a great tower. Their purpose in constructing such a building is not 
known, but, as they said, “Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may 
reach unto heaven,” it is inferred that they either expected to climb into heaven 
from its apex or to use it as a means of escape should God forget His cove¬ 
nant and send another deluge. 

When they began to build the tower, every person spoke the same language, 
hut as they progressed with the work God saw the evil of their intent, and 
so confused their tongues that the workmen could no longer understand each 
other, and they were thus compelled to relinquish their design, and the tower 
was left incomplete. On account of the babel and confusion of the laborers, 
the tower was called Babel, by which it was ever afterward known. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE STORY OF ABRAHAM AND SARAH. 

MONG the descendants of Shem first mentioned in the Bible 
was Abram, who was the son of Terah. He had two brothers, 
Nahor and Haran, the latter of whom was the father of Lot, 
whose sad history we shall soon relate. Abram, who was a 
man of a holy spirit, had a wife whose name was Sarai, a 
godly woman that was devoted to the Lord and her husband. 
-Jr ' Terah had long dwelt in the town of Ur, which was on the 

Ji|I* Euphrates, about one hundred miles southeast of Babel, but, for reasons 
*&jsL which the Bible does not explain he left Ur, and journeyed to the 
dl t land of Mesopotamia, or Padan-Aram, which had been settled by 
j| the descendants of Ham. He took with him his sons and their 

Jot? wives, and also Lot, his grandson, and after many weeks of travel he 
s|||p settled at Haran, on the river Belik, which is now about the centre 
of Turkey in Asia. After the death of Terah, God told Abram to leave 
Haran and separate from all his kinsmen except Lot, and to go unto another 
country which He would show him. The purpose of God, as He told Abram, 
was to found a new nation, over which He should rule to ^he glory of His name. 

According to this commandment Abram left Haran, taking with him only 
hL vife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, and went southward to the land of Canaan, 
as they were directed. But while they journeyed, God appeared to Abram on 
the plain of Moreh, and told him that to him and his descendants He would 
give all the land of Canaan, which is now called Palestine, or the Holy Land. 
Abram was very grateful for the divine favor, and when he came to a mountain 
near Bethel, he built an altar unto the Lord and gave praise, though he knew 
not whither God was leading him. 



( 47 ) 






























48 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


As Abram continued travelling southward he found that there was a great 
famine in Canaan, so he did not tarry but went on toward Egypt. As they 
came near to the boundary of Egypt, Abram heard of the wickedness of the 
people of that country, and lest harm might come to him if the Egyptians should 
know that Sarai was his wife, Abram told her to say, to any who might ask, that 
she was his sister. As they advanced into the country, the people were attracted 
to Sarai by her great beauty, so she was taken from Abram and placed in 
Pharaoh’s (the king’s) house, where she was made wife to the king. For this 
wickedness on the part of Pharaoh, God sent a plague upon him and his house, 
until it was made known that Sarai was not the sister, but wife of Abram. 
Pharaoh reproached Abram for deceiving him, but restored Sarai, when, together, 
Ybram, Sarai and Lot went out of Egypt and came again to the mountain near 
Bethel, where he had builded an altar, and there called upon the Lord as to 
what he should do. 

Now Abram was a very rich man, having of cattle and sheep such a great 
viumber that it required the services of hundreds of herdsmen to care for them. 
But Lot’s possessions were scarcely less considerable, so that the land was not 
fertile enough for the sustenance of so many animals; besides, the herdsmen 
who cared for the flocks of Abram were at strife with those employed by Lot, 
so that it was necessary that Lot and Abram should separate and occupy 
different lands. Abram therefore said to Lot, his nephew, u Let there be no 
strife between thee and me, for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before 
thee ? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me; if thou wilt take the left hand, 
then I will go to the right; or, if thou depart to the right hand, then I will 
go to the left.” This kind speech showed the righteous disposition of Abram, 
and his willingness to be controlled by justice as God taught him to see the 
right. 

The two parted as good friends should, no doubt deeply regretting the 
circumstances which compelled their separation. Abram remained in the land 
of Canaan, where he had built an altar to the Lord, but Lot chose to move 
east to the rich plain of Jordan, which was likened unto a garden of the Lord 
and a country both beautiful and fertile. 

When Lot had removed all his possessions to the plain of Jordan, God told 
Abram to lift up his eyes and look about in every direction, for as far as he 
could see the land should be his forever. 

After this Abram moved to the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and 
there built another altar which he dedicated to the Lord, and began the founcdng 
of a nation as God had promised. 

When Lot moved to the plain of Jordan, he took up his residence in a city 
called Sodom, where he prospered, until four kings, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, 
Tidal, king of nations, Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, 
laid siege to Sodom and captured the city. Not content with the victory, for - 
^ey fought for spoils, and not principles, they sacked the place, taking away 


49 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 



€ /erything of value, and carried off a great many Sodomites, whom they intended 
should serve them as slaves. Among these unfortunate captives was Lot, whose 
unhappy fate was soon told to Abram by one of Lot’s neighbors, who had escaped. 
Immediately upon learning this news Abram called together his trained servants, 
three hundred and eighteen in number, and arming them well he went in 
pursuit of the 
four kings, 
whom he came 
up with in the 
country of Dan, 
and, dividing his 
forces so as to 
make a simulta¬ 
neous attack in 
several quarters, 
he fell upon the 
despoilers in the 
night-time, and 
after slaughter- 
ingmany putthe 
rest to flight; 
but he followed 
after the fleeing 
army as far as 
Damascus, 
where, to effect 
their escape, the 
kings delivered 
over to Abram 
not only all their 
captives but the 
things which 
they had taken 
at Sodom, to¬ 
gether with all 
their own pos¬ 
sessions. So 


Abram brought 
back everything 

that had been taKen away, and returned to the Sodomites all the things of 
which they had been despoiled. 

As Abram was journeying back toward tne city he was met by Melchizedek, 
the high-priest, and also by the king of Sodom, both of whom desired to manifest 


4 






















50 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY- 


their thankfulness for the great service which Abram had rendered them. 
Melchizedek met him with bread and wine to feed the victorious soldiers, and 
gave Abram his blessing also. The king of Sodom was so thankful or the 
deliverance of his people that he said to Abram, “ Give me the persons and take 
the goods to thyself.” But Abram knew that it was God who had given him 
the victory, and refused to take anything from the people, but gave all that had 
been taken from the kings to those who had suffered at their hands, reserving 
only rewards for three young men who, though not his servants, went with him 
to battle. At this just and generous act God was still more pleased, and came 
to Abram in a vision, saying, “ Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy 
exceeding great reward.” 

Abram was not unmindful of the tender mercies which the Lord had shown 
him, but he was distressed on account of his childless condition, for though God 
had promised to give the land of Canaan to his descendants, Abram could not 
discover how this could be, since his wife was already old and no child had yet 
been born to them. Then God told Abram to look toward the sky'and to tiy 
and count the stars, for as numerous as the stars were, yet they were not more 
than the number of descendants which he should have. 

When evening came on Abram fell into a deep sleep, during which God 
again appeared to him and repeated his promise to make his descendants as 
numerous as the stars, but told him also that they should be strangers in 
another country, where they would be grievously wronged by being made to do 
hard service and be treated with great injustice. This, however, should not be 
until after Abram’s death, for God assured him that he should live to a good 
old age and then die in peace, and also that He would, in the fourth generation, 
deliver Abram’s descendants from their bondage and punish their masters for 
their iniquities. 

Sarai was as much distressed at not having children as was Abram, so she 
told her husband to take her handmaid, who was named Hagar, to wife, and to 
bring up children by her. Hagar was a comely woman who had entered the 
service of her mistress while Abram was sojourning in Egypt, and although 
she was an Egyptian, she could not have been so wicked as were her countrymen, 
or Abram would hardly have permitted her to go back to Canaan with him. 

Some time after Abram had taken Hagar to be his wife, polygamy being 
common in those days, she bore him a son who was named Ishmael. After this 
event God again appeared to Abram and renewed His covenant, or promise, with 
him, at which he changed the name of Abram to that of Abraham, and of Sarai 
to that of Sarah, and told him that though Sarah was now ninety years old she 
would, nevertheless, bear him a son, who should be called Isaac. God further 
told Abraham that though Ishmael would find much favor in His sight, and 
become the father of twelve princes and the founder of a great nation, yet He 
would establish His covenant with Isaac, who was to become yet greatei. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


51 


HAGAR IS DRIVEN FROM ABRAHAM’S HOUSE. 

Everything happened as God had foretold, but after Isaac was born Sarah 
became very jealous of Hagar and Ishmael, whom she did not wish to share the 
inheritance, promised by God, with her son, so she commanded Abraham to cast 
out Hagar and Ishmael, since she was a bondwoman. Abraham was sorely dis¬ 
tressed because of Sarah’s complaint, but, as God told him to obey his wife, he 
did accordingly; therefore, early 
in the morning, he took a bottle 
of water and some provisions, 
which he gave to Hagar, and 
sent her out of his house. We 
can imagine the sorrow that 
was in Abraham’s heart when 
he saw Hagar departing with 
his own son, an outcast, with 
nowhere to lay her head, and 
with nothing but kind Provi¬ 
dence to direct her steps and 
provide her with food. Had 
not God assured him that He 
would care for Hagar, and 
would preserve Ishmael and 
make him a great ruler, Abra¬ 
ham would hardly have con¬ 
sented to do so hard a thing as 
Sarah had commanded, but in 
all things Abraham was both 
trustful and obedient, as the 
frequent trials of his great faith 
prove. 

When Hagar went away 
she became a wanderer in the 
wilderness of Beersheba, her 
heart overflowing with sorrow, 
and her feet following after no h*®** AND ISHMAEL sent off. 

path. Thus did she aimlessly wander about, until soon the water in the bottle 
that Abraham had given her had all been drunk, and Ishmael began to cry 
for drink. The thirst of the poor child at last became so great that Hagar 
laid him down on the earth and went in search of water, but wherever she 
turned the ground was parched, and moisture was not anywhere about. This 
poor mother’s love was put fully to the test, for seeing her child dying with 
thirst which she could not allay, she drew away from Ishmael the distance of 



















I 



(5 2 ) HAGAB AND ISHMAEL IN THE DESERT. 



















































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


53 


a bow-shot and sat down and cried bitterly, saying, “ Let me not see the death 
of the child.” 

As she was weeping with the deep grief that was so sorely afflicting her, 
Hagar heard a voice saying, “ Hagar, what aileth thee?” Looking up she saw 
an angel, who told her to rise up and not be afraid, for God had heard the 
lad, and would save him and make him yet the ruler of a great nation. The 
angel then directed her to a well of water that began to flow near her, so that 
she filled her bottle again and gave the lad to drink. After this God took care 
of Hagar and Ishmael, who went into the wilderness of Paran, where Ishmael 
grew up to be a great archer, and his mother procured for him a wife out of 
Egypt, whither Hagar and Ishmael went to live, and where it afterwards came 
to pass as God had promised, so that Hagar was rewarded in the end by see¬ 
ing her son become a ruler scarcely inferior to Isaac. 

DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH, 

Shortly before the birth of Isaac, and the sending of Hagar away, as just 
described, Abraham received another manifestation of God’s special love for 
him. While sitting in the door of his tent, toward the midday hour, he saw 
three men approaching, whom, upon coming near, he invited to rest them¬ 
selves beneath the shade of a tree which stood before his tent, and ordered 
some water to be brought that they might wash their feet, for they appeared 
tc be weary from travelling. While the three were washing, Abraham ordered 
a calf to be killed and some cakes to be cooked, and when the meal was ready 
he served them to meat beneath the tree under which they had been invited 
to sit. 

After the three had eaten they arose and departed toward the city of 
Sodom, Abraham following after, for he now perceived that they were not men, 
but angels whom God had sent to bear His message to Abraham. When 
they had gone a little way, the angels, speaking for the Lord, told Abraham 
that the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah had become so great that God 
had determined to destroy them. Now Lot, Abraham’s nephew, whom he dearly 
loved, dwelt in Sodom, and Abraham was therefore much distressed, both for 
the people, and lest Lot might not escape God’s vengeance. He therefore 
called upon the Lord and asked if He would destroy the righteous with the 
wicked; that if there were fifty righteous in the city, would He not spare the 
place. After prevailing with the Lord in begging Him to spare the city for 
the few righteous that might be found therein, God finally told him that if 
as many as ten righteous persons could be found in the city He would spare 
it. Abraham believed that many more than ten resided within the gates of 
Sodom, for whose sake the Lord would withhold His anger, so he returned to 
his tent. 

In the evening of the same day, as Lot sat at one of the gates of Sodom, 
he saw two men coming toward him, and as they drew near he invited them 




54 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


to go into his house and tarry with him all night. To his kindly invitation 
they answered nay, saying they would remain in the street; but he pressed 
h i s invitation 
upon them so 
urgently that 
they at length 
consented, and 
when they had 
entered Lot 
caused a feast 



to be made wherewith to 
entertain the strangers. 

After the supper was 
over the men asked Lot 
how many there were of 
his family, to which reply 
being made, they told him 
to get his people together 
and also all his possessions, 
and to bring them at once 
out of the place, for God 
had sent them as His mes¬ 
sengers to destroy both 
Sodom and Gomorrah, 
when morning appeared the two men, whom Lot npw knew to be angels, 
told him to make haste and take his family out o,f the city, lest he be 


LOT LEAVING SODOM. 































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


55 


consumed with all the others. Lot still lingered, scarcely believing what had 
been prophesied, until the two angels took him by the hand, and also seized 
upon the hands of his wife and two daughters and brought them without the 
place, and bade them run for their lives. So Lot ran with his family toward 
the nearest town, and as they departed rapidly the Lord rained upon Sodom and 
Gomorrah fire and brimstone, which made a great smoke and flame, so that the 
burning might be seen from a great distance. In their hasty flight Lot’s wife 
was tempted by the great noise she heard and the singular thing which had 
now come to fulfil what the celestial messengers had foretold, and looked back 
toward the burning city, when instantly she was changed into a pillar of salt. 
Lot and his daughters, however, continued on until they came to the town of 
Zoar, not far distant from Sodom, where they dwelt for a time until they were 
received by Abraham. 

abraham’s great faith sorely tried. 



The sending of Hagar away so greatly grieved Abraham that the Lord 
was not wholly pleased, 
seeing that His servant did 
not accept all the things 
commanded of him to be 
done with that resignation 
which is commendable in 
those who seek to do God’s 
will, so the Lord deter¬ 
mined to make a trial of 
the strength of Abraham’s 
faith, which should show 
how truly he was devoted 
to His service. Accordingly 
God called him and said : 
u Take now thy son, thine 
only sou Isaac, whom thou 
lovest, and get thee to the 
land of Moriah; and offer 
him there for a burnt offer¬ 
ing upon one of the moun¬ 
tains which I will tell thee 
of.” 

Abraham fully under¬ 
stood the terrible meaning 
of this command, and “abraham, uv not thy hand upon the tad.” 

though to kill his only son would have fairly wrung his loving heart 
with iagony, he knew that even in the most terrible moments of his wrath God 



56 THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

is merciful and moves in mysterious ways, and lie hastened to do tliai Wiuch 
was bidden. 

The Bible tells us that early in the morning he arose, and saddling up 
an ass he took two young men to gather wood for the burnt offering, and with 
Isaac he repaired to the spot on the side of a mountain to make the offering 
as commanded. When the wood had been gathered he laid it upon Isaac, who 
carried it to the place chosen. As they walked along together Isaac asked his 
father where was the lamb for the offering, but Abraham only replied, “ My 
son, God himself will provide a lamb.” 

When they reached the place to which God had directed them, Abraham built 
an altar and laid the wood, after which he bound Isaac and put him upon the 
pile, then drawing the large knife that was in his girdle, he was upon the 
point of plunging it into his innocent and beloved son when God arrested his 
arm and said, “ Abraham! Abraham! ” And Abraham answered, “ Here am I.” 
And the Lord spoke: “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any¬ 
thing unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not 
withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.” 

As Abraham looked up he saw a ram which was fast in a thicket by his 
horns, and he took the ram, and killing it, offered it upon the altar instead of 
his son, which was acceptable to God, who was so well pleased with the faith 
of Abraham that he blessed him again, and renewed the promises before made 
to him. Abraham was so overjoyed at this happy deliverance of his son that 
he called the place of offering Jehovah-jireh {the Lord will provide). 

DEATH OF SARAH AND MARRIAGE OF ISAAC. 

When Abraham returned from making his offering he prepared to remove 
from Beersheba to a country north-east, but in the land of Canaan. His herds 
of cattle were now very great and his possessions of gold and silver were larger 
than those of any other man thereabout so that it required a great number of 
servants, camels and asses to transport his goods. In those days people 
commonly dwelt in tents, especially those who followed pastoral pursuits, and 
when their herds were large, like those of Abraham, removals from place to 
place were frequent in search of new pasturage, and it was this fact, no doubt, 
which made Abraham change his place of living so often. 

It was long after Abraham’s removal to Hebron that Sarah, his beloved 
wife, fell sick and died, at which time she was one hundred and twenty-seven 
years of age. The loss of this good woman, who had walked with her husband 
so many years in the path of righteousness, was deplored greatly, not only by 
Abraham, but by the people about Hebron as well, for we read that when 
Abraham asked for a sepulchre in which to bury Sarah the people answered 
that he might bury her in any of their sepulchres that he chose. It was not 
the custom at that time to bury the dead in the ground, as we do now, the 
practice being to deposit the body in an excavation, usually of rock, the door to 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


57 


which was a large stone, and such excavation served as a sepulchre for an entire 
family. This proffer to Abraham was therefore one which showed how highly 
esteemed were both himself and wife by the people among whom he had 
recently settled. 

Instead of accepting the very kind offer made him, Abraham chose a cave 
which was in the end of a field owned by a man named Ephron. So he made 
an offer to buy the cave; but Ephron thought no less of Abraham and Sarah 
than did his neighbors, and he accordingly offered to give both the cave and 
field to Abraham. This generosity affected Abraham greatlv, for he perceived 
that all the people were deeply attached to him, but he refused to accept the 
place as a gift, and Ephron was finally induced to receive four hundred 
shekels ($250) for the cave, and in this he deposited the body of Sarah, intend- 
ing that this now sacred place should, in due time, become the depository of 
his own. 

Up to the time of purchasing the Cave of Machpelah (meaning double cave), 
as the burial place of Sarah was called, although God had promised to give him 
the whole of Canaan as an inheritance, Abraham had not owned even the 
smallest parcel of ground at any place where he had pitched his tent. It was, no 
doubt, this reason which prompted Abraham to buy, rather than to receive as a 
gift, the cave which Ephron owned, though the desire to own a sepulchre, which 
should be the exclusive depository of the bodies of himself and near kinsmen, 
possibly actuated him quite as much. This cave did afterward become the 

sepulchre of not only his own and wife’s remains, but also of the bodies of 

Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, Jacob and Leah, his wife, and of Joseph. The 
sepulchre still exists under the Hebron mosque, and is pointed out to all visitors 
to that region, and is the shrine to which many pious pilgrimages are made. 

THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH. 

It would appear, from reading the sacred records, that after the burial of 
Sarah, Abraham returned to Beersheba, and sought the marriage of his son 
Isaac. Although everywhere in Canaan Abraham was treated with the greatest 
kindness, yet he bitterly opposed Isaac marrying any of the women of that 
country, and would be reconciled to no other than a woman who should be of 
his own kindred. He therefore called his head servant and told him to take 

ten camels and to load them with fine presents and go to the city of Haran, 

which was in Mesopotamia (where Abraham formerly lived), in quest of a 
suitable woman to become his son’s wife. 

The servant did all things as Abraham had commanded him, and departed 
with the ten loaded camels. After many days of travelling he came to the 
outskirts of Haran in the evening, and desiring to rest himself before going 
into the city, he caused the camels to kneel down by a well which he found 
and to which he knew many women of the place came to draw water. The 
servant then offered a prayer to God, asking that he be directed in fulfilling 


58 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



the wishes of his master, and said, “ Behold, I stand here by the well of water; 
. . . and let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down 

thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I 
will give thy camels drink also; let the same be she that Thou hast appointed 
for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast showed kind¬ 
ness unto my master. ” 

Directly after the servant 
had ceased praying a beautiful 
woman came to the well to fill 
her pitcher, whom the servant 
accosted and asked that she 
would let down the pitcher and 
allow him to drink therefrom. 
The woman replied most gra¬ 
ciously and offered water to the 
servant and to his camels also, 
whereupon the servant saw that 
she was the one selected by 
the Lord to be a wife to Isaac. 
When the camels had done 
drinking the servant took some 
presents from the bag which he 
had brought, and, offering them 
to the woman, asked her name 
and if there was room in her 
father’s house to give lodging 
to himself and those who came 
with him. She answered that 
she was the daughter of Bethuel, 
the son of Nahor, and that her 
mother’s name was M i 1 c a h , 
whose house was large enough 
to lodge him, and having- 
stables to accommodate his 
camels. So she invited him to come to her father’s house, and ran before him 
to apprise her mother that strangers were coming to lodge with them. As she 
went toward the house she met her brother, Laban, who, seeing the presents 
which his sister, whose name was Rebekah, had received, went to the servant at 
the well and said to him, “ Come in, thou blessed of the Lord: wherefore 
standest thou without ? for I have prepared the house, and room for the 
camels.” 

When the servant came within the house he was offered meat for himself 
rmd provender for his camels, but before he would sit himself to eat, he told 


THE SERVANT OF ISAAC AT THE WELE. 













H. VEItNET. 


REBEKAH ACCEPTING ISAAC’S PRESENTS. 






































59 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 



them he must first tell the purpose of his errand. So he told them all that 
Abraham had commanded him to do, whereupon Laban and Bethuel said that 
he must have been directed by God, so they told the servant to take Rebekah 
and go back to Abraham that she might become the wife of Isaac. When the 
servant had thus found all accomplished as his master had wished, he drew 
forth the presents that he had brought and gave to Rebekah a large number 
of gold and silver ornaments, besides many pieces of costly raiment, nor did 
he withhold presents from Laban and Bethuel, for to each he gave many 
precious articles. 

When they had feasted, the servant desired to return at once to Abraham 
with Rebekah; Laban and his mother, however, begged him to remain with 
them for so much as ten days, but the servant told them not to hinder him 
from going forthwith. So 
they asked Rebekah if she 
was ready to depart with 
the servant, and she an¬ 
swered, “ I will go.” 

The departure from 
Haran was made on the 
day following the ser¬ 
vant’s arrival, so that the 
camels had little rest, but 
they travelled slowly, re¬ 
turning by a different 
route from that taken on 
the first journey. 

Isaac was not living 
with his father when this 

event transpired, for the oak of abraham. 

Bible tells us that he was sojourning at Lahai-roi, which was in the extreme 
southern part of Palestine. But as the caravan was returning to Beersheba 
Isaac was also going to the same place, though he did not know that a wife 
was being chosen for him who was at that time drawing near to his father’s 
house to celebrate her marriage with him. As the caravan approached toward 
Lahai-roi Rebekah saw Isaac walking through a field, and said, u What man is 
that who comes to meet us?” The servant, seeing that it was Isaac, replied 
that it was his master, whereupon she covered her face with a veil. When 
Isaac came near the servant met him and told him all that had transpired, and 
that he had brought Rebekah to be his wife. Isaac was forty years of age at 
this time, but he had been without comfort since the day of his mother’s death, 
grieving continually for her. When he wedded Rebekah, however, joy returned 
to him, for the moment that he beheld her face he loved her greatly. 

After the marriage of Isaac, Abraham, who was now very old, gave him all 







» 60 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


that he had, and made him rich in worldly possessions. It is probable that this 
gift was made by will, rather than given to Isaac to hold at once before his 
father’s death, for Abraham married again, taking a woman whose name was 
Keturah, and by her had children, by whom he became the father of the Ke- 
turah Arabs, but these children were not permitted to share in the inheritance 
with Isaac, being cut off as was Ishmael. 

We are told that Abraham died at the age of one hundred and seventy-five 
years, but it is not realized where he was residing at the time of his death, 
though the inference is that he was still at Beersheba. Isaac and Ishmael met 
at his funeral, and together paid the last sad duty of preparing their father’s 
remains for burial. Regarding the wishes which Abraham expressed at the 
time of laying away his beloved wife Sarah, they deposited his body beside her 
in the cave of Machpelah, which is even at this day pointed out to travellers 
in the Holy Land as a place second in sacredness to that of Golgotha. 

Few references are made by the Bible to Ishmael after his last meeting 
with Isaac at the funeral of Abraham, no more than to indicate that he had no 
settled habitation, and followed warlike pursuits, like the Keturah Arabs, who 
are true to this inherited instinct even to this day. He survived his father just 
fifty years, and died at the age of one hundred and thirty-seven years. The 
place of his death or burial is not recorded. 

Of all the holy characters described in the Bible, none are more divine-like 
than Abraham; indeed, he was the only one of the patriarchs and prophets 
who never departed from God’s commands, or lifted his spirit, even in thought 
or deed, in rebellion against the commands or wishes of his Lord. The offer 
of a sacrifice of his only lawfully begotten and beloved son, in loving obedience 
to that call which he so promptly recognized, is the most exalted example of 
trustful faith ever exhibited by man, which can only be rewarded by that 
richest of all blessings, which God gives to those who serve Him best and 
whom He most loves. 

Blessed be the name of Abraham! 







CHAPTER V. 

THE STORY OF JACOB AND ESAU. 

SAAC continued to dwell at Lahai-roi after his father’s death, 
but it was not until many years after his marriage that God 
blessed him and gave him two children, which were named 
Jacob and Esau. As the boys grew up Esau became a hunter, 
like Ishmael, and Jacob was a dweller in tents, by which, we 
presume, he followed pastoral pursuits like his grandfather 
Abraham did. It happened that the two young men were not 
equally liked by their parents, for Rebekah loved Jacob, while 
Esau was Isaac’s favorite, and this favoritism at length led to 


great trouble. One day Esau returned from the hunt very tired and 
,J) almost dead with hunger, and seeing Jacob preparing a pottage of 
lentils, which was a planjf somewhat like the pea, he said to his 
brother, “ Feed me, I pray thee, with that red pottage, for I am faint.” 
^ Jacob, perceiving how great was Esau’s hunger, took advantage of 
his brother’s necessity, for, instead of offering him food, as he should 
have done, he offered to give him the pottage only upon condition 
that Esau should give him his birthright. This was a hard bargain, 
but Esau replied, “ Behold, I am at the point to die; and what 
profit shall this birthright be to me?” Then Jacob made his brother 
swear to renounce his birthright and give it to him, which being 
done Esau was permitted to eat of the bread and pottage, and having 
feasted under these hard conditions he then went away. 

Soon after this event there was a famine in the land and Isaac thought to 
escape it; he would go down to Egypt, but God told him to remain and He 
would fulfil the covenant he had made with Abraham. So Isaac remained and 

(6i> 

































62 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


sowed seed on his land, which yielded to him a hundred fold. So prosperous 
was he that he soon became the richest man in all the country thereabout, 
which greatly vexed the Philistines, among whom he dwelt, and in their ex¬ 
ceeding envy they filled up all the wells that had been dug by his father, and 
that were upon his land. As Isaac had great herds of cattle and camels, and 
as wells were the only source of water suppty in that country, this act of his 
envious neighbors did him such harm that he complained to the king, whose 
name was Abimelech. But the king, instead of punishing his persecutors,* 
justified their wrong-doing by telling Isaac to leave the country. Thus was 
Isaac compelled to move to another place, and he settled in a valley called 
Gerar, not far distant. Here he set to work and re-opened another well which 
had been in use during his father’s time but had been filled up by the Philis¬ 
tines. When this well, or spring rather, began to flow, the people of the valley 
claimed the water was their own, so that he was again forced to move. For a 
second time he opened another well, but they drove him from this one also. 
His third attempt, however, had a happier ending, for when he opened a well 
at Rehoboth the people no longer vexed him, seeing that his success must be 
due to the special favor of God. 

Abimelech was especially moved by Isaac’s wonderful prosperity, and seeing 
now how desirable a thing was his friendship, the king, with one of his friends, 
and captain in his army, went to call upon Isaac. When they came into his 
presence Isaac said to the king, “ Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me 
and have sent me away from you ? ” To which Abimelech replied, “ We saw 
certainly that the Lord was with thee; and we said, Let there now be an oath 
betwixt us, and let us make a covenant with thee.” Though Isaac had been 
greatly wronged by the king and his people, he was, nevertheless, forgiving, 
and thereupon entered into a covenant of friendship with the king, who feasted 
and drank at Isaac’s table. 

After Esau had bartered his birthright to Jacob he went away, but beyond 
this the Bible tells us nothing further about him until he was forty years of 

age, when he was married to Judith, the daughter of Beeri, a Hittite, and 

also to Bashemath, who was likewise a Hittite. This marriage greatly dis¬ 
tressed Isaac, for he did not believe in polygamy, and thought that his son in 
marrying two women had committed an abominable sin. 

But the marriage of Esau was only the beginning of Isaac’s trouble, for 
soon after he became stricken with blindness. Notwithstanding the grief which 
Esau had caused him, Isaac seemed to have lost none of his love for him. 
One day Isaac called to Esau and told him to take his bow and go into the 

field and kill for him a deer (venison) and prepare a savory dish for him to 

eat, promising him his blessing. Rebekah heard Isaac promise a blessing to 
Esau, and resolved to take advantage of her poor blind husband by so deceiv¬ 
ing him that her favorite son Jacob should receive the blessing instead of 
Esau. To accomplish her very unnatural design Rebekah went to Jacob and 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


63 



told him what his father had said, and commanded him to bring" two young 
kids with which to prepare savory meats to take to his father. Jacob did as 
she had ordered, but not without misgiving, for he said to his mother: “ Behold, 
Esau, my brother, is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man; my father, per- 
adventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver, and I shall 
bring a curse upon me and not a blessing.” But Rebekali replied that the 
curse would be upon her,* and insisted. 

After Rebekah had 
cooked the kids as she 
thought Isaac would best 
like them, she clothed 
Jacob with some of Esau’s 
coats and covered his hands 
and neck with the skins of 
the kids, so that to Isaac’s 
touch he might appear 
hairy like Esau. Taking 
the meat as his mother 
had ordered, he carried it 
to his father and said, “ I 
am Esau thy first-born; I 
have done according as thou 
badest me; arise, I pray 
thee, sit and eat of my 
venison, that thy soul may 
bless me. ” Then Isaac 
called Jacob to him that 
he might feel him, for he 
mistrusted his voice. But 
when he had felt him he 
said, a The voice is Jacob’s 
voice, but the hands are 
the hands of Esau,” so 
he blessed him. When 
he had eaten, Isaac again ISAAC messing jacob. 

called Jacob to him, being still suspicious that he was being deceived, and 
smelled his raiment. This satisfied him, and he poured out the blessing upon 
Jacob which he had intended to give to Esau. 

Scarcely had his father ceased blessing Jacob when Esau returned from 
hunting, and preparing a dish of meat carried it to Isaac, and begged him to 
eat the offering of his first-born. When he had spoken with Esau, Isaac knew 
how he had been deceived, and wept with grief that having given his blessing 
and the best things to Jacob, he could not bestow upon Esau what was in 

















64 THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

his heart to grant. Esau complained loudly, and justly, against Jacob, 
who had now supplanted him twice by employing the most wicked artifices. 

Isaac tried to comfort his wronged son by telling him that though Jacob 
should now become his master, he should yet prosper greatly, and while serv¬ 
ing his brother in battle would break the yoke, or mastership, which Jacob 
held over him. 

But this promise, though somewhat consoling, did not abate Esau’s 
anger toward his brother, for he declared that after his father’s death he 
would avenge the wrong done him by killing Jacob. This threat so greatly 

alarmed Rebekah that she told 
Jacob to go away to her brother 
Laban and remain with him 
awhile until Esau’s anger should 
abate. Isaac also desired the 
departure of Jacob lest Esau 
should kill him, but before 
going away Jacob came to his 
father for his blessing again. 
This Isaac did not withhold, 
for he still loved him, though 
not excusing his fault. He 
charged Jacob to go to Haran, 
and there to take a wife from 
the daughters of Laban. 


Jacob’s vision. 

In obedience to the wishes 
of his father, Jacob departed on 
his journey alone, taking the 
same route which was travelled 
by Abraham when he first 
passed through Canaan on his 
way from Beersheba to Haran, which had now become a main highway. 

As he came in sight of the place which had been his grandfather’s encamp¬ 
ment, it was late in the evening, and here he lay down to rest for the night. 
Evidently Jacob carried few if any necessaries with him on the journey, for 
we are told he gathered some stones together to serve him as a pillow, on 
which to lay his head. Here, in this uncomfortable place he went to sleep, but 
never was rest of man more pleasant than that which Jacob had that night. 
As he slept he had a wondrous dream, wherein appeared to him a vision that 
revealed the glory of heaven and the blessings which God had in store for 
him. He saw in the dream a great ladder, resting its foot upon the earth and 




















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


65 


reaching into heaven, and upon it were ascending and descending radiant angels. 
Succeeding this vision was another in which God revealed Himself standing 
above the ladder, and Jacob heard these words: u I am the Lord God of Abra¬ 
ham, thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest to thee will 
I give it.” 

When Jacob awakened he knew that God had taken this means of mani¬ 
festing His love and provident care, and he said, “ This is none other than the 



JACOB TENDING THE FEOCKS OF EABAN. 


house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So he took the stones which 
had served him as a pillow and set them up as an altar, and poured oil upon 
it, and made a promise to serve God thenceforth, and he called the place 
Bethel (House of God). 

5 

















66 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


JACOB’S HARD SERVICE FOR A WIFE. 

After this pious performance Jacob 
continued on his journey, meeting with 
no further important incident, until he 
reached Padan-Aram (Haran), which was 
the home of his mother’s relatives. 
As he came to the 
outskirts of the cit} r he 
saw a well, or more 
properly, a spring, by 
which were lying 
three flocks of sheep 
that were waiting to 
be watered by the 
shepherds. He asked 
the men the name 
of the city to which 
they belonged, and 
they answered that 
they were from Ha¬ 
ran. Then he fell 
into further conver¬ 
sation with them, 
asking if they knew 
Laban, and if he was 
well, etc. But as he 
was talking, Rachel, 
the younger daughter 


V ^ 



TACOB KISSING RACHEL. 













ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


67 


of Laban, approached with another herd of sheep. The spring by which the 
shepherds were watting was closed with a large stone, which kept the waters 
from being muddied or used except at certain intervals in the day when the 
flocks of the surrounding neighborhood were all brought together to be watered 
at one time. Then the stone was removed and the herds permitted to drink. 
When Rachel arrived all the flocks were gathered, hers being the last to arrive, 
and Jacob went down and rolled the stone from the spring’s mouth and helped 
Rachel water her sheep. • 



(Copy of the celebrated painting by Raphael.) 
JACOB, LEAH AND RACHEL. 


Rachel is represented as having been a beautiful girl, and it is therefore 
no surprise to learn that Jacob fell at once in love with her, nor did he wait 
long before beginning his suit, for the Bible tells us that he kissed her beside 
the spring. After thus warmly saluting her, he told Rachel that he was her 
kinsman, come to visit her father. She was greatly pleased by his favors, and 
ran before him to tell her father of his coming. Laban was no less pleased to 
receive Jacob’s visit, for he hastened out to greet him and kissed him many 
times tenderly. 

Laban had two daughters,, the elder of whom was named Leah, and Rachel 
was the younger. It is said that Leah was tender-eyed, and it is supposed that 












68 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


she was not comely in appearance, while Rachel was perfect in every feature, 
and so beautiful that Jacob could not restrain his exceedingly great desire to 
marry her at once. He therefore asked of Laban her hand in marriage, but 
this his uncle was not so quick to grant, being of a mercenary natuie, who 
desired to profit by his daughter’s comeliness. Perceiving what Laban desired, 
Jacob offered to serve him for a period of seven years for his daughter, to which 
proposition Laban consented. So great was Jacob’s love for Rachel that his 
seven years of service “ seemed to him but a few days.” 

When the period of his engagement had expired, he asked Laban to give 
him Rachel, whereupon the crafty uncle brought Leah, heavily veiled, to him 
in the evening, whom Jacob married under the belief that it was his beloved 
Rachel. In the morning he discovered the deception that had been practised, 
and asked Laban why he had not fulfilled his agreement, to which Laban made 
reply, “It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the 
first-born; we will give thee Rachel also for the service which thou shalt serve 
with me yet seven other years.” Although this action of Laban was very 
unjust, it was but a counterpart of the perfidy and deception which Jacob himself 
had practised on his brother Esau. 

The hardship which Laban’s second proposition imposed upon Jacob was 
promptly accepted, for what will not a man do to win the woman he truly 
loves ? So Jacob served seven more years and then wedded Rachel, but after 
this marriage Laban prevailed on him to remain six years longer for a por¬ 
tion of the produce of the flocks, which were to be distinguished by certain 
marks. 

DEPARTURE OF JACOB AND HIS MEETING WITH ESAU. 

After Jacob’s last service, Laban awarded him a portion of the cattle, sheep 
and goats, which he had helped to raise, and, getting his goods together, he set 
out with his two wives, Leah and Rachel, for the land of his birth, and to his 
father, who was still living. Three days after his departure, Laban, believing 
that there had been an unfair division of the herds, and that Jacob had received 
more than was his due, induced several of his neighbors to join him, and to¬ 
gether they started in pursuit of Jacob, whom they overtook, after seven days’ 
journey, at the Mount of Gilead. But the night before Laban came up with 
Jacob, God appeared to him in a dream and commanded him not to speak to 
Jacob either good or bad, but this injunction was not literally obeyed, for when 
he met Jacob he accused him of stealing away his two daughters, and reproached 
him for not giving due notice of his going that he might have kissed his 
daughters and sent them away with mirth and song. He again said to Jacob 
that though it was in his power to do him great injury, he would nevertheless 
spare him, but that he must return the gods (the things) which he had stolen 
from him. Jacob replied to him by saying: “ With whomsoever thou findest 
thy gods, let him not live.” Then Laban made a search of all that Jacob had, 
but was unable to find any of the gods which he charged had been stolen. 



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MEETING OF JACOB AND RACHEL 







































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


G9 


After much dispute between them, Laban at length offered to make a covenant 
with Jacob whereby they should be forever afterward friends, as became their 
relations to each other. They accordingly gathered a heap of stones as a wit¬ 
ness of their covenant., and made a sacrifice upon the mount and afterward feasted 
in fellowship. In the morning Laban blessed Jacob, and, kissing his daughters, 
* returned again to Haran, his home. 

As Jacob journeyed forward he met a host of angels who stood in his way 
but did not address him, as they served only as a sign that God was still 



JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE ANGEL. 


with him. He therefore called the place of meeting with the angels Mahanaim, 
meaning the two camps or hosts. As he was now passing through the land 
of Edom, he learned that Esau was at the head of an army of many hundred 
men in Mount Seir, and he was greatly troubled lest his wronged brother 
would now fulfil the threat which he had made upon discovering the deceit 
which robbed him of his father’s blessing. To conciliate his brother, he sent 
messengers bearing many presents of cattle, goats and sheep to Esau, and 
















70 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


waited to learn what report they would make. Upon their return the messen¬ 
gers told him that Esau would come with four hundred men to meet him, but 
they were unable to disclose with what purpose. Fearful that Esau’s inten¬ 
tions were hostile, Jacob divided his herds and goods into two parts, and said, 
“ If Esau come to one company and smite it, then the other company which is 
left shall escape.” 

When he had thus prepared for the meeting, Jacob prayed to God to deliver 
him from the hand of his brother. At night he was left alone in meditation, 
expecting Esau to come, as he had told his messengers in the morning; and 
while thus communing a man appeared to him, and the two u wrestled ” until 
the break of day, when the man, who proved to be the Lord, touched Jacob’s 
thigh and immediately it became out of joint. But Jacob would not release 
the spirit until it blessed him. Then the Lord gave him His blessing, and 
changed his name from Jacob to that of Israel. And Jacob then knew that he 

had the favor of God, and so called 
the place Peniel, saying, 11 1 have 
seen God face to face and my life 
is preserved.” 

Notwithstanding the Lord’s as¬ 
surances, Jacob was not yet wholly 
without fear, for when he saw Esau 
coming he divided his family so 
that the handmaids and children 
were in front, and Rachel and 
Joseph, his son, who was born while 
he was in service to Laban, in the 
rear, so that in case of an attack 
being made those he most loved 
would be the most likely to escape. 
But all his fears were soon dismissed, for as Esau came near he ran to meet 
Jacob and fell on his neck and kissed him as a beloved brother. After this 
happy meeting the brothers were both reconciled, and each proffered help to 
the other, which neither requiring, Esau returned to Seir, while Jacob continued 
his journey to Succoth, where he built a house and made stalls, or booths, for 
his cattle. 

THE BIRTH OF BENJAMIN. 

While Jacob was serving with Laban, he had four wives, two of whom had 
been handmaidens to Leah and Rachel, and these several wives bore him twelve 
sons, the youngest of whom was Joseph, the only son of Rachel until after 
his departure from Haran, whose history is perhaps more interesting than that 
of any other character in the Old Testament. When Jacob had lived a few 
years at Succoth and Shalem, God told him to remove to Bethel, where he saw 
ihe vision when going to visit Laban, and to make an altar there and worship 



MOSQUE OVER MACHPEEAH. 





ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


71 


the true God. It appears from the records, that the people who dwelt in Shalem 
and the country thereabouts were idolaters, nor can we help suspecting, from 
the character of the narrative, that Jacob, or Israel, was also. 

When Jacob prepared to depart for Bethel, he ordered his household, and 
all who were with him, to put away the strange gods that were with them and 
to change their garments. In obedience to this command they brought him 
their gods, which he hid under an oak that grew in Shechem. While stopping 
at Shalem Jacob’s life had not been a happy one, for among other indignities 
and griefs he suffered was a very great one in the abduction of his daughter 
Dinah by a prince of the country. But afterward the prince made amends for 
his folly by marrying Dinah, as Jacob had desired he should, and there was 
peace between the king (Hamor) and Jacob. Among the sons of Jacob, how¬ 
ever, there were two, Simeon and Levi, who were resolved to avenge the wrong 
done their sister,. regardless of their father’s will ; and accordingly, they stole 
in upon Hamor, the king, and his son, the husband of Dinah, and killed them 
both with the sword; they also bore 
Dinah away, after which the other sons 
of Jacob fell upon the town and mas¬ 
sacred many of the people, and carried 
away a large number of women and 
children captives, besides taking all the 
cattle, sheep, and household plunder they 
could find. 

Jacob was intensely grieved at this 
outrage of his sons, and put a curse 
upon them. The memory of this wrong 
no doubt caused him constant pain, and 
he was therefore glad that God had 
ordered him to remove from Shalem, 
but he was destined to meet with much 
greater sorrow in the new land of his inheritance. As soon as he reached 
Bethel Jacob built an altar, and called the place El-Bethel, because it was there 
that God had appeared to him. Directly after the altar was built Deborah, 
Rachel’s nurse, died, and was buried beneath a “ weeping oak.” 

Here God appeared to Jacob again, and told him that his name should 
henceforth be Israel and not Jacob, as it had continued to be after His first 
:ommand, and God repeated to Jacob the covenants He had made with Abraham 
and Isaac, to give him all the land and to make him so great that there should 
be many kings among his descendants. 

Then Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had talked with God and 
poured a drink-offering upon it, and called the sacred place Bethel. When 
Jacob had thus performed the vows which he had made there, after seeing the 
vision of heaven, he journeyed southward, intending to dwell with his father, 



RACHEL’S TOMB. 






72 THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

Isaac, at Mamre, near Hebron. As they were near Ephrath, which was the 
ancient name of Bethlehem, Rachel was seized with labor, and died in giving 
birth to a boy babe whom she called Ben-oni (son of my sorrow ), but Jacob 
changed his name to Ben-jamin (son of the right hand). Here Rachel was 
buried, and upon her grave Jacob set a large stone, which so long marked the 
spot that in modern years a tomb was erected over the grave, which remains 
to-day a conspicuous object among the sacred mausoleums of Bethlehem. 

Jacob then continued his journey southward until he reached the dwelling 
olace of Isaac his father, but had not long been there when Isaac died, being 
one hundred and eighty years of age. At the time of his death it chanced 
that Esau was also at Mamre, or near there, for he and Jacob buried their 
father. Esau afterward went into another country because he and Jacob were 
so rich with cattle that the land could not sustain the possessions of both. 











































































































































































































































* 




























































































































. 

































































































































































































































JOSEPH’S DREAM 





















































































































































































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CHAPTER VI. 

STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN. 

' 

HEN Jacob came to live in the region of Mamre, 
Joseph, who had always been his favorite child, was 
seventeen years of age, or rather that is the age 
given him in the Bible when it first mentions him 
as feeding the flocks with his brethren about Mamre. 
He was a precocious child, not without his faults, but 
from the beginning was blessed with such favors as fall 
to the lot of few boys. After Rachel’s death Jacob 
petted and loved him more fondly even than before, and his 
preference no doubt served to make of him a spoilt child. 
His disposition was such that he became a tale-bearer upon 
the actions of his brothers ; besides, the superior beauty of 
his clothes aroused their jealousy. In addition to this, 
young Joseph was a dreamer, who insisted upon giving such 
interpretations to his sleep-visions as displayed his disposi¬ 
tion to become a master, so to speak, over his brothers, so 
that he become offensive to them, 

Of the twelve sons which Jacob had, ten of them had 
charge of his immense herds, while Joseph and Benjamin 
were kept at home in the favor of their farther, having noth¬ 
ing to do save of their own will. But Joseph frequently 
went out in the fields to his brothers and would as often return to his father 
with evil reports as to what they said or did. 

( 73 ) 










































XHE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


So angered were they by Joseph’s tale-bearing that they resolved to kill 
him upon the next favorable opportunity. Soon after this wicked determina¬ 
tion had been made, Jacob sent Joseph out ‘to find his brothers and to bring 
him back a report of how they were discharging their duties. Joseph went to 
the pasturage, where he expected to find them grazing the herds, but they were 
not to be seen, so he wandered about in quest of them until he met a man who 
told him his brothers had departed for Dothan, which was not a great distance 
from the usual grazing grounds. Joseph set off at once for Dothan, where he 



JOSEPH’S DREAM. 

“And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more : and behold, 
the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.”—Gen. xxxvii. 9. 


found his brothers; but as he drew near the resolve which they had before 
made came stronger than ever upon them, and some of the brothers said they 
should slay him and cast his body into a pit, and report to their father that 
he had been devoured by some wild beast. No doubt they would have thus 
killed Joseph had it not been for Reuben, who was a son of Jacob by his 
wife Leah, who begged his brothers not to shed blood, but to rid themselves 
of Joseph by casting him into a pit that was in the wilderness thereabouts. 






















4 


JOSEPH CAST US TO THE PIT. 


175) 


Bswttisw-''*; 





















































































76 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



JOSEPH SOLD TO THE EGYPTIANS. 

Reuben’s advice appeared good to his brothers, for when Joseph came up 
they stripped him of his coat of many colors and threw him into a deep but 
dry pit, where they left him helpless. After so doing and having sat down to 
eat their noon meal, a caravan of Midiauite merchants, from Arabia, came in 
sight on their way to Egypt with Syrian spices. Judah, also a son of Leah, 
now proposed to his brothers that they sell Joseph, rather than allow him to 

die of hunger in the pb 
though his elder broth t: 
Reuben had resolved 
secretly to rescue him when 
his brothers should go 
away. Judah’s proposition 
found favor with all the 
brothers, so that when the 
travelling merchants were 
about arrived the brothers 
drew Joseph up out of the 
pit and sold him to the 
Midianite merchants for 
twenty shekels ($12.50) of 
silver. 

To conceal their wicked 
action from Jacob, the 
brothers killed a kid, in 
the blood of which they 
dipped the pretty coat they 
had stripped from Joseph y 
and bearing this to their 
father, as an evidence of 
the tale they were to tell r 
declared to him that Joseph 
had been devoured by .: 
wild beast. This dreadful 
news bore heavily upon 
Jacob, who refused to be 
comforted, and in his grief he tore his clothes and said he should go to his 
grave mourning for his son. 

JOSEPH BECOMES AN INTERPRETER OF DREAMS. 


JOSEPH SOLD AS A SLAVE TO THE MIDIANITISH MERCHANTS. 


The Midianite merchants, who were Ishmaelites, descendants of Abraham’s 
son Ishmael, took Joseph and carried him to Egypt, where they sold him to a 
captain in Pharaoh’s army, mamed Potiphar. In the service of this officer Joseph 
continued for some time and with such faithfulness that Potiphar at length made 
him chief over all his other servants and showed him many favors. 




ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


77 


Potiphar’s wife was a worldly woman who, seeing that Joseph was a hand¬ 
some young man, became jealous of him because he would not pay her such 
attentions as she solicited, and to avenge the rejection of her wicked proposals 
she falsely accused Joseph to her husband and had him cast into prison, where 
he remained for two years. During this time his actions were so gentle that 
he won the favor of the prison keeper, who committed to Joseph’s care all the 
other prisoners. 



RUINS OF AN EGYPTIAN TEMPLE ON THE NILE. 

After Joseph had been in prison for some time it happened that Pharaoh 
became greatly angered at some offense committed by his chief butler and his 
chief baker, and cast them into prison with Joseph, and so he came to have 
charge of them also. One morning, upon the awakening of the two offending 
officers of the king, they told Joseph of the dreams which each had had during 
the night, and which caused them much grief, for they believed that their 
dreams were indicative of some great punishnent which Pharaoh would inflict 
upon them. The chief butler described his vision as follows : “ In my dream, 








78 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

behold a vine was before me; and in the vine were three branches: and it 
was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof 
brought forth ripe grapes ; and Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand: and I took 
the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into 
Pharaoh’s hand.” 

When Joseph had heard the butler’s dream he gave him the interpreta¬ 
tion by declaring that in three days Pharaoh would deliver him from prison, 



RUINS OF MEMPHIS, CAPITAL OF EGYPT IN THE TIME OF JOSEPH. 

and restore him again to his former place as chief butler. After showing the 
butler the meaning of his dream, Joseph begged him, upon the fulfilment 
thereof, that he would tell Pharaoh of the injustice of his imprisonment, and 
that he had been sold into bondage by his wicked brothers, hoping thus to 
secure his own release. 

When Joseph had given an interpretation of the butler’s dream, the chief 
baker described the vision which he had also had and requested an interpreta¬ 
tion thereof. In his dream he said he bore three baskets on his head, setting 















RUINS OF THEBES 


( 79 ) 













































































































































































bO 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



one within the other, and that in the topmost one 
there was a great variety of baked meats, which the 
birds flew upon and ate. Then Joseph told him that 
in three days Pharaoh would call him from prison 
and hang him upon a tree, and that while thus hang¬ 
ing the birds would come and eat the flesh from his 
body. 

On the third day thereafter, as Joseph had pro¬ 
phesied, according to the dreams, Pharaoh gave a 
large dinner to his servants in honor of his birth¬ 
day, and pardoned his chief butler and restored him,, 
as was predicted, but the chief baker was hanged. 

JOSEPH INTERPRETING PHARAOH’S DREAM. 

Although everything had been fulfilled according 
to the interpretations made by Joseph, the chief 
butler did not keep his promise to tell Pharaoh of 
the wrongs which had been done the Hebrew youth, 
nor did he try to secure the release of Joseph, who 
continued languishing in prison nearly two years 
after the liberation of the butler. At the expiration 
of this period an incident occurred which was of the 
most portentous importance to Joseph, as it served 
to prove most conclusively his gift of revelation, and 
to establish him in Pharaoh’s favor as 
a man endowed with the blessings of 
God. This special incident was in the 
nature of a 
warning which 
God gave to 
Pharaoh in a 
dream, in which 
the king 
thought he 
stood beside a 
river, out of 
which rose 
seven fat cattle 
that fell to graz¬ 
ing in a mea¬ 
dow. Following 
the seven fat 
cattle were 


Cleopatra’s nkp:dle. 





















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


81 


seven others, that were lean and ill-favored, and these went also to the 
meadow beside the river, and ate up all the seven that were fat. This was 
Pharaoh's first dream, but he fell asleep again and dreamed that he saw a 
field of corn, on the stalks of which grew seven large ears fully matured, but 
while looking upon these, other stalks grew out of the same ground, each of 
which bore seven blasted ears, and these thin and immature ears devoured 
those that were large and perfect. 

These two dreams so deeply troubled Pharaoh that he sent to all the 
magicians in Egypt that he might obtain an interpreter, but none of them 



JOSEPH IN HONOR. 


were wise enough to tell him the significance of his vision. As the desire of 
the kincr became noised about the chief butler remembered how Joseph had 
interpreted the dreams of himself and of the baker, so he went to Pharaoh 
and told him how truly Joseph had prophesied, and advised that he be sent for. 

The king immediately dispatched a messenger to bring Joseph to him, so 
the young Hebrew hastily shaved himself, changed his clothes and appeared 
before the king, as he was bid And when the young man came before the 
throne Pharaoh told him that he had heard of how he had. interpreted dreams 
while in prison and asked him if he could understand and interpret all dreams. 
Joseph replied, “It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. 

6 













82 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


When Joseph had thus answered, Pharaoh related to him the two dreams 
which so troubled him, whereupon Joseph gave him the interpretation as follows : 

The two dreams he 
! pronounced as one 
in meaning, since 
they both presaged 
that the seven suc- 
c e e d i n g year? 
would be seasons 
of great abundance 
t h r o u g h o u t all 
Egypt, but the 
next seven years 
would be seasons 
of famine when 
the land would pro¬ 
duce nothing, so 
that distress for 
food would prevail 
among all who did 
not take advantage 
of the seven years 
of plenty to fill 
their granaries and 
thus provide 
against the seven 
seasons of failure. 

THE FAMINE. 
Pharaoh per¬ 
ceived that Joseph 
had given him the 
true significance of 
his dreams, and 
determined to pro- 
vide against the 
predicted famine 
by appointing 
Joseph the receiver 
of tithes and the 

RUINS OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS ERECTED BY THE ISRAELITES. Collector O f S 11 C h 

portions of the crops as he might levy during the seven years of plenty. But 
as a mark of his great favor Pharaoh made Joseph ruler of all Egypt and put 





































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


83 


a gold chain about his neck and made him ride next to his own chariot, while 
the people were ordered to bow down to him. 

As all provision to guard against the coming famine had thus been given 
to Joseph to make, he set about his duty by ordering large storehouses to be 
made in all parts of the country, which he filled by raising the royal impost 
of one-tenth on the produce of the land to one-fifth, which was no hardship on 
the people to pay, because for seven years the crops were so great that the 
people could hardly take care of them, and were therefore inclined to waste¬ 
fulness. 

True to Joseph’s predictions, the beginning of the second seven years was 
marked by a blasting of the crops; which continued until great want was felt 
throughout the land, and immense numbers of people would have starved but 
for the beneficent provisions made by Joseph. He now opened the storehouses 
and from them supplied the wants of all who would come to buy. 

The famine was not confined to 
Egypt, but extended into Canaan, 

Syria and other countries, where it 
was so dreadful that the people of 
those lands were compelled to come 
to Joseph to buy grain to avoid 
starvation. 

So large were the purchases made 
of Joseph during the first two years 
of the famine, that all the money of 
the Egyptians and Canaanites had 
passed into the treasury of Pharaoh. 

The authority which Joseph there¬ 
after exercised over the Egyptians 
was somewhat despotic, though hardly so oppressive as we might expect 
it wo.ild be among a people that were noted for their custom of reducing 
the poor to slavery. The people who were no longer able to pay for the 
provisions they needed were removed from the country to the cities, but were 
still allowed to cultivate the lands, which had thus passed to Pharaoh, by a 
payment of one-fifth of the produce to the crown, and this hard condition 
caused the permanent loss of tenure of the land in Egypt. 

JOSEPH REFUSES TO DISCLOSE HIMSELF TO HIS BROTHERS. 

Jacob, who still lived in Canaan, though an extremely rich man, did not 
escape the terrible effects of the famine, and was forced to send also to Pharaoh 
for grain to feed his household and famishing herds. Many years had now 
passed since Joseph was sold into bondage, for at the time of the ^beginning 
of the famine he was nearly forty years of age, while at the time of his sale 
he was but seventeen. Yet in all these years Jacob had believed his son to 



EGYPTIAN TOMB. 



84 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


be dead, having heard no word from him, nor did any of his sons reveal the 
secret of their wickedness, little caring what had become of the brother. 

When Jacob’s granaries were emptied he sent ten of his sons to Egypt to 
buy corn, but kept Benjamin, the youngest, with him, lest some harm might 
befall him, as he was now his father’s favorite and consolation. 

When the ten brothers came to Joseph he recognized all of them immedi¬ 
ately, but they in 
turn did not know 
him, for they had 
never thought of 
their servant 
brother becoming 
a ruler over so 
great a country as 
Egypt. In order 
to confuse them, 
or test their fidel- 
ity, Joseph ac¬ 
cused his brothers 
of being spies come 
from Canaan to 
observe the po¬ 
verty and weak¬ 
ness of Egypt. To 
their protestations 
of denial Joseph 
answered that as 
one of the brothers 
had been kept by 
his father in Ca¬ 
naan, he would 
keep them in 
prison and treat 
them as spies un¬ 
til this one was 

also brought to him. So he cast all his brothers into prison, but on the 
third day he went to them and said that he knew the famine was severe in 
Canaan and that he would therefore permit nine of them to return, laden 
with grain, to their father, but that he would retain one as a hostage for 
the bringing to him of their youngest brother. The brothers were very sorrow¬ 
ful because of these conditions, and became conscience stricken as Reuben 
reminded them how they had turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of Joseph when 
they sold him to the Midianite merchants. 



JOSEPH COMMANDS THAT HIS BROTHERS EEAVE SIMEON AS A HOSTAGE. 






























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


85 


Joseph at length chose to hold Simeon, and accordingly bound him before 
h 1S brothers and then sent the others away with their sacks filled with corn: 
but he ordered that the money which the brothers had paid for the corn should 
be secretly placed in the sacks. As they journeyed back home with their asses 
a en with gram they stopped at noon-time to give their animals food, when to 
their astonishment, as they opened the sacks to get food for the asses, each one 
ound the money that he had paid to Joseph in the mouth of the bag, and they 
believed that it was a miracle. 


MEETING OF JOSEPH AND BENJAMIN. 

When the brothers reached home they told their father all that had Hap¬ 
pened to them, of how harshly the governor of Egypt had treated them and 
how he had retained 
Simeon as a hostage 
for the bringing to 
him of Benjamin. 

At this sad news 
Jacob was deeply dis¬ 
tressed, for he could 
not bear to part with 
Benjamin. Reuben 
thereupon said to his 
father, “ Slay my 
two sons, if I bring 
him not to thee; 
deliver him into my 
hand, and I will 
bring him to thee 
again.” But Jacob 
would not consent. 

When the corn 
, which they brought 
'was all eaten, Jacob 
told his sons to go again into Egypt and buy more, but they replied that the 
governor had said that they should not see his face again unless they brought 
their youngest brother with them. Then Judah begged his father to trust 
Benjamin into his care, giving his oath to return him again or accept all the 
blame forever thereafter. At length Jacob consented, but he told his sons to 
take presents of fruits, spices, honey, myrrh and balm with them, and also the 
money found in their sacks, lest there might have been an oversight. 

With the blessings of their father the brothers departed again, with 
double money and presents, and took Benjamin with them. They journeyed 
on and soon came before Joseph, who commanded that they be brought in to 



JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN. 

























86 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


dine with him. This order excited their fears afresh, because now they 
believed they were apprehended to be punished for not paying for the corn 
they had bought on the first visit, and so they told the steward of Joseph’s 
house of how they had found the money they had paid to Joseph tied up with 
the grain in their sacks after departing, and that they had therefore brought 
it back again. The steward assured them that there was no cause for alarm 
and that God had given them the treasure in their sacks. He then brought 
water for them to wash their feet aud provender for their asses, after which 
Simeon was brought out to them. 



RUINS IN PETRJ£A, BEYOND GOSHEN. * 


Joseph returned to his brothers at noon, and asked diligently about the 
health of his father, and then inquired if the young man was Benj amin. 
Finding it to be so, Joseph was so overjoyed that he had to hasten from his 
brothers to find a place to weep where they could not see him. When he 
returned to them again all the brothers set before him the presents that they 
had brought, and then the tables were made ready for dinner: one table being 
set for Joseph, one for his brothers, and the third for the Egyptians that were 
invited. But as they began to eat Joseph set dishes before them with his own 













ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


87 


Lands, and before Benjamin he placed five times as much food as before the 
others, and they all drank and were merry. 

After the feast was over Joseph commanded his steward to fill up the 
sacks of his brothers with corn, and into each place the money that they had 
paid for the grain, but into the sack of Benjamin he ordered the steward to 
put a silver cup. 

In the morning the brothers were sent on their way, but when they had 
got outside the city Joseph ordered his steward to set after them and to bring 
them back, and to charge them with stealing a silver cup and money also. 



PYRAMIDS AND SPHINX OF EGYPT. 


The steward did as he was ordered, and when he came up with them he 
accused the brothers of offending his master by robbing him of a silver cup. 
They loudly protested their innocence, and freely offered to unloose their 
sacks, that he might see they had none of the things which they were accused 
of stealing. So the steward searched the sacks, beginning with that of the 
oldest and ending with that of Benjamin, in whose sack he found the cup. 

Now were the brothers covered with confusion, knowing their innocence, 
and yet overwhelmed with the evidence of guilt, and they rent their clothes 
with grief, but saddled up their asses, and with their sacks they returned to 












88 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Joseph, who was expecting them 5 and when they appeared before him he asked, 
“ What deed is this that ye have done?” Then he told them that the man in 
whose sack the cup was found should be his servant, but that the other brothers 
should return in peace to their father. 

Judah, who had so earnestly besought his father to give Benjamin into 
his care, and who had vowed to return him safely, was now stricken with such 
deep sorrow that we cannot read the suffering, agonizing plea which he offered 
to Joseph without feeling a portion of the grief that moved him. Approaching 
his royal brother with a humility and dejection which plainly reflected the 
agony of his mind, he begged that he would listen to the sorrowful circum¬ 
stances which had brought him and his brethren again to Egypt. He reminds 
Joseph how he had truly answered all his inquiries, in which he had told why 
Benjamin, the youngest, his father’s comforter, had not come with them on the 
first visit, and the sad cause that had brought him now. He then pleads for 
the life of his old father, who will surely be brought to the grave with grief 
if Benjamin is not permitted to return, for that Jacob had mourned continually 
for the loss of his son Joseph, and now to remove from him his other favorite 
would inflict upon him a burden greater than he could bear, “ for his life is 
bound up in that of the lad.” As a last plea for his young brother, Judah begs 
Joseph to take him as a bondman in Benjamin’s place, and to let the lad return 
to his doting father. 

This last soul-sorrowing supplication was more than Joseph could bear, and 
he commanded every one to go out of the room except his brothers, and when 
they were alone he burst out crying and revealed himself to his brothers, saying: 
“ I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now, therefore, be not 
grieved nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me hither; for God did send 
me before you to preserve life.” 

Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers for their wickedness in conspiring to 
take his life, and afterward in selling him into bondage, is beautifully expressed 
in the sacred records, wherein he is made to say: 

“ Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy 
son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry 
not: and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near 
unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, 
and thy herds, and all that thou hast; and there will I nourish thee; for yet 
there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou 
hast, come to poverty. . . And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in 

Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my 
father hither. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept; and 
Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover, he kissed all his brethren and wept 
upon them.” 

When Pharaoh was informed that Joseph’s brothers had come, he told 
Joseph to load all their animals with grain and let them return to their father. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


89 


and to take wagons and bring back to Egypt Jacob and his household, and that 
he would give him everything good that was in the land. 

To the brothers Pharaoh spoke, saying, “ Now thou art commanded, this do 
ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for 
your wives, and bring your father and come. Also regard not your stuff; for 
the good of all Egypt is yours.’’ 

MEETING OF JOSEPH AND HIS FATHER. 


Joseph’s brothers departed for their home with many wagons and provisions 
for the journey, and other marks of kindness from both him and Pharaoh, in- 



JOSEPH REVEALING HIMSELF TO HIS BROTHERS. 


eluding changes of clothing and money. Benjamin received five times as much 
as was given to the other brothers, which was because of his nearness of kin¬ 
ship to Joseph. When they reached Beersheba they ran joyfully to their father 
and told him the glad news of how Joseph was yet living and had been exalted 
to the rulership of all Egypt, and that he had sent them to bring their father 
to him. 

When Jacob heard all that had been told, his heart fainted, for he did not 
believe them, while the grief which he had felt for the loss of Joseph was 
















90 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



brought back fresh again to him. When he saw the wagons and presents 
which his son had sent, his spirit revived and he then believed. The reaction 
from despondency which he had before felt to that of transporting happiness 
which followed the satisfying evidence that Joseph was indeed still living, was 
extremely great, as may be imagined, and was a fitting conclusion to the won¬ 
derful succession of surprises which had come to himself and sons during the 
short period since they had first gone to Egypt to buy corn. 

When Jacob believed that Joseph 
was still living, he became all 
impatience to go immediately to 
see him; but before setting out 
on the journey he did not neglect 
to make sacrifices unto God, who 
appeared to him in a vision at 
night, and said, “ Fear not to go 
down into Egypt, for I will there 
make of thee a great nation.” 
Jacob at once collected together 
all his household, including his 
sons’ wives, and his grandchildren, 
sixty-six in number, and all his 
goods and his herds, and went to 
Egypt. As the caravan reached 
the land of Goshen, which is on 
the frontier of Egypt, and which 
was to be the dwelling-place of 
Jacob, having been given to him 
by Pharaoh, Joseph came out to 
meet him in a chariot. What 
a sublimely beautiful though 
pathetic spectacle was now to be 
presented! More than twenty 
years had passed since the sad 
news was brought to Jacob that 
vhe reconciliation between jacob and esau. Joseph, bis best beloved, had been 

torn and eaten by wild beasts; 
and behold, in his old age, his heart was lifted out of its long grief by 
the enrapturing tidings that this cruel story was false, and that the lost son 
was to be restored to him ; not as the little boy who went out in the fields, 
clothed in beautifully colored raiment, to bring report of the doings of his 
brothers, but as a man, grown to full estate, and wearing the purple of authority, 
the greatest ruler in all Egypt, yet no less the loving son. 

When Joseph perceived his aged father approaching, he ran to meet him. 






















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


91 



and falling on his neck wept with that joy which may best be described as 
lifting us from earth into the blissful condition of angels. Jacob was equally 
overcome, for he said, in the pride and happiness of his heart, “ Now let me 

die, since I have seen thy face, because 
thou art yet alive.” 

JACOB BLESSES JOSEPH’S CHILDREN 
AND DIES. 

When Jacob was brought before 


$ 

MEETING OF JACOB AND JOSEPH. 

Pharaoh, he was questioned by the king 
as to his age and possessions, to which 
Jacob replied that he was then a 
hundred and thirty years old, during which time his sorrows had been very 
great. Pharaoh seems to have been much affected by Jacob’s story of his 
griefs, but was no doubt influenced more by the estimation in which he held 
Joseph in his gifts to Israel—which Jacob and his household were now called. 









92 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


The land of Goshen, also called Raineses, was a most fruitful district near the 
eastern confines of Egypt, and was a considerable territory. All this Pharaoh 
gave to Jacob, besides ordering Joseph to sustain the household until the famine 
abated. 


Jacob lived in Goshen for seventeen years, and was now so old that his eye¬ 
sight, like that of his father Isaac in his last years, had so failed him that he 
could no longer see. Realizing that his death was near at hand he sent for 



EGYPTIAN RUINS. 


Joseph and his two sons, named Manasseh and Ephraim, who were born to 
him by his wife, Asenath, whom he had married directly after interpreting 
Pharaoh’s dream. When they arrived Jacob summoned his strength and sat up 
in bed, and after telling Joseph how God had blessed him and the promises 
made toward his descendants, he called his two grandsons to give them his 
bl?ssings. Being blind he had to trust his touch, as Isaac had, so that when 
the boys came to him he felt them, to distinguish the elder from the younger. 
Joseph desired that his father’s first blessing should be given to Manasseh, 













ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


93 

the elder, but Jacob, remembering how he, being younger than his brother 
Esau, had taken the blessing from his father, chose to give the greater blessing 
to Ephraim, which he accordingly did. Following this he called all of his 
own sons together, the twelve mentioned, and giving to Joseph a double portion, 
he divided the rest of his possessions among the others, and then gave a prophecy 
of what should be the career of each. Through Judah, who pleaded so hard 
before Joseph for the release of Benjamin, Jacob declared should come the 



RUINS OF PERSEPOEIS. 


Redeemer (Shiloh). Reuben, through his instability, should not excel; Simeon 
and Levi, for the wrong they did in putting Hamor and his son, the husband 
of Dinah, to the sword, should be cursed for their anger, and their descendants 
scattered in Israel; Zebulun should dwell by the sea, and keep a haven for 
ships; Issachar should be a servant to carry heavy burdens; Dan was appointed 
to be a judge of one of the tribes of Israel; Gad would be overcome, but 
being a great warrior, should become victorious over his enemies at last; 
Asher was appointed to great riches; Naphtali should be a counsellor; Benjamin 
was to become a great warrior, who would never be satisfied with his con- 













94 THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

quests, and would fight if for no other reason than for the spoils that he 
might take. 

For Joseph was reserved all the good things that might be given through 
the favor of God, but already had his destiny been almost complete, since the 
position to which he had attained was equal to that of king of a great country. 
These twelve sons afterward became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, 
and will be frequently mentioned in subsequent narratives. 



THE BODY OF JACOB EMBALMED. 


After finishing the giving of his prophetic blessings, Jacob charged his sons 
after his death to bury him in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, 
where already reposed the bodies of his parents and grandparents, and of his 
wife Leah. When he had thus commanded them, “ he gathered up his feet 
into the bed, and yielded up the ghost,” aged one hundred and forty-seven 
years. 










































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


95 


When his father was dead Joseph threw himself upon the body in a wild 
passion of grief and kissed it repeatedly. He then ordered his physicians to 
embalm his precious dead, and kept the body in his house for a period of forty 
days, as was the custom of the Egyptians, but his period of mourning was 
for seventy days. The body was now taken by Joseph and his brothers, who 
were followed by all the servants in Pharaoh’s house, and the prominent 
people of Egypt, in chariots and on horseback, “ to the threshing floor of 
Atad,” which was near the Jordan River. Here they halted and went into 
mourning for seven days, after which the body was carried to the place 
designated in Jacob’s last request, and deposited in the sepulchre with his 
fathers. 

When they had re¬ 
turned from the burial 
of their father, Joseph’s 
brothers expressed fear 
that now he would 
punish them for their 
iniquity in selling him 
into bondage, and to 
propitiate his anger 
they fell down at his 
feet and begged him 
to forgive them, offer¬ 
ing to remain forever 
his servants if he 
would but spare them. 

At this Joseph wept, 
sorrowful that they 
should believe he har¬ 
bored any desire for 
revenge. But he soon 
dismissed their fears, 
by promising to do 
God’s will in all things and to provide for both them and their children. 

There is little more recorded in the Bible about Joseph after his father’s 
death, as it merely tells us that he continued to dwell in Egypt, with his 
relatives, until he was one hundred and ten years of age, and had seen the 
third generation of his son Ephraim, and had held the grandchildren of his 
son Manasseh on his knee. At this age he died and was embalmed and 
buried in Egypt. Many years afterward, when the Israelites reached Canaan, 
the remains of Joseph were carried over to Sychem and laid in the sepulchre 
with his father. 



TOMB OE JOSEPH. 


I 



]V^oses, tl>e Great JaWgiVer 




CHAPTER VII. 

THE STORY OF MOSES. 

HE Egyptians were always enemies of the Jews, 
and even in the time of Joseph, who was* 
himself a Hebrew, it was not permitted the ' 
Jews to sit at table with the Egyptians. 
Thus we saw, in the preceding chapter, that 
when Joseph’s brothers came to him on their 
second visit to buy corn, when he had ordered 
them to dine with him, he had three 'tables . 
prepared: one for himself, one for his brothers, 
and another for the Egyptians who were in his 
house. Though Pharaoh and his people were 
content to care for the household of Jacob, 
the land which was given them in Goshen 
lay outside the borders of Egypt, probably 
on the frontier of Syria, as the sentiment 
against the Jews would not permit of even Joseph’s relatives occupying a part 
of the Egyptian territory proper. 

The story of the oppressions of the Israelites, descendants of Jacob, who 
was called Israel, begins thus, “ Now there rose up a new king over 
Egypt who knew not Joseph.” We are therefore not informed of the circum¬ 
stances which gave rise to the new dynasty succeeding Pharaoh who was king 
at the time of Joseph. The sacred record does tell us, however, that the 
Israelites, or Jews of modern history, had increased so rapidly that the King 
of Egypt grew fearful lest they should become more numerous than his own 
people, or that they might unite with other enemies of the Egyptians and make 

(96) 




















PAUIj uelakuchk 

PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER AND THE CHILD MOSES. 















































- 








JEWS IN BONDAGE TO THE EGYPTIANS. 



7 


( 92 ) 











































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































98 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


war against him. This question of the Jewish increase became such a serious 
one at length that measures were taken to limit it, and also to prevent them 
from emigrating, which the levy of burdens might prompt them to do. 
Accordingly, Pharaoh, the new king, appointed taskmasters over the Jews and 
in other respects also reduced them to a state of bondage. The heaviest bur¬ 
dens were imposed upon the unhappy Jews, by which they were compelled 
to build the treasure cities of Pithom and Raineses. But notwithstanding 
the severity of their labor, the Jews continued to multiply as rapidly as befon f 

Seeing the futility of his measures thus far, Pharaoh adopted new and mor S 
rigorous ones, by which the children of the Jews were forced to perform the 
hardest labor, such as the carrying of brick and mortar, and exposing them to 
the hardships and exposures of the field. To this was next added a yet more 
severe law commanding the midwives to kill every male child born to the Jews, 
though they were ordered to spare all the female children. 

BIRTH AND FINDING OF MOSES. 

While these dreadfully restrictive measures were in force, a descendant of 
Levi, one of Jacob’s sons, married a Jewess of the same descent, by whom he 
had a son. The mother, to save her child from being killed according to the 
law, hid him for three months, but not being able, from her poverty, to keep 
him longer concealed, she made a basket of willows and covered it with slime 
and pitch so that it might float; she then placed her babe in this frail shallop 
and laid it among the flags of the river (Nile) brink. The mother then sta¬ 
tioned the babe’s sister, Miriam, a little way off to see what might happen to- 
the child. 

It is most probable that the place wherein the basket was placed was one 
frequented by members of the royal household, for we are told that soon after 
Pharaoh’s daughter, attended by her maids, came down to bathe at this very 
place. Discovering the child in the basket, by hearing its cries, she ordered 
her maid to bring it to her. While holding the child she saw that it was of 
Hebrew parentage; Miriam, now perceiving her opportunity, asked if she should 
get a Hebrew mother to nurse it, to which the kind-hearted princess gave her 
consent, and as the babe’s mother was near by she was called, and it was given 
into her care, with the promise of the princess to pay her wages for rearing it. 

After some years, the child, which had now grown greatly, was brought to 
Pharaoh’s daughter, who accepted him as her son, and called his name Moses, 
which means “ taken out of the water.” 

THE MANHOOD OF MOSES. 

After the adoption of Mose* by Pharaoh’s daughter we have no further 
record concerning him until, according to the authority of St. Stephen, he was 
forty years of age, when we are told that one day, while Moses was watching 
the hard labor of his people, he saw an Egyptian (taskmaster, presumedly,) 

























































































































































































































































































































































100 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



beating one of his Hebrew brethren. Evidently, all who were witnesses of this 
assault were Hebrews, for Moses looked this way and that way, and when he 
saw that there was no man (Egyptian) in sight, he slew the Egyptian, and 
buried him in the sand. 

On the next day, as Moses was walking out he saw two Jews fighting, 
whom he so soundly reproved that one of them asked who had made him a 
prince and a judge, and then taunted him with having killed and hid the 

Egyptian. Pharaoh was 
thus apprised of the mur¬ 
der, and resolved to kill 
Moses for the crime, but 
he fled and went to Midian, 
which was in Arabia, and 
there sat down by a well 
to rest and refresh himself. 

While thus resting, 
seven daughters of a Midi¬ 
an priest, named Jethro, 
came there to' water their 
father’s flocks, and after 
they had filled the troughs 
some shepherds came up 
and drove them away, but 
Moses came to their aid and 
gallantly watered their 
flocks for them. For this 
kind act he was invited to 
the house of Jethro, where 
he lived but a short time 
before the priest gave him 
one of his daughters, Zip- 
porah, in marriage, by whom 
Moses had one son that he 
named Gershom. It is 
somewhat singular that no 

MOSES KEEPING JETHRO’S SHEEP. , • v , • j 

mention whatever is made 
of this son, or of Zipporah either, beyond the mere statement of the marriage 
and birth. It is probable that Gershom died in infancy for had he grown to manhood 
he would have almost certainly succeeded to some hereditary office, unless he 
was ineligible by reason of some sin, or mental incapacity. The four sons of 
Aaron, as we shall presently see, were installed in the priestly office directly 
after they became of'^ge, or, rather, almost immediately upon the completion 
of the Tabernacle, but* Moses left no children that figured in the sacred history. 




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102 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


MOSES DELIVERS THE ISRAELITES. 

Moses remained with Jethro attending his herds for several years, nearly 
forty, by some authorities, when one day, as he drove the cattle to a new 
pasturage at the Mount of Horeb, an angel appeared to him, assuming the 

appearance of a burning bush, out of which God called to him. When Moses 

had made answer the voice told him to take off his sandals because the place 
was holy ground. The voice then continuing told him of the promises made 

to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and 
that the burdens and sorrows of 
the Israelites, under their cruel 
Egyptian taskmasters, had excited 
God’s compassion. The voice 
therefore spoke further to Moses, 
commanding him to go to Pharaoh 
and procure the release of his 
people from bondage, by means 

which would be placed within his 

power. Moses was then further 
instructed as to what he should 
do, and was permitted to perform 
miracles by which he would be 
able to convince the Israelites that 
he was indeed sent to deliver them. 

Moses had a brother named 
Aaron, three years his elder, 
concerning whose birth the Bible 
tells us nothing. It may be that 
the word “brother” here means 
that Aaron was only a member 
of his tribe; or, possibly, that 
the two were half-brothers; in 
either event, the importance of 
exactness in the narrative is not 
great. We are told that while 
God was manifesting Himself to 
Moses, Aaron was journeying to 
meet him, and that the two met at Mount Horeb, where Moses told his 
brother of the wonderful things which God had just performed, and of his 
call to go back into Egypt to deliver his people. Aaron was an eloquent 
man, while Moses was, as he admits, slow of tongue, so the Lord said to him 
that Aaron should help him to talk to the people, and that he, too, would 
be given the power to perform miracles. 

























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


103 


It was not without much persuasion upon the part of God, who at length 
became angered, that Moses consented to do that which he was bidden, for he 
doubted, even in the face of the many miracles which God wrought before 
him, his fitness for the work of deliverance, or that God would, help him as 
He promised. These doubts, however, were finally removed, and Moses, first 
gaining the consent of Jethro, his father-in-law, set out with his wife and 
two sons for Egypt. As they came again to Mount Horeb, Aaron met them, 
and they travelled to¬ 
gether until they came 
to a caravansary, or 
inn, where, after stop¬ 
ping for the night, 

Moses’ wife was pre¬ 
vailed upon to return 
to her father, since the 
hardships of the jour¬ 
ney were too great for 
herself and her young 
babe. 

MOSES AND AARON BE¬ 
FORE PHARAOH. 

The two brothers, 
upon reaching Egypt, 
called at once upon the 
priests, or elders, of the 
Israelites, to whom they 
told how God had called 
them to deliver the peo¬ 
ple out of bondage, and, 
as a sign of the power 
which the Lord had giv¬ 
en them, they changed 
their rods into ser¬ 
pents, which convinced 
the elders. In all that 
was said Aaron acted 
as the mouthpiece of Moses, for to one was given the ability to direct while 
the other was endowed with the gift of eloquence. 

When they had explained their mission to the elders, who were then to 
prepare the Israelites for their freedom, Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh 
and asked him to allow the Hebrews to go three days’ journey into the wil¬ 
derness and make a feast, but Pharaoh evidently perceived the intention of 



PHAROAH ENTREATING MOSES. 











































104 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Moses, and instead of granting the request he imposed fresh burdens upon the 
Israelites. These increased hardships made the Israelites regret that Moses 
had ever designed their freedom, and they besought him to cease his efforts 
for their release. Even Moses himself was overcome by the sad results of his 
attempts to procure the deliverance of his people, for he went out into a field and 
cried to the Lord, “Wherefore hast Thou so evil entreated this people? Why 
is it that Thou hast sent me? for since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy 
name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy 
people at all.’* 

the ten plagues. 

When Moses had thus complained, God answered him by saying that now 
should He drive Pharaoh with a strong hand, and renewed His promise to bring 
the Israelites out of bondage. God also renewed the covenant which He had 
made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and told MoseS that His name should 
now be Jehovah, by which He had never before been, called. Then God said 
that Aaron should be the prophet, to declare to Phataoh what should come to 
pass, and to foretell the afflictions which should be brought upon the Egyptians 
if Pharaoh persisted in refusing to give the Hebrews their freedom. 

Moses and Aaron were now commanded to go again to Pharaoh, at which 
time- we are told that Moses was eighty and Aaron was eighty-three years of 
age. As they came before the king to show him the power which God had 
given them, and that their request for the deliverance of the Israelites was 
made by God’s commands, Aaron threw down his rod before Pharaoh, when in¬ 
stantly it became a live serpent. But this miracle did not convince the king, 
for, calling his magicians before Moses, they too cast down their rods and 
changed them into serpents, but Aaron’s rod swallowed up the magician’s rods. 
On the following day, as Pharaoh came down to the river, Moses went before 
him, and striking the water with his rod turned it into blood; and when the 
Egyptians dug for wells they could find nothing but blood, and there was no 
water to drink for a period of seven days. This plague of blood was so great 
that Pharaoh softened his heart and promised to let the Israelites go if Moses 
would bring back the waters as before. But when Moses, by prayer to God, 
restored the waters, Pharaoh broke his promise, so that other plagues were sent 
upon Egypt, each time the king declaring, while the plague was upon the land, 
that if it were removed he would liberate the people, but as often refusing to 
redeem his pledge. 

The plagues that were thus sent by God were as follows: First, a plague 
of blood, then of frogs, next of lice, flies, murrain, by which all the domestic 
animals died, then boils on both man and beast, then hail and fire, next grass¬ 
hoppers, then darkness, and last, but most terrible of all, was the plague of 
the first-born, by which the eldest child of every Egyptian family was brought 
to death. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


105 


When God determined to visit the Egyptians with this last dreadful punish¬ 
ment, He first directed Moses and Aaron to tell the Israelites and to order each 
Hebrew family to take a lamb from their flocks, which should be kept for a 
period of four days, at the end of which time it was to be killed, in the evening; 
into the blood of the lamb a hyssop branch was to be dipped, which should then 
be struck on each side and over every door of the Israelites’ houses, so that 
there might be three marks of blood at the door of those who were to escape 
the visit of death. It was also commanded that the lambs thus slain should be 
roasted and eaten while the Israelites were all ready to depart out of Egypt, 
their dress complete and weapons in their hands. 

While the Hebrews were thus prepared, and were eating the lambs as 
God directed, the angel of death came through all the land of Egypt, smiting 
the first-born of every Egyptian house, but passing by, or over, every house 
that had the blood marks. It is this incident which the Jews still celebrate in 
their Feast of the Passover. 

None of the plagues which God had sent to worry the Egyptians were 
permitted to visit any of the Israelites, but still Pharaoh was so wicked in his 
heart, and had so long bowed down to idols, that with all the manifestations of 
God’s will and power, he refused to give the Israelites their freedom. When, 
therefore, the plague of the first-born was sent, God ordered His chosen people 
to gather together themselves and their flocks, and to borrow, or take from the 
Egyptians all the gold and. silver and jewels which they could obtain, and 
depart out of Egypt. The number which started in obedience to this command 
was six hundred thousand men, besides children; and herds of animals, such 
as goats, cattle, camels and asses, but without other provisions, as the haste 
with which they left prevented them from taking any victuals except some 
unleavened bread. 

So great was the number of Israelites that they had gone some days before 
Pharaoh could assemble an army large enough to go in pursuit. We are not 
told how many soldiers Pharaoh collected, but it must have been a great host, 
for “ he took six hundred chosen chariots and all the chariots of Egypt, and 
captains over every one of them.” 

pharaoh’s host drowned in the red sea. 

The Israelites did not flee with any well-determined idea as to where they 
were going, being concerned only for their freedom, and relying upon the Lord’s 
promise to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey. The desert 
which lay between Egypt and Canaan (Palestine), being the north portion of 
Arabia, was called “ the wilderness,” through which their route lay. As there 
were no roads through this dreary country, lest they might become lost, God 
sent before them a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, which they were 
bidden to follow. 


106 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


When the Israelites were several days’ march from the capital of Egypt, 
God commanded them to make a camp at Pihahiroth, which was beside the 
northmost end of the Red Sea. Here, in the midst of the confusion of their 
camp, they discovered the rapidly approaching army of Pharaoh, and became 
panic-striken. Believing that they should now be massacred, a great number 
of Israelites began to find fault with Moses, “ for,” said they, “ it had been 
better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” 
Moses replied to their murmurings by bidding them to fear not and that they 
should see the salvation of the Lord, for he would fight for them. 

When Moses had prayed to God he was bidden to stretch forth his rod 
and divide the waters of the Red Sea, and to order his people to move forward. 



pharaoh’s host swauowed up. 


After he had followed the Divine direction the waters of the sea were divided 
so that a great wall stood on either side and left a dry path between. Into 
this miraculous pathway the Israelites marched, followed directly by the pur¬ 
suing Egyptians, but the latter had not proceeded far when the great walls of 
water were broken and came rushing together upon Pharaoh’s host with such 
violence that they were overwhelmed and every one of that immense army was 
drowned. But the Israelites marched out on the other side on dry ground, nor 
was one of them destroyed, for the waters did not come together until they had 
all passed out on the Arabian side. 
























































































































































































































































































































































































108 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

WANDERINGS OF THE ISRAELITES. 

When the Israelites were safe from their enemies they sang praises to the 
Lord with hearty thanksgiving, and then continued their march. The land of 
Canaan lay northeast of Egypt, but the route taken by them was a circuitous 
one, since it lead southeasterly through Arabia, and thus caused them to travel 
many hundreds of miles farther, and through a very much more miserable 
country, than if they had skirted the Mediterranean Sea, and gone by the 
direct and easiest way. But there were two reasons why God chose that they 
should be led by the longer and more difficult route. First .—If they had gone 
by the shore of the Mediterranean their march would have been interrupted by 
the warlike Philistines, who dwelt in the southern part of Canaan, by whom they 
would doubtless have been exterminated, without some miraculous interposition. 
Second .—The Lord chose to chasten his people and impress upon them His 

loving care and providence, 
by which they should come 
to serve Him loyally—a 
most excellent reason, as 
we shall hereafter see. 

The Israelites, after 
crossing the Red Sea, 
marched southwardly along 
the Gulf of Suez, until they 
reached the seventeen wells 
of Moses, at the station of 
Ay tin Musa. From this 
point they diverged south- 
westwardly throu g h the 
the pool or wsas of moses. margin of the desert of 

Paran, and the wilderness of Shur, which is still noted for its great sand 
storms and aridity. For three days they were in this wilderness without 
water, and when, at last, being tormented by thirst, they came to the spring 
of Marah, they could not drink the water because of its bitterness ?i Again 
the Israelites complained loudly against Moses for bringing, them into such 
a land, wherein they were threatened with death by thirst, forgetting already 
how God had delivered them in. their extremities. 

The Lord now directed Moses to take the branches of a. certain tree, 
which grew by the spring, and cast them into the spring, which being done 
the waters were at once made sweet and wholesome, so that the Israelites and 
their herds gratified their thirst. V 

FED WITH MANNA FROM HEAVEN. 

After quenching their thirst at Marah the Hebrews continued their march 
until they came to what was called the wilderness of Sin, which was not far 











ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


109 


from the Red Sea, or between its waters and Mount Sinai. Here they were 
put to another great trial, for the unleavened bread which they had brought 
away from Egypt was now exhausted, and starvation was threatening. As they 
had already done three times before, when suffering under the chastening rod, 
they again accused Moses of leading them into a strange land which had 
made their hardships greater than those which they bore while under 
bondage. 

The Lord now told Moses and Aaron that he would again show to the 
Israelites that he was leading them, by causing bread to fall from heaven 
wherewith to satisfy their hunger, and that He would so continue to supply 
them until they should come into Canaan. According to this promise every 
night thereafter manna was sent from heaven, which the people gathered early 
in the morning so that the supply was never deficient. But besides this 
miraculous provision, that the people should not be fed by bread alone, in the 
evening a great number of quails flew into their camp, which were caught and 
served to supply them with meat. 

WATER BROUGHT OUT OF THE ROCK IN HOREB. 

The many manifestations of God’s watchful care which the Israelites had 
seen still did not incline them to a belief in the promises Moses had made 
to them ; for with every fresh trouble they were ready .to expend their wrath 
upon the leader whom God had appointed to take them from a land of bond¬ 
age to a country blessed with an abundance for all their temporal needs. 

After the Israelites had passed through the desert of Sin they came to a 
place called Rephidim, meaning resting place . Again were they afflicted with 
the scarcity of water, and again did they raise a cry against Moses, which, at 
length grew into threats against his life. Moses appealed to the Lord, by 
whom he was directed to take some of the elders and go on before the peo¬ 
ple until he should reach the rock in Horeb: this rock he was directed to 
strike with his rod, promising that a plentiful supply of water should follow 
the act. Moses did as the Lord bade him, and a stream of water gushed out 
of the rock, sufficient for all the people and their herds; but scarcely had the 
danger of thirst been overcome, when a king called Amalek, a leader of some 
warlike tribes who were descendants of Esau, attacked them with no other 
purpose than to rob them of their possessions. 

This first battle of the Israelites was a severe one and was waged for 
some time with varying success, for we are told that, though Joshua was the 
leader of the Israelitish host, when Moses lifted his hands his people prevailed, 
but when he let them fall the Amalekites prevailed. The battle so continued 
until Moses sat upon a stone and his hands were held up by Aaron on one 
side and Hur on the other, when the Israelites put to flight the Amalekites 
with great slaughter. 


no 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



MOSES MEETS HIS WIFE AND FATHER-IN-LAW. . 

After this great battle, Jethro, the Midian priest, Moses’ father-in-law, 
heard of the events befalling the Israelites; and taking Zipporah, Moses’ wife, 
and the two sons born to him, he went out to meet his kinsmen. When 
they met, Moses fell on Jethro’s neck and kissed him, and then told of all 
the wonderful things which had befallen him since his departure from Egypt. 
Jethro seems to have been a very devout man, for he served the true God, 
and when he learned how Moses was an instrument in the Lord’s hands for 
bringing the Israelites out of 
bondage, he took a burnt offering 
and made sacrifices to God. 

On the following day all the 
Israelites were called together be¬ 
fore Moses to receive such judgments 
as they might ask to have made, 


AARON AND HUR HOLDING UP THE HANDS OF MOSES. 


as Moses was the only judge which they had, and upon him therefore devolved 
the entire administration of justice. Jethro, seeing this, told Moses that the 
duty was too much for one man to perform, and thereupon advised that council¬ 
lors and judges be appointed from among the people who should sit in judg¬ 
ment somewhat after the manner of our present courts. Moses was to be 
the supreme judge, whilst others should try the lesser offenses or causes, 
corresponding with our circuit judges and magistrates. This would relieve 






ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


Ill 


Moses of all other duties save the hearing of the highest complaints. These 
su gg es ti° ns were so well received that Moses at once acted upon them and 
appointed rulers or judges, over thousands, and over hundreds, and fifties, and 
-of tens. After this Jethro departed, and there is no further record concerning 
him. 



THE TEN COMMANDMENTS GIVEN TO MOSES. 

In the third month after the Israelites had gone out of Egypt they came 
into the wilderness of Sinai, and when they had encamped at the foot of 
Mount Sinai Moses went up on to the 
peak and there talked with God. 

In this conversation the Lord re¬ 
minded him of how He had sustained 
him and his people, and that greater 
things were yet in store for him 
if he would obey His voice. Then 
God further told Moses to go down 
.among the Israelites and sanctify 
them, and to order them to wash 
their clothes and be ready on the 
third day thereafter to receive Him. 

God charged Moses particularly, 
however, not to permit any one to 
go up to the mount, for death 
would be surely visited upon those 
who should attempt to do so. 

When morning dawned on the 
• third day there was a deep cloud seen 
resting on Sinai, out of which came 
•flashes of blinding lightning and 
•crashing peals of thunder, so that 
.all the people in the camp trembled 
with great fear. Moses now ordered 
-all the Israelites to come out of 
their tents and to stand at the foot 
*of the mountain; as they obeyed 
the command the Lord descended 
upon the mount in fire and made 
it smoke like an immense furnace, while thunder continued to break in terrific 
^discharges. Then a trumpet was heard blaring in deep resonance, and grow¬ 
ing louder and louder until Moses spoke, when the Lord called to him to come 
up on the mountain. When Moses came up God charged him to go down again 
;and forbid the people, the priests or the elders from venturing upon the side 


MOSES WITH THE TABT.ES OF STONE. 




112 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


of the mount, lest they become victims to His wrath, but to come up again 
and bring with him Aaron. 

After Moses did what had been commanded, he received and communicated 
to the people the law which God had promulgated, the ten commandments which 
He afterward again gave to Moses on the same mountain written on tables of 
stone. When Moses returned to God he stood in the thick darkness which 
clothed the Omnipotent, while the people looked on from a distance, fearful of 
the thunders and black clouds from out which God’s voice was sent. Here 
Moses received the Divine precepts, which related to the government and future 
of the Jewish people. God thus, through Moses, assured the Israelites of His- 



MOUNT SINAI. 


protection if they would but obey Him, but warned them of His vengeance should 
they embrace idolatry. Above all, he told them that the angel Jehovah (the 
Christ), who had guided them out of Egypt, would still lead them to the land 
of promise and fight their battles. 

t Moses returned to Mount Sinai several times, being the messenger between 
God and the Israelites, but on the last visit he remained for a period of forty 
days and nights, fasting all the while, during which time he was commanded 
to make a sanctuary from the gold, silver, fine linens, shittim wood and skins- 
that the people should contribute. He also told Moses that this sanctuary* 


















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


113 


should have an altar, or mercy-seat, of pure gold, with two cherubim of gold 
that should be placed on either side facing each other, and with wings extended. 
The mercy-seat was to rest upon an ark, at which God promised to meet and 
commune with Moses concerning the government of his people and of holy 
things. He also commanded that a Tabernable be built of ten curtains of fine 
twisted linen, of blue, purple and scarlet, and within this Tabernacle should 
the ark be kept. There was also to be provided a table for shew-bread. This 
bread was to be baked by the priests, appointed for a week, and placed on the 
golden table in the sanctuary. There were to be twelve loaves, representing 
the twelve tribes of Israel, which were to be changed every Sabbath, and be 
eaten only by the priests in the holy place. The Lord also told Moses to pro¬ 
vide an altar for sacrifices, and also a candelabra, or golden candlestick, of seven 
branches, and a lamp which should be kept supplied with olive oil. 

Besides the instructions which God gave to Moses as to how the Tabernacle 
of the congregation should be built, and the holy furniture with which it should 
be provided, He also told Moses to establish a priesthood by investing Aaron 
and his four sons with the vestments of the holy office, describing to His servant 
what the insignia of the priestly office should be, and how Aaron and his sons 
were to be consecrated. While the priestly garments were ordered to be made 
out of the most costly linens, bejewelled with many precious stones, such as topaz, 
carbuncle, diamond, sardius, emerald, sapphire, figure, agate, amethyst, beryl, 
onyx and jasper, set in “ouches of gold in their inclosing,” it is somewhat 
surprising that the ceremony of investiture was made so simple. The command 
given was that, “ thou (Moses) shalt bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the 
Tabernacle of the congregation and wash them, and thou shalt put upon Aaron 
the holy garments and anoint him, that he may minister to Me in the priest’s 
office.” Thus it appears that the only ceremony was the pouring of oil upon 
the head, as an act of sanctification, and the putting on of the priestly garments. 
Though the office was conferred by a simple act, this fact did not detract any 
from the solemn obligations imposed, since the surroundings were sufficiently 
grave and holy to thoroughly impress upon the inducted priests its sacredness, 
while the people needed no other evidence of authority thus bestowed by God 
than the holy fight that shone always about the Tabernacle. 

THE ISRAELITES BECOME IDOLATERS. 

Moses was so long upon Sinai talking with God that at the end of forty 
days, upon returning to the people, he found that Aaron had made for them an 
idol out of the gold and jewelry which they had brought to him, and moulded it 
into a golden calf. Before this image the people were bowing in adoration, and 
had, by direction of Aaron, made a great feast and offered burnt-offerings and 
sacrifices to it. 

God was so angered at the Israelites for their idolatry, and so speedily 
turning away from Him after beholding so nuny of His mercies, that He re- 
8 


114 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


solved to “ consume them from the face of the earth.” But Moses pleaded so 
earnestly for their lives that God consented to spare them, but not without 
some punishment which should be visited upon them in the future. 

When Moses came back to his people he brought with him the tables of stone 
graven with the ten commandments, but as he drew near he beheld the Israelites 
making merry before the golden calf, which so offended him that he threw 
down the tables and broke them. Then he called to Aaron and asked why 
the people had abandoned God and become worshippers of the golden image ? 
Aaron made reply that the people had come to him and begged him to make 
them a god, since they knew not what bad become of Moses; but he pleaded 



WORSHIPPING THE GOEDEN CAI.E. 


with his brother not to be angry with them. Moses now went and stood at the 
“gate of the camp,” and called aloud, “Who is on the Lord’s side? let him 
come to me.” To this cry all the sons of Levi responded, and were told by 
Moses that God had ordered them to “ go in and out from gate to gate through¬ 
out the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, 
and every man his neighbor.” The children of Levi obeyed the command, and 
killed that day three thousand of the offending Israelites. 

After inflicting this punishment Moses took the Tabernacle, which had been 
prepared as the Lord had directed, and set it up some distance from the camp, 
and when all had been made ready he entered into the veil beside the mercy- 







ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


115 


seat. God then appeared to him in a cloudy pillar, which stood at the Taber¬ 
nacle door, and talked with him, “ face to face, as a man speaketh unto his 

friend,” while all the people looked on in wonder and praise. Here God con¬ 
firmed all that He had before promised and told Moses He would show him 
His mere} 7 ’ and glory. Moses was thereupon ordered to prepare other tables 
and go again to the top of Mount Sinai, where God would write upon these 
stones the commandments in place of the tables that were broken. 

Moses did as the Lord willed, and remained on the mount fasting for 

another period of forty days and nights, talking with God, who gave him the 

new tables, and promised that if the people would cease their iniquities He 
would do greater things for them than ever before. Moses then returned to 
the Israelites, bearing the tables, and told them of God’s promises, and while 
he spoke to them his face shone brightly, so that they were afraid to come 
near him. 















CHAPTER VIII. 


STONING A BLASPHEMER. 

Leviticus . 

OSES gave the law of the statutes, which God had made, 
to the people and established the days of thanksgivings 
and praise-offerings, and also the tithe rate which was to 
be given for the maintenance of the priesthood. After 
this the people became very devout, seeing again how 
merciful the Lord had been to them, but withal there 
were yet some who disregarded the will of God and 
continued in their transgressions. The first instance of 

a relapse into sin after Moses’ last return from Sinai, 

is described in the Bible as follows : 

Among the host of Israelites who came out of Egypt there 
was one Egyptian, or, rather, the son of an Egyptian by an 
Israelite woman. The mixing of blood between the master and 
slave was common during the Israelitish bondage, but in all 
cases such offspring were held in slavery. On a certain occa¬ 
sion, this half-caste fell into a dispute with one of the Israelites, 
and the two fought in the camp, during which contest the 

former blasphemed the name of the Lord. This event must 

have occurred soon after the last appearance, or manifestation, 
of God before Moses and the people, and while the spirit of 
righteousness was upon them, else they would hardly have re¬ 
garded the offense so gravely, as the entire camp was only a 
short time previously grovelling before the molten calf. 

But now the blasphemer was arrested and thrown into a ward, or jail, 
until he could be brought to trial. When the matter was referred to Moses 
he counselled with God, who directed that the offender be taken out of the 

(n6) 


































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


117 


£amp and there stoned by all those who heard the words of blasphemy 
uttered. This wrath of God, against those who took His name in vain, was 
thereafter formulated into a law, making the utterance of oaths punishable 
with death by stoning. 

TAKING A CENSUS OF THE ISRAELITES. 

Two years after the children of Israel were delivered out of bondage 
God ordered Moses to take a census of all the men in the camp, twenty 
years old and upwards, who were capable of taking up arms and doing battle. 
The date fixed by Bible students when this numbering of the people took 
place was in May, 1490 B. C. 

The result of the 
census showed that over 
six hundred thousand 
men were in the camp 
.subject to military duty, 
besides those of the 
tribe of Levi, who num¬ 
bered eight thousand 
five hundred and eighty, 
who were exempt from 
all other duties than 
that of service in the 
sanctuary, from which 
it would appear that the 
two years of journey¬ 
ing in the wilderness 
of Sinai had not di¬ 
minished the number 
that set out with Moses, 
but on the other hand 
showed a perceptible inc: 

After the census was completed by Aaron, to whom the work had been 
assigned by Moses, as the Lord commanded, “ Moses divided among the families 
of the Levites the charge of the Tabernacle of the congregation and of the 
holy things,” and these he specially charged, by the Lord’s directions, as follows : 

“ He shall separate himself from wine and strong drinks, and shall drink no 
vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor 
of grapes, nor eat any moist grapes, or dried.” This was God’s first injunc¬ 
tion against the use of strong drink, but in this case he forbade its use by the 
priests, lest in their drunkenness they might profane the holy things of the sanc¬ 
tuary, which offense the Lord promised He would punish by death. But not¬ 
withstanding this command, it was not long after the Tabernacle was dedicated 










t 


118 THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

that Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, went into the holy sanctuary drunk 
with wine, and there offered “strange fire ” on the altar of incense. This so 
offended God that He sent a fire which consumed them. It is probable, and 
it appears so from the reading, that this punishment was inflicted upon Aaron’s 
two sons before God had given His law to the priests against drunkenness, and 
that their offense prompted the establishing of such a law. 

THE ISRAELITES RESUME THEIR JOURNEYINGS. 

It was very soon, perhaps within a few days, after the numbering of the 
people by Aaron, that Jehovah told Moses to break camp and resume his 
journey toward the Mount of the Amorites, which was in the southern part 
of modern Palestine. During the continuance of the Tabernacle in the plain 
where it was first set up, the Lord hovered upon it in a cloud, but now this 
cloud was lifted, as the sign for the Israelites to depart from Sinai; the 
Tabernacle was taken down, the herds gathered together, and everything being 
made ready, two silver trumpets were blown as a signal, and the march was 
taken up again toward the land of promise. God now appeared to the wander¬ 
ing host in the form of a cloud which went before them into the wilderness of 
Paran, a three days’ journey, where it stopped, to indicate that they should 
there encamp again for a short rest. While travelling, the Levites, to whom 
were given the priestly offices, carried all the paraphernalia of the Tabernacle, 
and these went before the Israelites, so that when the time for halting arrived 
they might fix upon a place to set it up, for in the Tabernacle was the Divine 
favor made manifest, as previously explained. 

While in the desert of Paran, which was an arid waste, difficult to travel 
through, troubles again began to assail the Israelites, which they, as usual, 
attributed to Moses, accusing him of bringing them out of a land of plenty that 
they might starve in the wilderness. Manna continued to fall from heaven, 
which supplied them with bread, but of meat there was none, and for the want 
of this their murmurings were very loud. This greatly discouraged Moses, for 
he had done all within his power to preserve and lead aright his people, and in 
his distress he called to the Lord and asked why so much trouble had been 
sent upon him, and begged that he might die rather than continue to bear the 
burden of the Israelites’ complaints. 

God, though somewhat offended at Moses for desiring to evade the duties 
and responsibilities that had been placed upon him for a wise purpose, never¬ 
theless heard his complaint with compassion, for He told Moses to select seventy 
men of the elders of Israel and to bring them to the Tabernacle; which being 
done, upon these seventy God divided the responsibilities, so that they were 
assigned to such duties as made them answerable to the people in the same 
manner as Moses. 

The Lord now promised Moses that He would, also feed the Israelites with 
meat for a whole month, although their fault-finding and rebellious spirit should 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


119 


not be left unpunished. Moses seems to have doubted God’s power to provide 
food for such a vast multitude, for he asks, “ Shall the flocks and the herds be 
slain for them ? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them ? ” 
By the will of Omnipotence an east wind was now made to spring up, 
which brought such a vast number of quails that they fell on the ground over 
a space of thirty miles in diameter, and in places more than two feet in depth. 
Upon this innumerable legion of birds the Israelites began to feed themselves, 
but scarcely had they placed the food within their mouths when a plague fell 
upon the people, as a punishment for their sins, of which many thousands died. 
To this day enormous flocks of birds pass at regular intervals over this region, 



PRIEST AND FURNITURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 


so great at times as to obscure the sun, and render the statement of Moses 
readily credible, even aside of any miracle such as God here performed. 

SPIES SENT INTO CANAAN. 

The length of time that the Israelites tarried at the camp pitched in Paran 
is not indicated in the Bible narrative, but it could hardly have been more than 
a few days, judging by the events which followed. We are told that they 
arrived at Kadesh, which was by the mountain of the Amorites, in the southern 
part of Palestine, forty days before the vintage, probably in the early part of June 





















































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When the Israelites had gone into encampment at Kadesh, the Lord ordered 
Moses to send twelve spies, one from each tribe, into the land of Canaan, who 
should learn the number of people that dwelt in the country, what was their 
fighting strength, the manner of their living, whether in tents or walled cities, 
whether they were rich or poor, and whether the land was wooded or prairie. 

In obedience to this command Moses chose one from each of the twelve 
tribes of Israel and sent them to make a trip through Palestine, from the point 
of encampment to near the northern extremity. The spies accordingly set 
forth under the guidance and protection of God, and journeyed for a period of 
forty days, when they returned to Moses and made their report. Two of the 
spies, named Caleb and Joshua, came upon a vineyard, by the brook Eshcol, 
from which they cut a single cluster of grapes so, large that it required their 
combined strength to carry it, slung upon a pole, back to the camp. The re¬ 
ports which the twelve spies made differed so materially that the effects were 
most momentous to all the Israelites. While they, all declared with one voice 
that'the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey, some of them persisted 
that the cities in which the people dwelt,—the Anakites, Amalekites, Hittites, 
Jebusites, Amorites, and Canaanites,—were surrounded by high and impreg¬ 
nable walls, while the Anakites. were such mighty giants, aud of such exceed¬ 
ing valor, that the Israelites were hut as grasshoppers in .comparison. Caleb 
and Joshua, the two who had brought back the grapes, denied the reports of 
their comrades, and sought to induce the Israelites to go at once and take pos¬ 
session of the fair land, with its immense wealth of fruits^ and treasure, and 
which they'stoutly maintained they had the strength to do. 

This contradiction and dispute, among the Spies led to; a tumult among, the 
people who, being prone to. fear tinder the least provocation, threatened to stone 
Caleb and Joshua, and when they found Moses and Aaron also disposed to go 
into the strange land, the Israelites rose in rebellion and sought a captain who 
would lead them back to Egypt. 

Moses' and Aaron both fell on their faces, and in anguish implored the 
people not to provoke the anger of God, but their supplications, as well as the 
assurances of Caleb and Joshua, only served to provoke them the more, for 
now they gathered up stones to kill the four, when suddenly the glory of God 
blazed from about the Tabernacle and the people were awed, so that they with¬ 
held themselves from committing murder. 

FORTY YEARS’ WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS. 

God was again so angered by the perversity and extreme sinfulness of the 
Israelites in refusing to believe in Him after all the signs and miracles which 
He had performed for their salvation, that He now resolved to destroy them by 
a pestilence; but He promised to preserve Moses, and make his descendants a 
greater nation than that of which he was now the leader. But Moses inter¬ 
ceded with the Lord in his people’s behalf and begged that their lives be spared, 


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saying: “Pardon, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of this people, according unto 
the greatness of Thy mercy, and as Thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt 
until now.” 

God at length consented to spare the lives of the Israelites, but He would 
punish them by compelling them to wander in the wilderness for a period of 
forty years, until Ml those above twenty years of age who had heard His voice 
and seen His miracies should die; so that none of them might come into the 
land which was promised, though their children should receive the inheritance 
and possess Canaan. Caleb, Joshua, Moses, Aaron, and perhaps others among 
the priesthood were exempted from this punishment, for though they too were 
doomed to wander with their people, they were suffered at last to behold the 
land which God had promised to give to the Israelites; but the ten spies who 
had so excited the fears of the people were stricken with a plague and died. 

When the Israelites had heard this sentence they became greatly distressed, 
but sought to force their way into the land of Canaan nevertheless, and insisted 
on showing their courage by an immediate attack upon the possessors. Moses 
again told them not to proceed thus against the Lord’s will, since God would 
not protect them, and if they went they would certainly be attacked by the 
Amalekites and Canaanites. Notwithstanding this advice, and the refusal of 
Moses to allow the ark to be taken with them, early in the morning nearly all 
in the camp went up the mountain, where they were met by the Amalekites 
and Canaanites, by whom they were defeated and chased in their flight, as far 
as Hormah, several miles distant. 

REBELLION OF THE PRINCES. 

The Bible does not tell us much concerning the forty years of wandering 
in the wilderness, thirty-seven years of which period is a blank, no mention 
being made of a single incident that transpired during this time. The first 
three years of the Israelites in the wilderness are described in the Chronicles, 
after which nothing more is written until far toward the end of their journey- 
ings, as we shall see. 

The first incident given after the Israelites were so badly defeated by the 
Amalekites and Canaanites, is concerning a man who was arrested for gather¬ 
ing sticks, for firewood, on the Sabbath day. This was a very grave offense, 
since God had given the law to Moses that no work should be performed on 
the Sabbath. In order to make this law effective it was now resolved to visit 
the offender with a penalty of such great severity that thereafter its observance 
would be general and faithful. Accordingly, when the man was brought before 
Moses he ordered the culprit to be taken outside the camp and there stoned to 
death, in the same manner as blasphemers. 

Soon after this event there was a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, led 
by Korah, a Levite, and Dathan and Abiram, descendants of Reuben. Korali 
was in service to the priests, but he aspired at once to the priesthood, while 


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Dathan and Abiram sought to secure the leadership of Israel, basing trvefr 
claims, probably, upon the fact that they were descended from the eldest son 
of Jacob, and therefore entitled to superior rights, according to the law of 
primogeniture. They urged their claims before the people, by declaring that 
Aaron had taken too much authority and reserved for himself offices which 
should of right belong to the Levites, while the old cry went up against Moses 
that he had brought the Israelites out of a land of plenty to bring them into 
a wilderness which threatened their extermination. These complaints found 
favor with a great number of the people, so that two hundred and fifty princes, 
famous in the congregation, espoused their cause, and were upon the point of 
attempting the overthrow of Moses and Aaron. At this juncture God com¬ 
manded Korah and the other rebels to present themselves at the door of the 
Tabernacle, each with his censer, while Moses and Aaron and the people who 
remained loyal to them were commanded to do the same. When this was done 
God told Moses and his partisans to separate themselves from the rebels, that 
He might destroy them, but Moses interceded for them; this intercession, how¬ 
ever, did not this time avail, for when the two parties were separated the Lord 
caused the earth to open and swallow up the rebellious people, while fire came 
out from the Tabernacle and consumed the two hundred and fifty princes. The 
brazen censers which they carried were preserved, however, out of which Aaron 
caused plates to be made for a covering of the altar of burnt offering. 

It appears from the reading that only a part of those who favored the 
rebellion were destroyed by the earthquake, for we are further on told that a 
great many of the people gathered before the Tabernacle to revenge the death 
of their fellow conspirators upon Moses, but the Lord now appeared in a cloud 
above the Tabernacle and sent a pestilence among the people which destroyed 
more than fourteen thousand of those who had favored the rebellion. The 
merciful disposition of Moses was now again strikingly shown by his command 
to Aaron to fill his censer with coals from the altar as an atonement for the 
people, and to stand between the living and the dead, by which the plague was 
stayed. This was a striking symbol of Christ’s mediation which should inter¬ 
pose to save those doomed to death by sin. 

God now chose to show to the Israelites, by a miracle, that Aaron had been 
selected by Him to discharge the chief duties of the priesthood, that the people 
might thereafter accept him without further complaint. The Lord accordingly 
ordered that twelve rods, or sceptres, be chosen, one for each of the twelve tribes, 
upon each of which the name of the tribe to which it belonged should be written, 
the name of Aaron being upon the rod of Levi. These rods were ordered to 
be laid in the Tabernacle over night. On the following morning, when the rods 
were taken out of the sacred place, behold that one bearing the name of Aaron 
was covered with buds and blossoms, and full grown almonds, while all the 
others were but dry sticks. This was the sign that Aaron should be the fruitful 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


123 


sceptre of authority, the spiritual, lite-giving power, out of which should ultimately 
tvui.e the Messiah. 

It was a vivid emblem of “ the rod of Jesse,” the “ Branch,” springing up 
without the sustenance of nature, which in the prophets represents the spiritual 
and life-giving power of the Messiah. By the command of God it was laid up 
in the ark, for a perpetual memorial against the like rebellions. The people, 
now terrified into submission, cried that they only drew near the Tabernacle to 
peiish, and Jehovah repeated the law, committing the charge of the sanctuary 
to the Levites. 



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CHAPTER IX. 


THE SIN OF MOSES AND AARON. 



IRECTLY after the events just recorded had 
transpired, the Lord raised up the cloud 
which stood over the Tabernacle as a sign 
that the Israelites should leave Kadesh and 
continue their journeyings. As the cloud 
went before, the people followed (which was 
about April, 1452 B. C.,) through the wil¬ 
derness of Sin, until they came to a place 
where there was no water, and the thirst 
was very great. As was their invariable 
habit, when difficulties arose, the Israelites 
began to murmur against Moses and Aaron 
for having brought them out of Egypt to 
die in the desert. When these complaints 
! ' became very loud, Moses and Aaron went 

to the door of the Tabernacle to ask God 
what they should do. He commanded them to gather the people together and 
to take their rods and speak to a rock, which should thereupon give out abun¬ 
dant water. Moses and Aaron did as the Lord ordered, in calling the multitude 
together, but they were so vexed by the complainings and threats of the people 
that, instead of obeying the implicit instructions which God gave them, they 
said: “ Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock ? ” and 
then, instead of speaking to the rock, Moses struck it twice with his rod. The 
water thereupon gushed out abundantly, so that every one drank his fill; but 
God was so displeased by the disobedience of Moses and Aaron that He called 
them to Him at Mount Hor and said that because of their rebellion against 

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125 


His will Aaron should die on Mount Hor, after his priestly garments were first 
stripped from him and put upon his son Eleazar. Aaron died as the Lord had 
predicted, and was buried on the mountain, while the entire camp of Israel went 
into mourning for a period of thirty days. 

The punishment which God pronounced against Moses for the sin in which 
Aaron was a sharer was not enforced until some time afterward, as we shall see. 

the brazen serpent set up. 

The wanderings of the Israelites from Mount Hor were by way of the Red 
Sea, for the purpose of passing around the land of Edom, to escape their 
enemies, with the hope of being able to enter the country by another route 
than the one fruitlessly attempted. But they had not gone a great way from 
Hor, before a new trouble assailed them; whereupon they arose again against 
Moses and also found fault with God. Said they : u Wherefore have ye brought 
us up out of Egypt to die in the wilder¬ 
ness ? for there is no bread, neither is there 
any water; and our soul loatheth this light 
bread (manna).” 

God was so angry at the people for 
their repeated complaints, in the face of the 
many evidences of His provident care, that 
He now sent fiery serpents among them, 
which bit the grumbling Israelites so that 
a great number died. In this plague of ser¬ 
pents the people observed God’s just wrath, 
and now realizing their sinfulness they 
begged of Moses that he would pray to the 
Lord to take away the serpents and thus save them. Always merciful, Moses 
petitioned God in earnest- prayer to save the people who had acknowledged 
their sin, and in answer thereto the Lord told him to make a serpent of brass 
and to place it upon a high pole in the centre of the camp, and that this should 
destroy the plague, for every one that was thereafter bitten, who should look 
upon the brazen serpent, should live. 

THE ISRAELITES ARE VICTORIOUS IN TWO BATTLES. 

When the Israelites came near to the country of the Amorites Moses sent 
messengers to the king, whose name was Sihon, asking permission to pass peace¬ 
ably through his territory, promising to do no harm on the route, by going 
into any of the fields or vineyards, or even to take any water from the wells, 
but that he would pass through only by the regular roads. This humble 
request was not only refused, but Sihon collected his army hastily together 
and attacked the Israelites, without the least justification, at a place named 
Heshbon. But he paid dearly for his greed and obstinacy, for his army was 
badly beaten, so that the Israelites took possession, by the right of conquest, 





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of the whole country, including all the cities and villages. Here they dwelt 
for some time, enjoying everything that the land afforded, until called to 
resume their wanderings. 

After leaving the land of the Amorites, Moses led his people toward the 
land of Bashan, which was ruled by a giant-king called Og. This king, whose 
bed was thirteen feet long, was as fierce and unjust as Sihon, for he, too, went 
out at the head of his large army and attacked the Israelites at Edrei, where 
a great battle was fought. The Lord again favored his chosen people, so that 
Og and his army were completely annihilated, not a single one escaping. 

THE STORY OF BALAAM AND THE ANGEL. 

The period appointed for the wanderings of the Israelites was now drawing 
toward a close, and their journeyings were near to the land which had been 
promised them. After destroying the giant Og they were masters of the entire 
region east of the Jordan River, and an extent of territory reaching a great 
number of miles north and south, while the neighboring kings were in the 
greatest alarm of an invasion by the victorious hosts of Israel. Therefore, 
when the Israelites pitched their tents on the arid plains of Moab, the king 
of the Moabites sought the Midian chiefs, with whom he made an alliance to 
resist the people of God and Moses. 

When the Israelites went into camp in the plains of Moab, they were in 
sight of the fair land of Jericho, which lay near beyond the Jordan; but while 
waiting for the command to go forward and possess this fruitful heritage, the 
combined forces of Balak, king of the Moabites, and the Midian chiefs appeared 
in vast numbers on the hills of Abarim, from whence a view of the camp of 
Israel was plainly had. 

Balak, though at the head of a powerful army, was not disposed to hazard 
an engagement until'he could send messengers to the greatest prophet in the 
land, Balaam, who lived at Pethor, in Mesopotamia, and bring him to the 
Moabitish camps to curse Israel. So great was the faith in this prophet, who 
was generally a godly man, that Balak believed if he could induce Balaam to 
deliver a curse against Israel that victory would be certain. 

In due time the messengers sent by Balak arrived at Balaam’s house, and 
acquainted him with their king’s wishes, telling him also that if he would come 
and curse Israel Balak would bestow upon him great riches. Balaam was a 
very covetous man, withal he had found such favor in the eyes of God that he 
had been permitted to prophesy truthfully, so that his fame had spread greatly 
abroad. But instead of returning an immediate reply to Balak, ’he requested 
the messengers to tarry with him until morning, until he could consult the 
Lord. From what had already transpired Balaam knew that the Israelites were 
God’s chosen people, and he should therefore have sent the messengers away at 
once, but his love of riches so sorely tempted him that he would fain seek an 
excuse for doing what Balak had requested. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


127 


During the night God appeared to Balaam and asked him concerning the 
messengers that were in the house, but the reply being evasive, the Lord com¬ 
manded, “ Thou shalt not go with them, nor curse that people, for they are 
blessed.” Accordingly Balaam sent the messengers away in the morning ; but 
when they had returned to Balak with their unfavorable report, the king sent 
more honorable envoys to Balaam, with promises of still greater rewards if he 
would come and curse Israel. Again Balaam neglected to send the messengers 
away, and thus tempting God he was permitted to follow his inclination to go 
to the Moabitish camp, but it was with the Divine injunction that he was only 
to speak such words as God should put into his mouth. 

The Lord saw how anxious Balaam was to earn the riches which Balak 
had promised, and determined that the sinfully inclined prophet should have 
one more warning. He departed in the morning, with the princely messengers 
who had been sent to him, riding upon a she-ass, but had not proceeded far 
when an angel appeared in the way with a drawn sword. The iniquity that 
was in his heart blinded his spiritual vision, so that he could not see the angel, 
but the Lord had quickened the sight of the ass, which being frightened turned 
out of the road into a field. Balaam struck his animal sharply and turned 
her back into the road again, but for a second time the angel stood in the way 
of a narrow passage between two walls. The ass again shied so that Balaam’s 
foot was pressed hard against one of the walls, which so angered him that he 
beat the poor animal harder than before, until a second time he continued his 
journey, only to have his progress arrested for a third time in such a narrow 
passage that the angel blocked the way completely. The ass now not being 
able to go forward or turn round, lay down with her rider. At this Balaam 
was more angered than before, and he fell to beating the ass So violently that 
God gave to the animal the power of speech to exclaim, “ What have I done 
unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” “Because,” replied 
he, “thou hast deserved it in mocking me; had I a sword in niy hand I 
would kill thee.” To this the ass answered, “Anri not thine ass, upon which 
thou hast been used to ride ever since I was thine; did I ever serve thee so 
before ?” Balaam could make no further reply than to admit what the ass had 
asserted, but still he did not comprehend the miracle that had been done, until 
the Lord caused him to see the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword. 
At this vision Balaam realized the wickedness of his intention and fell down 
on his face. The angel now spoke and warned him against his perversity, 
and said if it had not been for the ass he would have killed him. Balaam 
sought pardon for his great sin and begged that he might be permitted to 
return home; but this the angel would not allow, because the Lord had a 
greater purpose for him; for, instead of cursing the Israelites, God would com- 
pel him to bless them. 

As Balaam approached the Moabitish camp Balak came out to meet him, 
to show him greater honors and thus obtain his wish; but Balaam told him 


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of God’s warnings and tried to excuse himself. The king, however, still hoped 
to secure his desire by treating the prophet sumptuously, and he accordingly 
gave him a banquet to which were invited the princes and great men of his 
camp, and on the following day brought him to the high places of Baal, from 
whence an excellent view of the Israelites was afforded. While they were on 
the mount of Baal the prophet ordered seven oxen and as many rams. to be 
prepared for a sacrifice, which were placed on seven altars ; and while they 
were burning Balaam withdrew a few paces to consult God. The prophet being 
moved by the Lord, now raised his voice within the hearing of Balak, and pre¬ 
dicted the greatness which Israel should attain, and of how they should prevail 
over all their enemies ; concluding his prophecy by wishing that his lot might 
be with them in life and death. 

Balak was greatly provoked by the prediction of Balaam, but he did not 
yet abandon the hope of influencing the prophet to curse Israel, still relying 
upon promises of great reward, for he knew the cupidity of the man with whom 
he was dealing. So he took Balaam up to the top of Mount Pisgah and be¬ 
sought him to deliver his curse from this station. Anxious to win the reward 
promised, Balaam again ordered a sacrifice made of seven oxen and seven rams, 
and going off a little way he consulted the Lord, hoping that this time he 
would not be forbidden to do the will of Balak. But he was no more successful 
than before, because God put into his mouth a prediction that greater glories 
than those previously spoken should come to the house of Israel, concluding 
with these words : And to show their future strength and success, “ the people 
shall rise up as a great lion, and lift themselves up as a young lion; the}^ 

shall not lie down until they eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the 

slain.” 

This second prophecy of Balaam greatly incensed Balak, who commanded 
him to make no more predictions, but in his eagerness to secure Balaam’s curse 
upon Israel, the king for a third time repeated his efforts by taking the prophet 
to the top of a hill called Peor, which looked toward the wilderness. No 
stronger evidence of the influence which money exerts upon a man was ever 
afforded than this instance, where, after God’s repeated warnings and His kind¬ 
ness so often shown to Balaam, the prophet’s cupidity for the third time tempts 
him to set aside the Divine will. We would suppose that when implored to do 
that which God had three times expressly forbidden, Balaam would turn a deaf 
ear to Balak’s entreaties; but so far from doing this he orders, as twice before, 
a sacrifice of seven oxen and rams. He was upon the point of asking God’s 

advice again, when instantly the Spirit came upon him and he was made to 

exclaim, “ How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel. 
As the valleys they are spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees 
of lignaloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. 
He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many 
waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be 



ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


129 


exalted. God brought him forth out of Egypt; he has, as it were, the strength 
of a unicorn; he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their 
bones and pierce them through with his arrows. Blessed is he that blesseth 
thee, and cursed is thee that curseth thee.” All this prophecy was to the 
exaltation of Israel, whose glorious future was thus proclaimed. It was given 
like the description of a vision, which no doubt rose before the sinful prophet, 
and as in a dream he spoke of that which he beheld : Israel possessing all 
the fruitful valleys of Palestine, a power feared by neighboring nations, victor 
in a thousand battles, and a people directed and protected by the omnipotent 
arm of the Almighty. 

Stung to madness by Balaam’s evil prophecies, Balak upbraided him 
soundly and bade him to begone, a for I thought,” said he, “ to have promoted 
thee to great honor if thou hadst answered my designs in cursing Israel, but 
the Lord hath hindered thy judgment.” Balaam was much depressed and 
excused himself by saying that he could only speak the words which God had 
put into his mouth. His unfathomable, wickedness, however, was yet further 
shown—hoping thereby to still obtain a.portion ,of the reward promised—by 
his advice to Balak to send fair daughters o.f the-Moabites and Midianites into 
the camp of the Israelites to draw them into idolatry and otherwise corrupt 
the people in introducing practices unknown to them before. 

TJle,;wicked advice of Balaam was acted upon, and with such effect that 
the Israelites were induced by the fair daughters sent among them to worship 
even the gods of Baal-peor, ai^d also to/perpetrate such, foul acts that God’s 
resentment was fearfully exhibited. He ordered Moses f to take the chief idola¬ 
ters and hang them before the people, which was accordingly done; but there 
were other sins committed besides idolatry, which the Lord would not suffer 
to go unpunished. Among the princes of the house of Simeon was one Zimri, 
who took a Midiati woman named Cozbi, the daughter of a prince, and leading 
her, as if to parade his infamy in contempt of Moses, to his : tent, there, com¬ 
mitted an unpardonable abomination. No one attempted to punish the prince, 
because perhaps of his station and influence, until Phinehas, a grandson of 
Aaron, who observed the shameless act, went out from the assembly straight 
to Zimri’s tent and with a javelin ran both the offenders through and killed 
them while in the very act of pollution. 

As a punishment for their idolatry and lewdness God sent a plague 
among the Israelites which destroyed no less than twenty-four thousand of the 
people, but the wrath of God was taken away by the act of Phinehas, and 
the plague stayed. For this act in defense of God’s laws Phinehas was highly 
commended, and upon himself and posterity the priesthood was perpetually 
settled. 

THE ISRAELITES GO TO BATTLE WITH THE MIDIANITES. 

By direction of God Moses now ordered that another census be taken of 
the Israelites who were above twenty years of age, that their effective strength 


o 



130 THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

for fighting might be determined. By this enumeration it was shown that 
there were 601,730 men capable of bearing arms, which was just 820 less- 
than when the first census was taken before Sinai, thirty-eight years before. 
Considering the many thousands that had been destroyed in the mean time by 
plagues and visitations of God’s wrath, and the hardships through which the 
people had passed, their reproduction must have been very rapid. 

After the completion of the enumeration Joshua was consecrated by the 
high priest Eleazar as the successor of Moses, whom God had ordained should 
not enter the promised land because of his sin at the rock of Meribah, as 
already described. 


DEFEAT OF THE MIDIANlTES. 

Although the fighting strength of the Israelites was not nearly equal to< 
that of the Midianites and their allies, it was nevertheless determined to give 
them battle, in the Lord’s name, and to punish them for their artifice in send¬ 
ing their women into the camp of Israel to corrupt the people. The army 
was duly marshalled, and with the trumpets pealing they set forth for the 
mountains where the Midianites lay encamped, but ready for fighting notwith¬ 
standing Balaam’s unfavorable auguries. The battle was furious for a long 
time, but the Israelites were at length victorious, slaying not only Balak, but 
four other kings of Midian also, and all the males of the tribes. Among the 
killed was the wicked Balaam, whose desire for the rewards of Balak was not 











ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


131 


diminished by God’s commands and miracles, and he thus espoused the Midian 
cause and was properly punished for his cupidity and treachery. 

The results of this battle were of the utmost importance to the Israelites, 
for they now came into possession of the entire country east of Jordan, which 
was afterward given to the tribes of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh, but they 
were still confederated together for mutual defense. The line of separation 
between them was so distinct, however, that a member of one tribe was not 
permitted to marry the member of another, a law which was established in 
order that every one might enjoy the inheritance of his father. 

DEATH OF MOSES. 

The time which God had appointed for the death of Moses was now near 
at hand. Already he had received a command to go up to the top of Mount 
Abarim, from whence he might obtain a view of the promised land, but which 
he might not enter. In the solemnity of the parting hour Moses therefore 
assembled all the people of Israel and there delivered to them his last words, 
which must have been extremely affecting to those who remembered how their 
fathers, whom he had led out of bondage, had so often rebelled against him 
and more than once sought his life for acts committed in fulfilment of God’s 
decrees that were given to promote their happiness. The forty years of their 
wanderings were now completed, but of those who first went out of Egypt with 
Moses not one who was at that time twenty years of age, save Joshua, Caleb 
and Moses, was living now; all had died, as the Lord had foretold, for the sin 
of rebelling against God and their chosen leader, as we have already described. 

When the people were all assembled Moses repeated to them the story of 
their tribulations in bondage and in wildernesses through which they had 
passed, not neglecting to remind them of how merciful and long-suffering God 
had been, and of the disobedience, unruliness and iniquity they had been so 
repeatedly guilty of; but though it was primarily their own wickedness which 
brought upon himself the sentence by which he was forbidden to enter the 
promised land, yet he had now no other feeling than that of love for his people, 
with whom he had striven and suffered so long. He therefore instructed them 
in their religious duties, encouraged them to be faithful to God and promised 
them every blessing if they remained righteous, but that calamity would assail 
those who kept not the commandments. He also sang a song under inspiration 
of the Lord, in which he recited the compassion of God and the wrath which 
their iniquities would kindle ; this song he charged the people to learn, as it 
might prove a witness for God against them. He then gave them a book of 
laws by which their temporal and spiritual affairs should be conducted, and 
ordered that it be placed in the side of the ark in charge of the Levites for 
their expounding. 

Having concluded his warnings and advice to the Israelites, u Moses went 
up from the plains of Nebo (the head ) to the summit of Pisgah i^the heights ), 


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that is over against Jericho. And Jehovah showed him all the land of Gilead 
and Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all 
the land of Judah, even unto the uttermost sea, and the south, and the plain of 
the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.” All this land God 
told Moses should be possessed by the Israelites, being the same that he had 
promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When God had thus spoken the hand of 
death was laid upon Moses, and on this sacred spot of glorious prospect the 
great leader of Israel was buried by God, “ in a valley in the land of Moab 
over against Bethpeor; but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.” ' 
At the time of Moses’ death he was one hundred and twenty years old, 
his allotted years being three less than were given to Aaron who, being three 
years the elder, died at the age of one hundred and twenty-three years. By 
this reading it appears that Moses died within a very short time, a few months 
at most, after the death of Aaron. 







VJ^nyA 


J^eared (jod ai^d T^t>eWed Rvil. 


CHAPTER X. 


# 


# 

# 


THE STORY OF JOB’S FAITH. 


Job. 

., among the books of the Bible, is the book 
of Job, in some respects. It is believed, 
from the language of the text, that Job was 
contemporary with Moses, say 1520 B. C., 
but there is absolutely no means of determin¬ 
ing when he lived. He makes no mention 
of either Moses or the exodus, from which 
it has been concluded that he lived some 
time anterior to the promulgation of the 
Mosaic law ; besides, the language is more 
nearly like the Arabic than that of any 
other book in the Bible. Ezekiel (xiv. 20) 
compares him with Noah and Daniel in 
righteousness, and as deserving of the larg¬ 
est favors that God bestows on man, while 
St. James (v. 11) refers to his patience as 
a maxim known to all men. 

At the end of the Greek and Arabic copies of the Book of Job, and also 
of the Vulgate (ancient Latin, or Roman Catholic version of the Scriptures) 
is found the following account of the patriarch, said to have been taken from 
the Syriac: “Job dwelt in the Ausitis, on the confines of Idumaea and Arabia; 
his name at first was Jobah. He married an Arabian woman, by whom he had 
a son called Ermon. He himself was son of Zerah, of the posterity of Esau, 
and a native of Bozrah, so that he was the fifth from Abraham. He reigned 
in Edom, and the kings before and after him reigned in this order:—Balak, 
the son of Beor, in the city of Dinhabah ; after him Job (or Jobah). Job was 
succeeded by Husham, prince of Teman. After him reigned Hadad, the son 

(133) 








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of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the field, of Moab. The name of the 
city was ’ Arith. Job’s friends who came to visit him were, Eliphaz, of the 
posterity of Esau, and king of Teman; Bildad, the king of the Shuhites, 
and Zophar, king of the Naamathites.” 

Since there is nothing in Job which bears any connection with the his¬ 
torical narrative of Israel or any other people, we must conclude that the story 
is introduced with no other purpose than to serve as an illustration of the 
patience and resignation which those who truly love God and appreciate His 
mercy, should ever stand ready to manifest. Particularly appropriate was the 
example of Job in the time he lived, for we have seen, in the face of all the 
miracles and mercies of God in delivering the Israelites from bondage, how 
prone they were to idolatry and other forms of wickedness whenever dangers 
threatened or discomforts were encountered. Whatever its effects were upon 
the people, the lesson was a beautiful and practical one, and almost equally 
adaptable to our relations with God to-day. 

The Bible tells us that “ there was a man in the land of Uz (Aramaea) 
named Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God 
and eschewed evil.” He had seven sons and three daughters who were his 
delight, for in them he took great pleasure. But besides these his possessions 
included 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 1000 bullocks, 500 she-asses, and other 
effects of great value. Each of his sons was provided with an estate of his 
own, for we are told that “ his sons went and feasted in their houses, eve^ one 
his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and drink with them.” 
When such feasts were made Job offered up burnt-offerings for each of his 
children and sanctified them, having a fear that while they outwardly appeared 
to serve God, yet their hearts might still harbor some impure thought. 

The righteousness of Job was greater even than his riches, which exceeded 
that of any other man in the east, but Satan had a mind to test him under 
afflictions, urging that distress would make the most upright unmindful of 
former blessings and turn his heart to bitterness. Trusting in his righteousness, 
God suffered Job to be persecuted by Satan in the following manner: When 
Job’s sons and daughters were feasting in the eldest brother’s house a messenger 
came hastily to the godly patriarch, and told him that the Sabeans had stolen 
all his oxen and asses, and killed all his servants ; another messenger came in 
while the first was yet speaking, to tell him that a fire had descended from 
heaven and burned up all his sheep and the shepherds that attended them; 
then another ran in and told him that the Chaldeans had stolen all his camels 
and killed the servants; still another came with information that while his 
ten children were feasting a great wind had blown down the house in which 
they were gathered and killed them. When Job heard this he “ rent his mantle, 
and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshipped ; and said, 
‘ Naked came I unto the world and bereft of all I have shall I go out again. The 
Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.’ ” 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


135 


In the hour of woe Job turned not away from God, but blessed the hand 
that had caused him to suffer. Satan asked permission to again test the 
righteousness of Job, saying, “ But put forth Thine hand now, and touch his 
bone aud his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face.” By which he meant if 
God would afflict His devoted servant with keen bodily suffering he would 
become imbittered in his heart and secretly, if not openty, denounce the cause. 
So the Lord answered, “ Behold, he is in thine hand; but spare his life.” 
Receiving God’s permission to make this second test, Satan afflicted him with 
boils “ from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.” 

Job’s sufferings were so great that he took a piece of broken pottery to 
scrape himself and sat down in ashes, as a sign of his inconsolable anguish. 
Seeing him in this adversity his wife called on him to curse God and die; to 
which he -answered: “Thou speakest as a foolish woman speaketh. What! 
shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” 

When Job had lain in his affliction for several days and his troubles were 
reported to all the people thereabout, three of his friends came to mourn with 
him and to give such comfort as they were able to afford. These three friends 
were Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, who represented the wisdom of the age, 
being learned in tradition and expounders of God’s laws. When they first be¬ 
held Job they were so affected by his supreme wretchedness that for seven days 
and nights they could not summon up courage to condole with him; which 
seems to have rather increased his anguish, for his agony now forced him to 
curse the day of his birth. Then follows a discussion, the effects of which are 
felt to this day, for a principle was there established that is one of the foun¬ 
dation stones of God’s universal mercy to mankind. His friends insisted that 
his afflictions were caused by some disobedience to God, in proof of which they 
urged the law that suffering always proves the commission of some special sin. 

To this plausible reasoning Job replied that while he had no doubt of God’s 
justice, yet punishment does not always follow upon guilt, or even prove the 
commission of a sin. 

The three friends ag„ain persisted in the law of retribution, and cited many 
examples (xv.), to which Job answered by acknowledging that the hand of God 
is in his afflictions, but maintains that it is not alone the ungodly whom God 
punishes, nor the righteous alone whom He prospers. He shows them that in 
all times, and under their own observation, the most wicked of men have enjoyed 
an undisturbed life of prosperity, by which we must conclude that God extends 
his mercy to all alike, reserving His punishments and rewards for His own 
good time, and in another world. 

Job bore his afflictions with composure for a time, but became less patient 
by reason of the argument of his friends, who continued to charge that his 
sufferings were undoubtedly due to the commission of some sin, and urged him 
to seek God for a pardon. Elihu, who also came to visit him, though younger 
than the three other visitors, rebuked Job for finding fault with God, and for 


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THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


seeking to compare the Lord with things of his own understanding. The dis¬ 
cussion, after many days, was terminated by the voice of God Himself, who 
spoke out of a whirlwind, asking, “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by 
words without knowledge?” He then calls on Job to answer Him how came 



JOB AND HIS THREE ERIENDS. 


all the things on the earth : the sea and its creatures, the land and its pro¬ 
ductions, the sky and its constellations, the heart an'’ its understanding? Job 
humbled himself before God, being made conscious of his weakness and insig¬ 
nificance by the reflections thus excited; whereat the Lord asked, “ Wilt thou 















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


137 

also disannul My judgments? wilt thou condemn Me, that thou mayest be 
righteous.” When God had thus spoken to Job and perceived how His servant 
was in earnest repentance for supposing that his afflictions were sent without 
proper cause, He rebuked the three friends for urging the law of retribution, 
and confirmed the principle enunciated by Job. He also commanded them to 
take seven bullocks and as many rams to Job and offer them up as a burnt- 
offering, saying: “And My servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I 
accept; lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of 
Me the thing which is right, like My servant Job.” 

The Lord now found the occasion ripe for rewarding Job for the patience 
and righteousness he had exhibited; accordingly, He gave him twice as much 
of everything as he had before, including sheep, oxen, camels, asses and house¬ 
hold possessions. The patriarch’s brethren and sisters, and those of his ac- 
qaintance from all parts, now came to visit him, each bringing a present of 
money or jewelry as an evidence of his love and regard. After this the Lord 
also gave him seven sons and three daughters: of the latter it was said that 
no other women in all the land were so beautiful; and Job gave them an in¬ 
heritance among their brothers so that the family ties remained unbroken. 
Job lived one hundred and forty years after receiving these double blessings 
and saw four generations of his children enjoying a prosperity sent by God. 

The Book of Job is the least understood portion of the Bible. Not one has 
been able to discover when or by whom it was written, nor whether it is a 
description of a real incident or given as a parable and example to instruct 
those who profess to love God in the obedience which they should yield to 
whatever affliction may be sent upon them. If accepted upon this latter expla¬ 
nation of its purpose, the book is incomparably grand. Thomas Carlyle, viewing 
it as a parable, says : 

“ I call that, the Book of Job, aside from all theories about it, one of the 
grandest things ever written with pen. One feels, indeed, as if it were not 
Hebrew; such a noble universality, different from noble patriotism or sectarian¬ 
ism, reigns in it. A noble book! all men’s book! It is our first, oldest state¬ 
ment of the never-ending problem—man’s destiny—and God’s way with him 
here in this earth. And all in such free, flowing outline; grand in its sincerity ! 
in its simplicity, in its epic melody, and repose of reconcilement. There is the 
seeing eye, the mildly understanding heart. So true every way ; true eyesight 
and vision for all things; material things no less than spiritual; the horse— 
‘ hast thou clothed his neck with thunder ?’—he ‘ laughs at the shaking of 
the spear! ’ Such living likenesses were never since drawn. Sublime sorrow, 
sublime reconciliation; oldest choral melody as of the heart of mankind ; so soft 
and great; as the summer midnight, as the world with its seas and stars! 
There is nothing written, I think, in the Bible, or out of it, of equal literary 
merit.” x 






u <iAs 1 Was with Moses, so Will 1 be With thee. 





& ^ 

- -mm«' 



CHAPTER XI. 


JOSHUA CHOSEN TO SUCCEED MOSES. 

Joshua. 

x OMING after Moses, Joshua, whom the Bible first men¬ 
tions as one of the twelve spies sent through 

Palestine, and who, with Caleb, found favor with 
the Lord, for urging the people to go up and pos¬ 
sess the land, became the leader of Israel. He was 
the son of Nun, who was of the tribe of Ephraim, 
who was the younger son of Joseph, and who, we 
remember, received the chief blessing bestowed by 
his grandfather, Jacob. His name originally was 

Oshea, meaning helper , but Moses changed it to 

Joshua, thereby combining his original name with 
that of Jehovah, so that its significance would be, 
God the helper. 

At the time of assuming leadership of Israel’s hosts, Joshua was about 
eighty-three years of age. He had repeatedly shown his ability both in counsel 
and in command, and had proved so faithful a servant to Moses that it was no 

less the great prophet’s will than that of God that he should succeed to the 

responsible trust of being chief over the Israelites. 

When the successorship was therefore established God appeared to Joshua 
and told him to gather together all his people, and lead them across Jordan 
into the land that Moses was permitted to view. There were many warlike 
tribes west of Jordan, and of such great numbers that to attack them in theii 
own defenses was very dangerous; nor could such a half-armed and poorly pre¬ 
pared army as the Israelites were hope to prevail, unless they received help from 
the Hand that had succored them so often in the hours of their deepest dis- 

( 138 ) 













ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


139 


tress. To stimulate him to do that which was bidden God therefore assured 
Joshua that no man should be able to stand before him; that He would always 
be with him, and that the laud of Canaan would be divided for an inheritance 
among the Israelites. “ Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither 
be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” 

SPIES SENT INTO JERICHO. 

Joshua was greatly encouraged by the promises of God, and immediately 
prepared to cross the Jordan with his army and invade the country of the 
Canaanites, his first object being to attack the city of Jericho, which stood in a 
plain, six miles west of the Jordan. This place was the largest, richest and best 
fortified city in all Canaan, being the chief depot on the highway between 
Palestine and Egypt. It was situated in the midst of a grove of palm-trees, 
from which it took its name, which means city of palms , and was surrounded 
by a great wall, with gates for entrance which were shut at night or when 
danger threatened. At intervals along the walls were observation houses, from 
which an extensive view was obtained of the surrounding country, and here 
guards were stationed to give the alarm should any hostile body of men approach. 
At the time of which we write, the news of the victories of the Israelites and 
their encampment near to the city had spread all over the country, so that 
Jericho, as well as other cities within the region, was in a state of preparation 
in anticipation of an attack. 

Before passing the Jordan, prudence admonished Joshua that he should 
first gain some positive information respecting the strength of the forces within 
Jericho, and to acquire that he sent two spies with instructions to enter the 
city and ascertain such things as might be of service for a beleaguering army 
to know. 

The spies set out accordingly, and their object not being suspicioned by 
the Canaanites, they had no trouble in gaining entrance to the city. They 
found lodging on the first night in the house of a dissolute woman named 
Rahab, who, it appears, discovered their purpose; but she was so impressed by 
what she had heard—that the Israelites were the chosen people of God, and 
therefore under His protection, that instead of giving them over to the authori¬ 
ties she concealed them from the king’s officers. 

The text is somewhat confusing, so that it is impossible to understand 
positively whether, upon discovering the spies, Rahab reported their presence 
to the king and afterward repented and concealed them, or whether the report 
of their being at Rahab’s house was circulated by some member of her house 
hold. We are told, however, that when the king’s officers came to her house 
and ordered her to deliver up the men, she admitted that they had been in the 
house, but had now departed out of the city toward the Jordan. This seemed 
to satisfy the officers, for they went out immediately to follow, as the woman had 
directed. After their departure, Rahab called the spies, and taking them to the 


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roof of her house, there covered them with flax which had been laid to dry, 
and so kept them hid until it was dark. She now came to them and exacted 
a promise that when the Israelites should come into the city they would save 
her and her family from death. This promise being given, she let down the 
spies by a scarlet line from a window of her house that overlooked the walls, 
which cord was to remain suspended thereafter to indicate her house to the 
Israelites. 

The spies escaped by the strategy of Rahab, but knowing that the Canaan 
ites were still searching the country for them they fled to the mountains, and 
there remained for three days before they were able to return to Joshua. When 
at last they came before the great leader of Israel, they told him how all the 
Canaan ites were without courage and would not fight because they believed, as 
did Rahab, that God was commanding the Israelites and doing wonderful 
miracles to bring them into possession of the land. 

SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF JERICHO. 

Upon receiving the spies’ report Joshua ordered his army and his people 
to break camp and march to the Jordan River, where they stopped for three 
days, and the ark was set up. During this time Joshua sent his officers 
through the host, to tell them that when they should see the priests take up 
the ark of the covenant and move forward, then all Israel should follow after 
them, but they must not approach nearer than two thousand cubits (about 
half a mile). Then Joshua bade the people to sanctify themselves, for on the 
morrow the Lord would show them great wonders. 

When the morrow arrived, Joshua called all the people to witness a miracle 
which God was about to do, to show them that He was with them in their 
undertaking; he then told them to stand by Jordan’s brink, while one mem¬ 
ber from each of the twelve tribes should take up the ark and bear it across 
the waters (which were now greatly swollen, as is usual during the harvest 
time). The people did as they were instructed, and stood upon the brink 
while the twelve men chosen took up the ark and started with it toward the 
swift-flowing river; but as they dipped their feet into the stream the waters 
parted, as did the Red Sea, and left a dry path by which all the host passed 
over. But when they had arrived on the other side the waters still remained 
parted until representatives of the twelve tribes were sent by Joshua to the 
dry bed of the stream to take up from there as many stones, which were 
ordered to be carried and deposited in the place where they should lodge at 
night. After this order was given, Joshua commanded the twelve to return 
again to the midst of the dry bed with as many stones, and there set them up 
as a witness of the miracle which had been performed. When this was done, 
the waters came together as before and overflowed the banks. 

When night came on, the Israelites encamped at Gilgal, in sight of 
Jericho, and there set up the twelve stones that had been brought out of the 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


41 


Jordan, as a memorial of the great thing which God had done. This event 
transpired, as Biblical scholars assert, April 13th, 1451 B. C., whicn was the 
day preceding that appointed for the selection of the Paschal Lamb, anu the 
next day the people kept the Passover, which was its first celebration uu the 
soil of their inheritance since leaving Egypt. 

On the day following the sacred ceremonies the Israelites tasted bread made 
from corn which was taken from the Canaanites, and henceforth lived off the 
product of the land, as manna ceased to fall on this date. 



AN ANGEL APPEARING TO JOSHUA. 


Everything was now in readiness for the march against Jericho, but as 
Joshua went forward he saw standing in his way a man with his sword drawn, 
as if disputing the passage. Joshua challenged him by saying, “ Art thou for 
us, or for our adversaries?” To which reply was made, “Nay; but as captain 
of the host of the Lord am I now come.” Joshua then perceived that it was 
an angel who had spoken, and he fell on his face to worship, saying, “ What 
saith my Lord unto His servant?” The angel then told him to take off his 
shoes, as he was now standing upon holy ground ; and when he had thus done, 













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the angel spoke again, saying, “ See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and 
the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor. And ye shall compass the city, 
all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six 
days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams 
horns; and on the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the 
priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when 
they make a long blast with the rams’ horns, and when ye hear the sound of 
the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of 
the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight 
before him.” 

Joshua observed well all the instructions which had been given him, and 
sent his army to march round the city, preceded by the ark carried by priests, 
once every day for six days; and on the seventh day they marched about 
Jericho seven times, and then blew the trumpets and shouted as they had been 
commanded, when, behold, the walls of the city tumbled down and there was no 
defense remaining. The Israelites now rushed into the city and put to the 
sword every man, woman, child, ox, sheep and ass that they found therein, 
sparing nothing except Rahab and her family, according to the promises made 
to her by the spies. Thus was Jericho utterly demolished, and Joshua set his 
curse upon any one who should attempt to rebuild it. The curse was after¬ 
ward fulfilled when Hiel, a Bethelite, attempted to restore the city, for Abiram, 
his oldest son, died while he was laying the foundation, and Segub, his young¬ 
est, expired while the gates were being set up. 

Rahab, althcugh a depraved woman, was richly rewarded for her faith and 
good services by being given a distinguished position among the Israelites. 
She married Salmon, probably one of the spies, and became the mother of Boaz, 
who was afterward the great-grandfather of David, and was thus in the 
genealogy of Christ. 

But among the Israelites who participated in the sack of Jericho there was 
one who committed a great sin, which resulted in a disaster to his people at 
the attack upon Ai, the next city that was besieged. Joshua gave an order, 
before Jericho had fallen, that all the gold and silver which might be captured 
should be placed in the sacred treasure and there kept for the service of the 
Lord. This one recreant, who was quite as avaricious as Balaam, in the 
excitement of the pillage, seized upon a rich Babylonish garment, and two 
hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold valued at fifty shekels weight. 
These he hid by burying them in the earth beneath his tent, where they were 
afterward found by men whom Joshua sent to search for them. 

The culprit was not apprehended, nor was he known until God chose to 
reveal him in His own mysterious way, as will be explained. 

The city nearest to Jericho, possessed by the Canaanites, was called Ai, 
and to this place Joshua sent out spies as before. They reported the place to 
be poorly defended and so easy of capture that a detachment of only three 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


ik’6 



thousand Israelites 
was sent against it. 
Instead of meeting 
with an easy victory 
the Israelites were 
jertcho OF to-day. defeated with a loss 
of thirty-six men, and were pursued as 
far as Shebarim. This defeat was not 
so disastrous by reason of the losses 
sustained, as for the effect it had upon 
the Israelites, who feared God had for¬ 
saken them. Joshua and the elders fell 
down in mourning before the ark and 
cried aloud to Jehovah. Their payers 










THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


i4^ 


were answered by a command which God gave to Joshua to sanctify the people, 
and on the morrow cast lots to determine who was the offender. When the 
cashing was first made it fell upon the tribe of Judah, next on the family of 
Zerah, and the third time upon the house of Zabdi, all of whom were taken 
before Jehovah at the ark and there examined. Among the number was 
Achan, the son of Carmi, whom the Lord caused to make a confession of his 
guilt The culprit was speedily stoned to death and his body burned, together 
with his children, cattle and tent, while over the ashes was raised a cairn to 
mark the place of execution, which place was called Achor, meaning trouble. 

THE CAPTURE OF AI AND LEAGUE OF THE KINGS. 

After Achan had been punished, God appeared to Joshua and bade him 
take courage again, for he should continue to be victorious until all Canaan 
was subjugated. God also told Joshua to renew the attack upon Ai, which 
would fall into his hands if he heeded these instructions: He (Joshua) should 
take a force of five thousand men and lead them beyond the west side of Ai, 
where they were to lie in ambush near the city, ready to rush upon it when 
the sign should be made; Joshua was next directed to take thirty thousand 
more men and appear in the valley before Ai, as if to challenge the people 
therein to combat; but when the army of Ai should come out, Joshua was 
ordered to flee before them as if in great fear, and by this strategy was to 
draw them away from the city, so that the five thousand lying in ambush 
might rush out of their covert and into the city and thus possess its defences. 

These instructions Joshua obeyed and found everything to transpire as the 
Lord had promised, so that when the king of Ai came out Joshua fled with his 
army, which gave so much confidence to the people of Ai that every man 
therein left the city and went in pursuit of the Israelites. They followed 
these so far that when they left off pursuing and started to return they saw 
their city in flames and being pillaged by the five thousand whose presence 
had not been suspected. This did not end their troubles, for they were now in 
a valley between two armies of the Israelites, unable to escape, and overwhelmed 
by superior forces. In this position Joshua fell upon them with both wings of 
his army and put every man, woman and child to the sword, with the exception 
of the king of Ai, whom the Israelites captured and afterwards hanged upon a 
tree. Over his body was gathered a great heap of stones, which were placed as 
a memorial of the city, and are said to remain there to this day. 

The Biblical account of the capture of Ai intimates that the town of Bethel 
was taken and sacked at the same time, but gives no particulars by which we 
might form an opinion of the importance of either place. However, we do 
know that by this victory the Israelites gained possesion of all the principal 
passes in the Jordan valley and obtained unobstructed access to the open country 
in the region of Central Palestine, though the main body was kept encamped 
at Gilgal on account, no doubt, of its strategic position. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


145 


The victorious march of the Israelites through Palestine spread terror 
among the people of all Canaan until, for mutual defence, the kings west oi 
Jordan and as far north as Lebanon, formed a league and consolidated their forces to 
oppose the further 
advance of Joshua. 

These kings, 
though no doubt 
vvested with royal 
' rerogatives, held 
dominion over 
limited districts, 
with a city as the 
capital, so that they 
were scarcely more 
than municipal 
masters; and their 
influence was fur¬ 
ther diminished by 
the perpetual feuds 
which existed be¬ 
tween them. But 
the invading hosts 
of Israel were re¬ 
garded as a com¬ 
mon enemy, come 
to despoil all the 
cities without re¬ 
gard to the tribal 
ownership, so, for 
the time being they 
ceased warring 
against each other 
md formed a con¬ 
federation which 
increased their 
strength and gave 
them hope of being 

r 0 JOSHUA WATCHING THE DESTRUCTION OF AI. 

now able to drive 

the Israelites out of Canaan, and thus retain possession of their native land. 

There was only one tribe, of all the numerous hordes that claimed a por¬ 
tion of Palestine, which sought to escape the sword of Israel by suing for peace 
and protection. This tribe was the Gibeonites, whose city, then called Gibeon. 













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THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


but now, El-jib, was chief of the four cities of Hivites and lay directly opposite 
the pass, or valley of Ai, so that it was the next city Joshua intended attacking. 

The Gibeonites had heard of some of the wondrous things performed by 
the Israelites by Divine assistance, and though they were idolaters, and knew 
nothing of the true God, their fears were greatly excited by the miracles 
which were reported to them as having been done by the Israelites, and 
their confidence in the confederation of the Canaanitish kings was by no means 
strong. They had recourse to a curious strategy to obtain an interview with 
Joshua, knowing that if they should appear before him as Gibeonites he would 
not treat with them, and at the same time appreciating the necessity of 
immediate action before the Israelites should move upon their city. This strat¬ 
egy consisted in a delegation of a dozen or more elders, or wise men of 
Gibeon, clothing themselves like so many way-worn travellers, with ragged and 
dust-laden clothes, old mouldy provisions and unkempt beards and hair, and in 
this tired and faint appearance they came before Joshua, claiming that they 
had travelled from a very far country, and thirsted and hungered greatly 
upon the way. They further asserted that they had heard of th* fame of 
Jehovah and of His wonderful deeds for Israel, and had come to form a league 
with God’s people. 

Instead of consulting the oracle before the ark, as the Lord had admon¬ 
ished him, as the successor of Moses, to do, in all cases involving the welfare 
of his people, Joshua was immediately convinced of all the Gibeonites had told 
him, and thereupon entered into a league, or treaty, with them, by which their 
lives were to be spared. 

Three days after a league was formed with the cunning Gibeonites, Joshua 
and his army went against Gibeon, but when he was upon the point of attack¬ 
ing i'z the people came out and reminded him of the treaty and promise he 
had made. Joshua now perceived how he had been deceived by the represen¬ 
tations of the travel-worn strangers, but, notwithstanding the grumblings of 
his army, he respected the promises he had made and spared the Gibeonites. 
But, by direction of God, their deceit was punished by Joshua ordering that 
they should henceforth be slaves to the Israelites, and should be “ hewers of 
wood and drawers of water for the house of God forever.” 

Five of the other kings of cities in Palestine, learning of the defection oi 
the Gibeonites, consolidated their forces and laid seige to Gibeon, intending to 
take the city—or, rather, the four cities, belonging to the Gibeonites—and put 
the people to death. 

THE BATTLE OF BETH-HORON. 

When the Gibeonites saw the approaching armies of the Amorites, under 
the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon, and knew their 
hostile intentions,, they sent messengers to Joshua, whose camp was still at 
Gilgal, begging him to come and help them. The cry for help was not in vain,. 


AN ANGEL LEADS THE ARMY OF JOSHUA. 



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THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



for Joshua at once assembled his army and, by a forced march during the night, 
fell upon the confederated Amorites early in the morning at Beth-horon, and 
routed them with great slaughter, but not until the battle had waged with 

uncertain results for nearly the entire day. In this 
fight Joshua received such direct aid from God that 
his own generalship seems to have played no con¬ 
spicuous Dart, and to Jehovah must all the credit 
be given. 

When, at eventime, the Amorites began to 
give way and were retreating down the hill of 
Beth-horon, a great hail-storm was sent upon them, 
the stones of which were so large that more were 


JOSHUA VANQUISHING THE AMORITES. 


killed in the storm than were slain 
by Israel’s sword. Panic now seized 
them, and the combined Amorite army 
was able to offer no further resistance against their relentless pursuers. The sun, 
however, was now shining low in the heavens, and the rapid approach of night 
would put an end to the slaughter, when Joshua prayed to God that the sun 
might stand still upon Gibeon, and the moon remain bright over Ajalon—an 




ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


149 


adjacent city. This prayer was answered, for the sun did not go down that 
day, but stood in the heavens, until the Amorites were nearly all slaughtered, 
and the five kings pursued to a place in the plains by the sea, where they hid 
themselves in a cave. Here they remained only a short time in security, for 
they were soon discovered, and, at the bidding of Joshua, they were captured 
and brought before him, who ordered, as God had directed, the captains of 
Israel to each put his foot upon the necks of the five kings, as a sign that 
thus should Israel do to all her enemies. After this, the kings were hanged 
on a tree, where their bodies remained until evening, when they were cut down 
and thrown into the cave where they had first hidden, and the mouth of the 
cave was then closed with great stones. 

“ So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of 
the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings; he leA none remaining, but 
utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded. And 
Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country 
of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. And all these kings and their land did Joshua 
take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.” 

JOSHUA DIVIDES THE LAND AND MAKES A NEW COVENANT.—HIS DEATH. 

The battles which Joshua fought in Canaan were very many, but only a 
few are described in the Bible. His conquests, however, are summed up in 
the subjugation of no less than thirty-one kings on the west of Jordan, besides 
Sihon, Balak and Og, whom he defeated before crossing the Jordan for Jericho. 
These kings ruled as many cities, but in not every instance did defeat of the 
Canaanites lead to an occupation of the cities, for we know that Jerusalem, 
whose king was slain at Gibeon, was not captured until after the death of 
Joshua. Several other cities, though subjugated, did not fall into the hands 
of the Israelites until some time after the events just narrated. 

But in defeating the thirty-one kings, Joshua came into possession of all 
the country belonging to the seven nations which was first promised to Abra¬ 
ham, viz.: the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites and 
Girgashites, but there still remained a considerable portion of Palestine unsub¬ 
dued, which, however, God promised anew should be given to the Israelites. 
These latter conquests were not reserved for Joshua, for he was now old, and 
had been fighting almost continually for six years. But the time had now 
come for a division of the whole of Palestine among the tribes of Israel, 
which Joshua proceeded to award as God had directed him to do. The division 
was made by allotment among the nine and a half tribes, the two and a half 
tribes having already received their portion from Moses east of the Jordan. 
The Levites were not included among the tribes who were to receive an 
inheritance of land, for “ Jehovah, God of Israel, was their inheritance,” they 
being consecrated to the priesthood. This would have left eleven tribes to be 


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THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


provided for, but the tribe of Joseph was divided into the tribes of Ephraim 
and of Manasseh, so that there still remained twelve, as originally. 

When the allotments had all been made, Joshua reserved for himself Tim- 
nath-serah, in Mount Ephraim, where he built a city and gave to it the name 
Timnath. There were then appointed six cities of refuge, three on the west 
of Jordan, viz.: Kadesh, Shechem and Hebron; and three on the east, viz.: 
Bezer, Ramoth and Golan. To the Levites forty-eight cities were given, which 
were awarded in proportion to the possessions of all the other tribes. 

Joshua, being now feeble from age, and realizing that but a few months 
separated him from his grave, sent for all the judges, officers and heads of 
tribes to come before him, as Moses had dore before ascending Mount Pisgah, 
and when they had gathered he gave them an exhortation to be courageous and 
to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses. This was 
the sum of his advice, but he enlarged this counsel so that it might be more 
effective, by rehearsing all that God had done for Israel since the day of their 
coming out of Egypt. He reminded them that of themselves they could do 
nothing, but that through the aid of Jehovah they had triumphed over their 
enemies and become possessed of cities which they had not built, and of vine¬ 
yards which they had not planted. 

He exhorted them especially not to affiliate or marry with the idolatrous 
peoples of Palestine, nor to cease striving for the rest of the land which God 
had promised, and warned them that the day they departed from his counsel 
and forgot their duties to Jehovah, they should certainly be scattered and 
driven from the land that had been given them. 

To the exhortations of Joshua the people responded by promises to fulfil 
the law of Moses and to cleave unto the God who had blessed them so abun¬ 
dantly. Thus was a new covenant made, for a witness of which a great stone 
was set up under an oak tree, perhaps the same shade under which Abraham 
and Jacob had spread their tents. 

Soon after the establishing of the covenant Joshua died, being aged one 
hundred and ten years. He was buried on the borders of his inheritance, in 
Timnath-serah, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. The death of this grea* 
and good man was properly bewailed by the Israelites, for of all of Israel’s 
host he was perhaps the most righteous. Moses and Aaron had sinned repeatedly, 
but of Joshua there is not written a single act wherein he transgressed God’s 
will. 

Directly after Joshua’s death Eleazar, the high priest, the son of Aaron, 
sickened and died also. He was buried beside his son Phinehas, who, we 
remember, killed Prince Zimri for sinning with the Midian woman, in Mount 
Ephraim. 



CHAPTER XII. 

GOD IS FORSAKEN BY THE ISRAELITES. 

Judges. 

would appear that a large portion of Palestine was left un¬ 
subdued at the time of Joshua s death for a wise pur¬ 
pose, since God desired to know if the Israelites would 
continue to accept Him in the hour of adversity, or com¬ 
plain against Him, as they had always inclined to do, 
during their journeyings, when trouble threatened. 
Hence their enemies were permitted to continue still 
strong in many portions of Palestine, and so numerous 
in the southwest that they refused to yield to the Israel¬ 
ites. Thus God foresaw that a conflict would arise 
which would determine their loyalty, and with what 
measure they were deserving of His further protection. 

The generation which lived in the time of Joshua 
continued faithful to the laws which they were exhorted 
to observe, but when these had finally perished, the next 
generation forsook God, neglected to regard the counsel 
of their fathers and degenerated so rapidly that the};' 
were soon confirmed idolaters. Their iniquities began 
by marrying, against the injunctions of Joshua, among 
the seven nations they had conquered ; and from this 

a worship of the god Baal, in groves sacred to this false 

deity, was very soon instituted and the true God utterly forgotten. 

For the idolatrous iniquities of the Israelites, God gave them proper pun¬ 
ishment by sending the king of Mesopotamia against them, by whom they were 

not only beaten in battle, but were kept in slavery for a term of eight years. 

In their afflictions only did they remember God, and while their backs were 

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THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


sorely burdened they called aloud for deliverance. Their petitions were not 
without avail, for the Lord appointed Othniel, a younger brother of Caleb, as 
a leader of Israel, and he led the Israelites in a revolt against the king of 
Mesopotamia, and in a great battle which followed he gained a decisive victory 
that freed his countrymen. After this fight the Israelites were at peace for a 
period of forty years. 

But when Othniel died, who had been a wise and God-fearing judge in 
r srael, the people relapsed again into sinful ways and again provoked the 
word’s anger, so that Eglon, King of Moab, formed an offensive alliance with 
Ammon and. Amalek, who combined their forces against the Israelites, whom 
they beat at Jericho and captured the city, reducing the inhabitants to slavery, 
in which condition they remained for eighteen years. 

The wars in which the Israelites were beaten, by reason of their diso¬ 
bedience and idolatry, did not involve all the chosen people at one time. As 
already stated, when Joshua made a division of all the land among the twelve 
tribes, he did not confine the division to those portions of Palestine that had 
been subjugated, but because God had promised that all the country should be 
given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Joshua allotted the 
whole of Palestine—those portions that yet remained in possession of the 
enemies of Israel, as well as those that had been taken and occupied. It was 
the efforts made by those members of the tribes whose allotment fell to dis¬ 
tricts unsubdued, that lead to such repeated wars, in which, because the 
tribes neglected God’s ordinances and covenants, the results were not always 
favorable to the Israelites. 

THE ASSASSINATION OF KING EGLON. 

After the Hebrews had served Eglon for a period of eighteen years, a 
deliverer appeared in the name of Ehud, a Benjaminite (generally written 
Benjamite), who was left-handed. Ehud did n6t foment an uprising among the 
people as Othniel had done, but had recourse to a strategy which served his 
purpose most effectively. Making for himself a dagger, with this weapon con¬ 
cealed under his cloak he awaited outside the king’s door, while he sent in a 
messenger to tell his majesty that he had an important communication for him 
which he bore direct from God. 

No doubt flattered by the pretense that God had regarded him with such 
consideration as to send a messenger to him, the king, as Ehud requested, sent 
all his servants out of the palace, that he might be alone with the celestial 
messenger when the communication was delivered. The auspicious opportunity 
was thus presented, and Ehud quickly dispatched the king with a thrust of 
his dagger. The assassin then ran out, locking every door that he passed 
through, and soon sped away over the ‘hills to alarm his people and prepare 
them for a desperate battle which he promised that God would help them to 
win. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


153 


When the King’s servants attempted to reach the royal apartments they 

found the doors locked, which they took to mean that his majesty had thus 

sought to prevent interruption while considering some weighty matter brought 
co his attention by the late messenger. After leaving him alone for several 
hours, and finding the doors yet locked, some alarm was felt, which grew 
apace, until, at the venture of offending the king, should there be no proper 

reason for their suspicions, the doors were unbarred and the body of the mur¬ 

dered ruler found bloodless on the throne. By this time, however, Ehud had 
made good his escape by fleeing to Mount Ephraim, where, by blowing his 
trumpet, he assembled a great body of Israelites. When the Moabites came 
out to fight them, the Lord gave Ehud the victory, so that he slew ten thou¬ 
sand Moabite soldiers, letting not one escape. 

After this event, but how long is not intimated in the Biblical account, 
Shamgar succeeded Ehud as judge of Israel. During his incumbency a large 
body of Philistines went against the Israelites to recover one of the cities that 
had been taken from them, but Shamgar, who seems to have been not only a 
desperately brave man, but wonderfully strong as well, seized a large stick 
used in driving oxen, and, with this simple weapon, lay about him so vigor¬ 
ously among the Philistines that he slew six hundred men and put the entire 
army to flight. 

STORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN. 

It will be remembered that in an earlier chapter there are descriptions of 
the blessings and prophecies of Jacob upon his twelve sons, the youngest 
of whom, Benjamin, the great prophet predicted, “should raven as a wolf.” 
We shall now see how truly this prophecy came to pass. The event which 
is about to be described occurred before Ehud, whom we have just noticed, was 
born, but the exact time, or sequence of events, is not given in the Bible, so 
that sequence is not absolutely necessary here. 

A member of the house of Levi, possibly a priest, had taken a woman to 
live with him, according to the custom of the time. This woman subsequently 
became unfaithful, and she was sent back to her father’s house at Bethlehem. 
After she had remained there four months the Levite longed for her, probably 
believing that he had condemned her too hastily, and, with a view of effecting 
a reconciliation, he went to Bethlehem, hoping to bring her home with him. 
The father-in-law gave him a hearty welcome, and together they feasted for 
three days. By a pressing invitation the Levite remained yet two days longer, 
when, having now spent five days with his father-in-law, he excused himself 
from further prolonging his visit, and started back to Mount Ephraim, where 
he resided, with his wife, who freely consented to return with him. The Levite 
thus journeyed with his wife, one servant and two asses, carrying such pro¬ 
visions and coverings as were needed on the way. When they came near to 
Jebus, the servant begged his master to ask for lodging there; the Levite 


154 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


refused, and journeyed on to a town named Gibeah, which they entered at 
sunset. This town belonged to the Benjaminites, who had become famous for 
their bestiality and every manner of abomination ; besides, they were jealous 
of the other tribes. Thus, when they perceived the Levite and his family 
enter their city, they offered them no place to rest, and meditated much ill 
toward them. 

No door being open to him, the Levite sat down in one of the open squares 
of the city, intending to spend the night there, but soon an old fellow country¬ 
man of Mount Ephraim, who was at the time living in Gibeah, seeing the 
Levite thus exposed to the night, invited him to his house, tendering a generous 
hospitality. The Levite, and those with him, gladly accepted his kindness, 

but during the night a 
party of Benjaminites sur¬ 
rounded the old man’s house, 
and demanded that the 
Levite be brought to them, 
having the most infamous 
design upon his person. 
When the crowd became 
clamorous, the old man 
went out to them and sought 
to appease their desires by 
offering to them his own 
virgin daughter, and also 
the wife, or concubine, of 
the stranger, if they would 
but depart and do no 
violence to his guest. This 
offer they refused, when, to 
save himself, the Levite 
sent his woman among 
them, and, by an artifice, 
escaped himself. The poor 
woman was so seriously abused by the crowd, during the night, that she had 
barely strength enough left to stagger back to the door where she had found 
shelter, and there fell dead at the threshold. 

When the Levite opened the door in the morning he found the woman 
lying as she fell, and thinking she was asleep bade her arouse that he might 
renew his journey. When, however, he found she was dead, without making 
any complaint he set her body on one of his asses and hastened to Ephraim. 
Arriving at home, he resolved to seek revenge against the Benjaminites. Accord¬ 
ingly he cut up the woman into twelve pieces and sent a piece to each of the 
twelve tribes, together with an account of all that had befallen him at Gibeah. 



THE ISRAELITES MAKING A VOW TO AVENGE THE MURDER OF THE 
LEVITE WOMAN. 





ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


155 


The report of the Levite aroused all the children of Israel, who vowed that 
no such deed had been seen since they had come out of Egypt, and they im¬ 
mediately determined to punish the crime as it deserved. In pursuance of this 
intent the whole congregation of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, assembled 
together at Mizpeh, and presented themselves before Jehovah, whose aid they 
implored. This vast throng may be estimated by the fact that there were 
four hundred thousand fighting men gathered at Mizpeh, besides all the families 
of Israel, save alone the tribe of Benjamin, which was about to be punished. 

When the great army had come together the Levite was brought out and 
ordered to repeat the particulars of the crime that had been perpetrated, and 
when he had done so the Israelites assembled made a solemn vow of vengeance 
and an agreement that they would not separate until the great wrong was 
atoned. 

Provision was now made for an invasion of the country in which the Benja- 
minites dwelt, the first step being the appointment by lot of one man out of 
every ten, whose duty it was to secure food for the army. Messengers were 
next dispatched to Gibeah, ordering the Benjaminites to deliver up the culprits 
who had done such a foul deed to the Levite’s woman, but they sent back a 
haughty defiance by the messengers, applauded the acts of their lewd brethren 
and made ready for battle. 

THE GREAT BATTLE OF SHILOH. 

Those who remained within the walls of Gibeah were marshalled into a force 
of sword and spear bearers twenty-six thousand strong, in addition to which there 
were seven hundred left-handed sling throwers, who could cast a stone, as it is 
asserted, to a hair’s breadth. This was a small army to meet the besiegers, who 
numbered four hundred thousand, and yet the results of the battle showed 
that the Benjaminites were much better fighters than the brethren sent against 
them. 

When the eleven tribes gathered together at Shiloh, the ark was set up, 
Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, being high-priest. Here the oracle was consulted, 
^y which it was decided that Judah should lead the attack against the Benja- 
aiinites ; and thus, elated by the promise that God was with them, they pitched 
themselves against Gibeah. Instead of remaining within their defenses, the 
Benjaminites, in nowise deterred by the immense force which opposed them, 
rushed out of their city and fell with such impetuosity against their enemies 
that the army of Israel was put to rout with a loss of 22,000 men, almost equal 
to the entire fighting force of the Benjaminites. 

On the following day the routed army came together again near Shiloh and 
spent much time weeping before God and asking if they should again go into 
battle against “ Benjamin, my brother.” To this inquiry the oracle replied in 
the affirmative, but the second battle was scarcely less unfortunate than the 
first, for again Israel was put to rout, with a loss of 18,000. 


156 


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For a third time the congregation assembled at Shiloh, where they kept a 
solemn fast and made many burnt-offerings, by which they hoped to win the 
favor of God, who, it was clear, had not been with them in the two battles. 
The oracle was now again consulted through Phinehas, who bade them go once 
more against the Benjaminites, but not as before. By the Lord’s direction the 
army of Israel was divided, one portion of which was sent to lie in ambush 

behind the city, while the 
main body was ordered to 
make the attack in front, 
being the same strata¬ 
gem which Joshua had 
employed so successfully 
at Ai. 

According to orders 
given by God through the 
oracle, the main army of 
Israel went before Gibeah, 
but turned and fled as the 
Benj aminites came out, 
who pursued them some 
distance. But, as they 
issued forth, Gibeah was 
left unprotected, so that 
the ambushing portion of 
the army entered and closed 
the gates, by which the 
Benjaminites were left on 
the outside, opposed to the 
fury of the immense host. 
A great slaughter now 
took place, in which 18,000 
of the Benjaminites fell 
before the city, 5000 more 
were killed in the retreat, 
and 2000 more were slain 
while they were making a last rally at Gidom. The very few that escaped 
wandered about the country for several months, living in caves, while their 
victorious brethren went through the land burning cities and putting the 
inhabitants and their cattle to the sword. 

This sack and pillage continued until the tribe of Benjamin was almost 
obliterated, and would, no doubt, have been entirely extinguished but for the 
fact that some pity was excited among a few leaders of the eleven tribes, who 
sought to circumvent the vow that had been made at Mizpeh. It chanced that, 


DEAD ON THE DOORSTEP. 



















CAPTURE OF MAIDENS AT THE FEAST OF SHIEOH, TO BE WIVES OF THE BENTAMINITES. 



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158 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. „ 


on numbering the people, it was found that the men of Jabesh-gilead had not 
been with the other tribes in the battles, for which failure it was decreed that 
their city should be destroyed. Accordingly, 12,000 men were sent against it, 
who not only captured the city but destroyed every man therein, together with 
all the women except four hundred virgins, who were given as wives to as 
many of the remaining Benjaminites. There were six hundred Benjaminites 
altogether who escaped the wrath of their brethren, and the two hundred who 
were not provided with wives from the virgins reserved from the sack of Jabesh- 
gilead, afterwards secured wives by seizing some of the maidens of Shiloh who 
had come out to dance at a great annual feast. 

They afterward set about repairing their cities, and gradually increased 
until at the expiration of less than a century they had recovered nearly all 

their former greatness. It was 
from out this rehabilitated tribe 
that Ehud sprang, who became 
Israel’s second judge and de¬ 
liverer of his people, as already 
described. 

DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL BY 
DEBORAH. 

After Ehud’s successful re¬ 
bellion the Israelites enjoyed peace 
and liberty for a period of eighty 
years, when, having now become 
rich, they relapsed into such ex¬ 
cesses as usually follow the ac¬ 
quisition of wealth by nations. 

In northern Palestine there 
reigned a great prince whose name 
was Jabin, called king of Hazor. He was chief of the Midianite nation, which 
had so far recovered from the defeats sustained at the hands of Joshua, in the 
length of time that had ensued, that it was now considered the strongest in all 
Palestine. Not less the rich spoil which would follow a defeat of the Israelites, 
than the satisfaction of avenging the capture of their cities nearly two hundred 
years before, prompted the Midianites to invade the country now occupied by the 
Israelites. At the head of Jabin’s army was a mighty general named Sisera, 
who led an immense body of men, supplemented by nine hundred war chariots 
of iron. This great host swept down on the Hebrews and overcame them in 
every battle, and for a period of twenty years kept them so badly oppressed 
that their recuperative power even was almost destroyed, though they still 
managed to retain their government. 

At this time Israel was judged by a prophetess named Deborah, who is 



BARAK BEFORE DEBORAH. 





ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


159 



reckoned to have been 
the nation’s fourth judge 
or ruler. This woman’s 
place of abode was under 
a palm tree, which re¬ 
ceived the designation, 
bestowed by her country¬ 
men, of Deborah’s Palm. 
Tere it was her custom 
to sit and receive the 
complaints of her people 
who came for judgment. 
When Israel sent up a 
cry to God for deliver¬ 
ance from the Midian- c 
ites, He answered the g 
petition through De- 5 
borah, who was com- § 
inanded to send an in- 5 
spired message to one £ 
Barak, a resident of § 
Naphtali, whom she or- g 
dered to assemble ten ® 
thousand men at Tabor. > 
Accompanying this order § 
was an assurance which § 
she gave, that if he g 
obeyed the command g 
God would send Sisera r 
to meet him at the river 
Kishon, where a great 
victory would be won 
by the Israelites. 

Barak, while much 
impressed by Deborah’s 
message, was too faint¬ 
hearted to undertake 
such an enterprise alone, 
but believing in the 
foreknowledge of the 
woman, replied that he 
would go up to battle 
against Sisera only on 







































160 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


condition that she would accompany him. She reminded him that should the 
Israelites prevail, as God had promised, with herself leading the people, he would 
receive no honor for the victory. This appeal to his ambition had no effect 
upon Barak, and in the alternative presented, Deborah consented to lead Israel. 
The army of ten thousand was now gathered together by levies upon the 
tribes of Zebulnn, Naphtali, Issachar, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, those 
tribes of the east and south not being engaged. 

When Sisera heard of the uprising, he assembled his great army at Haro- 
sheth, and marched thence to the plain of Jezreel, which is drained by the 
Kishon, while Barak came down with his ten thousand men from Tabor, to 
engage the Midianites in battle. It was now that the power of the Lord was 
made manifest in a wonderful manner: “A tremendous storm of sleet and hail 
gathered from the east, and burst over the plain, driving full in the face of 
the Midianites. The rain descended, the four rivulets of Megiddo were swollen 
to powerful streams, while the torrents of Kishon rose to a flood and the plain 
became a morass. The chariots and horses of Sisera’s army were now turned 
against him. He became entangled in the swamp so that the torrent of Kishon 
swept them away in its furious eddies, while in the confusion that followed 
the strength of the Midianites was trodden down by their horses, as the fear- 
striken animals stamped and plunged in a desperate effort to extricate themselves 
from the quaking morass and rising streams. Far and wide the vast army fled 
through the eastern branch of the plain of Endor. There, between Tabor and 
the little Hermon, a carnage took place long remembered, in which the corpses 
lay fattening the ground.” 

In the dreadful rout and devastation Sisera contrived to escape, by leaving 
his chariot and fleeing on foot to the tent of Heber, a Kenite. This man was 
an Arabian Sheikh, a descendant from Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. He 
was dwelling at Kadesh, at the a Oak of the Wanderers,” and on friendly terms 
with both the Israelites and Canaanites. Being the nearest place of shelter to 
the battle-ground, Sisera came to his tent, but Heber being absent at the time, 
his wife Jael, bade him enter and gave him hospitable entertainment. 

Sisera was very tired when he entered the tent, and cast himself at once 
upon the floor, and Jael covered him with her mantle. After he had slept r 
little he called for drink, which Jael supplied by giving him buttermilk out of 
her choicest vessel. Though still extremely fatigued, Sisera would not compose 
himself to deep sleep until he had exacted from Jael a solemn promise that in 
no event would she discover him to his enemies, who were now hot in the 
search. Believing himself secure in the promise given, Sisera fell into a deep 
slumber. When Jael saw that her guest was soundly sleeping, she seized one 
of the tent pins and with a hammer drove it at a blow through Sisera’s temples, 
thus killing him upon the instant. It was not long after that the pursuing 
Israelites came to her tent, when the valorous Jael showed Barak the deed she had 
done, and claimed the glory of Israel. This deed is made the subject of the Song 
of Deborah and Barak , which ranks amongst the finest efforts of Hebrew poetry. 


HE SuxoPd of the Liond and of Gideon. 


• 3 ^ 


CHAPTER XIII. 


THE STORY OF GIDEON. 

|OR forty years peace reigned in Israel after the 
defeat of Sisera, or until 1250 B. C., but at the 
expiration of this time the Israelites returned again 
to their idolatrous and shameful practices, the 
miracles which God had wrought not sufficing to 
prove His protecting care for a greater time than 
the life of a single generation. The god Baal 
was publicly set up and worshipped, and many 
other things done by this wonderfully perverse 
people in defiance of the Lord’s commands, until 
His patience became again exhausted, and He re¬ 
solved upon their punishment. This was accom¬ 
plished by delivering them into the hands of the 
Midianites and Amalekites, who swarmed upon them “ as locusts for multitude.” 
By these, their old enemies, the Israelites were not only subjugated, but their 
means of living were so completely taken from them that they had to abandon 
their homes and flee into caves in the mountains, where they subsisted upon 
the things which chance threw in their way. This oppression lasted for 
seven years, during which time a great number died of hardships and 
starvation. 

When God had considered the punishment of His people sufficient, Hif 
long-suffering was again exhibited in hearkening to the cries of distiess which 
they sent np to Him. Among the Israelites was one who had not wholly de 
parted from the worship of God, who was already esteemed as “ a man of great 

TT (l6D 
















162 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


valor.” This soldier was Gideon, a son of Joash, of the tribe of Manasseh, a 
father himself, having sons also distinguished for bravery. It was he whom 
God chose should be a deliverer of Israel. 

One day, while Gideon was threshing out some corn that had been raised 
in a place where it escaped the notice of the Midianites, he saw an angel sit¬ 
ting under an oak that was a landmark, by whom he was saluted with the 
words, “Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.” Gideon bowed him¬ 
self and then hastened and brought a kid for an offering. This he killed, and 
having cut it up brought it in a dish before the angel, whereupon the angel 
touched the offering and a fire sprang up which devoured it. By this accept¬ 
ance of his offering Gideon saw that the Lord had some use for his services 
and asked what was desired of him. He was now commanded to go in his 
might and save Israel, for God would help him to prevail over the Midianites. 
Gideon pleaded his poverty, and the weakness of his people, but the Lord 
again assured him of His help, and then vanished. Gideon now built an 
altar at the spot where the sacred presence had appeared, which he called Je- 
hovah-shalom, meaning Jehovah is our peace. 

At night God again appeared to Gideon, in a dream, and commanded him 
to take his father’s second bullock, of seven years old, and to overthrow the 
altar and idol of Baal, the fragments of which the Lord ordered him to use in 
making a fire for burning the bullock as a sacrifice. When he arose in the 
morning Gideon told ten of his servants what had been commanded of him, 
and by the aid of these on the following night, secretly, for fear of his father’s 
household and of the men in the city, he carried out the Divine order. When 
morning again appeared, his deed was discovered, and a cry was at once set 
up, by the worshippers of Baal, for Gideon’s life. Joash, however, influenced 
no doubt by God, defended his son and said, “ Let Baal plead his own cause,” 
and this argument convinced the citizens, who thereupon bestowed upon Gideon 
the new name of Jerub-baal, which implies, Let Baal plead. 

When the act of Gideon, and his people’s sanction thereof, became known 
to the Midianites and Amalekites, they prepared at once for war, and muster¬ 
ing their forces went into camp at Jezreel, near the spot where Sisera had 
been overthrown. Gideon now also prepared for battle by calling together the 
tribes of Manasseh, Zebulun and Naphtali, who pitched their tents overlook¬ 
ing the Midian hosts in the plain of Esdraelon. 

Gideon’s fleece. 

In the sight of such an immense army as opposed him, Gideon’s faith was 
somewhat weakened, for he called upon the Lord to give him another sign 
that he should lead Israel to victory. Thus Gideon gathered a fleece of wool, 
and laving it upon the ground, told God that if the dews of night should fall 
heavy and the fleece yet remain dry in the morning, he would consider it a 
sign that he had been chosen to win the battle. In the morning when Gideon 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


163 


looked at the fleece he found it dry, while all around the ground was wet with 
dew. Though he promised that this sign should convince him, he was not yet 
satisfied, and told God that he wanted one more evidence. He would lay the 
fleece upon the ground another night, and in the morning if it were wet, while 
all the ground about remained dry, then he should accept it as a token of 
what God had promised. This second sign was also given, for when Gideon 
went out and picked up the fleece, he found it so wet that he wrung much 
water out of it, while all about the ground was as dry as at mid-day. He was 
now satisfied that he would 
win the victory, and marched 
out at the head of thirty- 
two thousand men to en¬ 
gage the enemy, whose 
numbers were many times 
greater. 

Before reaching the plain, 

God bade Gideon to send 
back a portion of his army, 
for, said Jehovah, “The 
people that are with thee 
are too many for Me to 
give the Midianites into 
their hands, lest Israel 
vaunt themselves against 
Me, saying, Mine own hand 
hath saved me.” The 
Lord further told Gideon 
to say to all those of his 
army who were afraid to 
go into battle, to return to 
their homes. The great 
fear which possessed Israel 
is evidenced by the fact 
that twenty-two thousand 
acknowledged their cowardice by leaving and going back to their settlements. 
There now remained ten thousand, the same number that engaged Sisera, but 
God told Gideon that his army was still too large, as He was going to show 
the Israelites another miracle by which they would know He was their leader. 
Then, as the Lord directed, Gideon brought his army to a small stream to drink, 
and observed that some Quenched their thirst by kneeling down and dipping up 
the water with their hands, while others drank by putting their mouths to the 
water after the manner of brutes. Of the former there were only three 
hundred, and these alone God commanded Gideon to take with him into battle, 
while all the others should be sent away. 



GIDEON CONVINCED BY THE FEEECE. 





164 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


The following night a spy, who had been sent into the Midian camp, came 
to Gideon and told him that he had overheard one of the Midianites relating to 
his comrade a dream, wherein was foretold how Israel should overcome and 
despoil the Midian army, which seems to have greatly encouraged the little band 
of three hundred. 

Gideon was no less a strategist than a man of valor, for he disposed his 
small army in a manner well calculated to inspire the enemy with terror. 
Dividing it into three bands, he ordered that every man be provided with a 
trumpet, a torch and a large-mouthed pitcher, the two latter to be used to 
make a dark lantern, instructing them at the same time to make the assault 
at night and to blow their trumpets at a given signal, then to break their 
pitchers that covered the lights, and rush on, shouting, “ The sword of Jehovah 
and of Gideon.” 

When the middle watch was set for the night, the little army took up posi¬ 
tions on three sides of the Midian camp, and at the word rushed down upon the 
enemy, first in darkness, blowing their trumpets and shouting their battle-cry. 
Then breaking their pitchers at a signal, they suddenly appeared as if clothed 
in flames, brandishing their torches and still blowing the trumpets. The terror 
which this singular attack produced was equalled only by the miracles God had 
done. The swords of the Midianites were turned upon themselves as they fled 
with precipitation down the pass leading to the Jordan. 

Those of Gideon’s army that had been sent back were now recalled, and 
they pursued after the retreating Canaanites and engaged them in two other 
battles, in both of which great numbers of Midianites and Amalekites were 
slaughtered, making the victory the most important one gained since the time 
of Joshua. 

THE REBELLION OF ABIMELECH. 

After their deliverance the Israelites called upon Gideon to serve them as 
king, an honor which they desired to bestow in recognition of his great services, 
but he replied to their entreaties, “ I will not rule over you, neither shall my 
son rule over you ; Jehovah shall rule over you” Though he resisted this proffer 
of exaltation, remembering and observing the law of Moses, yet Gideon was 
not entirely above temptation, and fell into an iniquity by reason of his vanity. 
Having, by Divine permission, once raised an altar and made an acceptable 
offering thereon, he was now induced by his own pride to make another of 
jewels and 1700 shekels of gold which he had taken from the Midianites. 
This altar was not consecrated to God, but was raised as an oracle, which 
became a kind of idolatry, for not alone the people, but he also consulted it 
regularly. 

The species of idolatry practised by Gideon was hardly his worst sin, for 
we are told that he had seventy-one sons, many of whom must have been unlaw¬ 
fully begotten, one of whom, Abimelech, whose mother was a concubine, afterward 
brought disgrace and great trouble on the Israelites. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


165 


Gideon was the fifth judge of his people, and his rule was distinguished 
by justice and the peace of Israel for forty years. He died at a good old age 
and was buried in his native city of Ophrah. 

Soon after Gideon’s death, the Israelites, true to their perverse and iniqui¬ 
tous dispositions, abandoned Jehovah and made Baal-berith their national god, 
which led them into all manner of evil. Though Gideon had refused the crown 
for himself and sons, Abimelech became ambitious to rule Israel, and to carry 
his purposes into effect he went among his mother’s people, the ShechemiteSj 
and urged them to crown him. The 
specious argument he advanced in 
support of his claims was that it 
were better to be ruled by one 
man than by seventy, and that being 
himself a Shechemite his people 
had better accept him than to allow 
his brothers—who belonged to an¬ 
other city—to rule over them. So 
well did he ply this reasoning that 
his relatives entered into a con¬ 
spiracy to make him king, and 
provided him with a band of des¬ 
perate followers, for which purpose 
money was taken from the treasury 
of Baal-berith. 

Abimelech, being now placed 
at the head of an army, marched 
to his father’s house and seized his 
sixty-nme brothers, and murdered 
them on the stone altar he had 
reared. One of his brothers, named 
Jotham, not being at home when 
the fratricide was perpetrated, escaped 
his brother’s vengeance, and when 
he heard what Abimelech had done 
he went to Mount Gerizim and in an oration to the people recounted the 
infamy and reproach that had been brought on Israel. He told them how 
his father had refused the crown for himself and sons, and of the special un¬ 
worthiness of Abimelech, not only because the Mosaic law forbade the recognition 
of any other king tha,n Jehovah, but also because Abimelech was the son of a 
maid-servant, and therefore not entitled to any inheritance. 

What effect Jotham’s harangue had upon the people we are not told, but he 
delivered a curse upon his unnatural brother, and also upon the Shechemites, 
which was not long afterward fulfilled. 



IDOL OF BAAL IN THE HERMOX VALLEY. 














166 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Three years after Abimelech had ascended the throne, God sent a rebel 
lious spirit among the men of Shechem to avenge the murder of Gideon’s sons. 
They not only revolted, but conspired to take his life, and lay in wait for 
him in all the ways it was usual for him to take, but he knew their purpose and 
kept himself hidden from them. At length this rebellious spirit had so increased 

that the rebels 
found a leader in 
Gaal, the son of 
Ebed, who boasted 
that he would 
unseat the king. 
Abimelech, hear¬ 
ing of these 
threats, managed 
to collect an army 
with which he 
marched to Shech¬ 
em, and when 
Gaal and his party 
came out to en¬ 
gage him the king 
routed the rebels 
with great loss. 

The victory 
which Abimelech 
gained over Gaal 
did not increase 
his popularity, for 
the Amorites now 
flew to arms to 
defend the city of 
Shechem. Their 
defense of tV 
place did no 
avail, however, 
for it was cap¬ 
tured and all the inhabitants, except a thousand men and women who had 
taken refuge in the tower sacred to Baali-berth, were put to the sword. A 
worse fate was reserved for those in the tower. Abimelech, himself setting 
the example, ordered his army to collect wood from the neighboring forest 
which was piled high about the sacred edifice and then set on fire. Thus 
was destroyed the tower, together with all who had taken refuge therein. 

A great uprising of the people in adjacent cities followed the victories of 



destruction of shechem by abimelech. 
















ILLUSTRATED HI RLE COMMENTARY. 


167 


Abimelech, who fell into public odium, though his army still remained true 
to him. After sacking Shechem, he marched against Thebez, which he 
besieged and captured after a brief resistance by its people. There was also a 
tower in this place, to which a large number of the people fled as a last resort. 
Abimelech, who must have been a recklessly brave man, instead of intrusting 
to his soldiers the most dangerous work of approaching and setting fire to 
the tower, undertook the duty himself, but as he was in the act of applying 
a burning brand, a woman threw down a piece of millstone upon his head, 
which broke his skull. In the last agonies of death he bade his attendant 
dispatch him with his sword, deeming it ignoble to die by the hand of a 
woman. 

Abimelech is regarded as having been the sixth judge of Israel, though 
the title does not properly belong to him. He was evidently king of a faction, 
perhaps of a single city, but was never recognized as a ruler by a majority. 

THE STORY OF JEPHTHAH AND HIS DAUGHTER. 

After Abimelech, the Israelites were at comparative peace for a period of more 
than one hundred years, though, during this period they had grovelled in all 
manner of vices, returning to the worship of Baalim, Ashtaroth, and the gods of 
Syria, Zidon, Moab, Ammon, and other gods of the Philistines. God’s anger 
was slow to show itself this time, but it came at length. Two nations were 
sent at the same time against Israel, one on the east and the other on the 
west, and the Israelites were beaten at every point. Not only were those east 
of the Jordan brought under subjection by the Philistines, but also the tribes 
of Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim, on the west. 

For eighteen years the stiff-necked Israelites were humbled and oppressed, 
as they richly deserved to be. When at length they cried to God, the prophets 
told them to appeal to their idols, so that, for some time, the Lord refused to 
aid them. But Israel thoroughly repented and begged God to deliver them 
only this once. So they broke their idols and began to worship the true God 
again, by which His aid was once more secured. 

The Israelites now gathered their forces in Mizpeh, while the Ammonites, 
who now opposed them, assembled at Gilead. A decisive battle was to be 
fought, but Israel had no leader, and in their anxiety to secure a captain, they 
promised to make the man who would lead them against their enemies the 
head over all the people of Gilead. In the Israelitish camp was a man who 
had already proved his valor in battles among neighboring tribes, and toward 
him all turned their eyes. His name was Jephthah, who was the son of 
Gilead by a woman of very bad character. When his father died, the poor 
lad was thrust out by his legitimate brothers, and having nowhere to go he 
had wandered to the land of Tob. Here he grew up among vicious associates, 
and became finally the leader of a band of robbers, whose levies of booty, how¬ 
ever, were made entirely from the Ammonites. 


168 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Jephthah was so Highly regarded for his power as a warrior among the 
Israelites that they besought him to accept the leadership, which he consented 
to do only on condition that should he deliver Israel he would be made chief 
over all Gilead. This promise was not only freely given, but was further 
affirmed by oath before Jehovah at the sacred place. 

jephthah sacrifices his daughter. 

After the confirmation of the Israelites 1 promise Jephthah took command 
of the army, and sent messengers to the Ammonites to ask of their king why 
he had made war on Israel. To this message a reply was returned which was 
scarcely less than a history of the Jewish conquests since the day Moses ap¬ 
proached Palestine. The king reminded Jephthah that his people had been 
driven from their land along the Jordan by the Israelites, and demanded its 
restoration, for which he had now come to fight. Jephthah sent his mes¬ 
sengers again to tell the Ammonites that what Israel possessed God had given 
them, and as a taunt to their idolatry he submitted that they might take all 
their god Chemosh would give them, but Israel would retain their own pos¬ 
sessions; and he called upon Jehovah to be a judge between them. 

Foreseeing the result of his second message, which was equivalent to 
a challenge, Jephthah mustered all the Israelites that were in Gilead and 
Manasseh, and bringing them to the rendezvous at Mizpeh, prepared to give 
battle to his enemies. Before setting out, however, he made a rash vow, 
whereby he promised if God would give him the victory, that upon his return 
home he would devote to Jehovah, as a burnt offering, whatsoever came forth 
from his door to meet him. The object of such a vow is difficult to discover, 
since it seems to contemplate the sacrifice of some member of his family, for 
what else would be most likely to come out of his house to meet him ? Yet 
the sequel proves that the fulfilment of his promise brought upon him the 
greatest sorrow r . 

Having recorded his vow, Jephthah marched against the children of 
Ammon, whom he defeated not only in the first battle, but pursued them until 
he had captured twenty of their cities, and so broke their power that Israel 
possessed their lands in peace until the time of the reign of Saul. 

Having won the victory and been made judge of all Gilead, Jephthah 
returned to his* city, Mizpeh, and was met by his beautiful daughter, who had 
just issued forth from his house to greet him. She had heard of her father’s 
renown, and in the pride of her heart, desiring to attest her love and glad¬ 
ness, she came forward dancing, and playing upon timbrels, to signalize his 
triumph and to receive his caresses. She was his only child, and the Biblical 
account leads us to believe that he lavished upon her all the fondness a doting 
father is capable of bestowing; what, therefore, must have been his feelings in 
the remembrance of the rash vow which he had made to Jehovah? In the 
bitter anguish of his heart he said to his daughter, “ Alas ! thou hast brought 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


169 


me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me ; for I have opened 
my mouth unto the Lord and I cannot go back.” She appears to have fully 
comprehended the awful import of his words, for with that wonderful resig¬ 
nation which sustains the trusting child and the devoted followers of God, she 
made reply : “ My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to 
me according to that which proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the 
Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of 
Ammon.” And she said unto her father, “Let this thing be done for me; let 
me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and 
bewail my girlhood, I and my fellows.” And he said, “ Go.” 

There are few incidents recorded in the Bible so pathetic as this, nor are 
there any which exhibit such peaceful resignation to the will of a father, or 
of.God. It is much to be regretted that the name of this noble character is 
not given, for it deserves perpetuation with that of Miriam, Ruth and Mary. 

When the. devoted daughter had spent two months with her companions 
on the mountains, she returned to her father and told him to execute the 
promise which he had made to Jehovah. We would expect Jephthah to call 
upon God to set aside the vow, and to relieve him of the monstrous crime of 
murdering his daughter; or that God would stay his hand at the last moment, 
as He did that of Abraham when the knife was uplifted to take the life . of 
his son Isaac; but nothing occurred to prevent the fulfilment of the promise, 
for Jephthah “ did with her according to the vow which he had vowed. 

The sacrifice of the loving, dutiful girl having been accomplished, the 
lamentable circumstance was made memorable by the establishing of a custom 
whereby on every anniversary of the execution the daughters of Israel went 
out to some designated spot, and there remained for four days in mourning 
for Jephthah’s only daughter. 

THE REBELLION AGAINST JEPHTHAH. 

Although Jephthah had gained a decisive victory, and had been exalted 
for his prowess, he was not long permitted to enjoy the fruits of his position 
in peace. The Ephraimites, who were not called to engage against the 
Ammonites, became jealous, and calling the men of Gilead outcasts of the 
house of Joseph, threatened to burn Jephthah’s house over his head. But 
Jephthah sent his army against them and put them to rout after a sharp 
skirmish, and the men of Gilead took possession of the fords of the Jordan over 
which the Ephraimites had to pass. Here, in order to determine whether 
those who attempted to cross were Gileadites or Ephraimites, the holders of 
the fords provided a singular test. Every one who demanded a passage west¬ 
ward was asked, “ Are you an Ephraimite ? ” If the reply was “ No,” he was 
required to pronounce the word Shibboleth (meaning a stream or flood), but 
if he should say “ Sibboleth,” which their singular dialect was certain to make 
the Ephraimites do, then he was immediately put to death. The loss to the 
Ephraimites in their uprising against Jephthah was terrible, amounting to 




170 THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

forty-two thousand men. Jephthah ruled Israel over six years, when he died 
and was buried in Mount Gilead. 

Of the three judges who came after Jephthah there is little said in the 
Bible. Their rule extended over a period of twenty-five years, during which 
time there was comparative peace in Israel, and neither judge did anything to 
distinguish himself. 







71 IJazarite unto God. 


m: 





CHAPTER XIV. 


THE STORY OF SAMSON—HIS BIRTH. 

ET it be borne in mind, while pursuing the subjects as they 
are introduced in the Bible narrative, that the 
events are not recorded in their sequence, but very 
frequently appear inverted ; that is, the latter event 
often precedes the earlier; so that if this fact is 
overlooked the reader is liable to become confused 
in his interpretations. But a greater liability to 
confusion lies in the general statement which so 
frequently occurs in the Bible as follows : “ And 
the children of Israel did evil again in the sight 
of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into 
the hands of their enemies.” This must not be 
understood as implying that all the twelve tribes 
of Israel were in sin and became subjugated at 
the same time. By the apportionment of Joshua, 
all the land of Canaan, or Palestine, was given 
to the Israelites, so that the tribes became scattered all over the country. 
Therefore, the statement just quoted usually has reference to only two or three 
of the tribes, as we have seen that during the time of Gideon and Jephthah and 
other judges, only a few of the tribes were involved in wars with the Midianites, 
Amalekites and Ammonites, the other tribes occupying a district too remote 
from the scene of conflict to participate. With these facts kept well in mind 
there will be no obscurity in the manner in which the Bible introduces the 
subjects of Israel’s triumphs and defeats. 

In the southern part of Palestine some important events occurred a few 
years previous to the exploits of Jephthah, chief of which was the institution 
of idolatry again among the Israelites and their punishment by the Philistines. 
The story of their subjugation and oppressions is so similar to those several 

.(171) 



















172 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


times before related that it is sufficient now to observe that the Philistines 
were their masters for a period of forty years. By this fact we judge that the 
sins of the Israelites must have been very great, for the term of their punish¬ 
ment was equal to the life of a generation, by which we infer that God suffered 
nearly all those who had transgressed His laws to die, and provided a deliverer 
only for their children. 

" The deliverer whom the Lord chose to destroy the mastership which the 
Philistines exercised over the Israelites was a person of lowly birth, but oi 
uncommon power, such as no man ever before or since possessed. Concerning 
his nativity, we are told that a certain man, whose name was Manoah, and 
who belonged to the tribe of Danites, had a wife that had never borne him 
any children, which was a disgrace in Israel, for the greatest glory of Jewish 
women was to bear children to their husbands. This poor woman, no doubt, 
suffered from many taunts hurled at her by her neighbors, and it was possibly 
for this reason that God chose to comfort her. The Lord appeared to her one 
day and promised that she should soon bear a son who would, from his birth 
begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines ; at the same time 
cautioning her against eating any unclean thing or the drinking of any wine 
or strong drink. The same abstinence was demanded of the child, who should 
also never suffer his hair to be shorn. 

When the Lord had spoken to Manoah’s wife He disappeared, while she 
hastened to tell the glad news to her husband. Manoah was greatly pleased 
at the promise that had been made, for he had long wished for a son, but he 
was very anxious to see the Divine messenger that had appeared to his wife,, 
and prayed that God would manifest Himself to him. Jehovah answered 
Manoah’s prayer by appearing to him in human form, but the good man de¬ 
tected the Divine spirit that dwelt in the presence before him, and urged the 
angel to accept his hospitality. The messenger thereupon ordered Manoah to 
make a burnt-offering to God, which he did by killing a kid and making a 
sacrifice of it. As the flames came up from the altar about the offering, the 
angel rose upward and disappeared before Manoah’s sight. 

In due time a child was born, as the Lord had promised, to whom Manoah 
gave the name of Samson, meaning great joy , according to some Hebrew scholar ? 
but Josephus declares the word to mean strong. 

When Samson had grown to man’s estate some of the tribes of Israelites 
were serving under Philistine taskmasters, and their spirits were broken, 
scarcely hoping for a deliverer, and so corrupted by natural follies and their 
degraded condition, that they had quite forgotten Jehovah. 

The first exhibition of the power which God had given to Samson occurred 
in the camp of Danites, which was in the central highlands, but what this 
manifestation was we are not told. Not long afterward he became conscious 
of his marvellous strength, and, stung to madness by the reproaches heaped 
upon his people, he began to seek a quarrel with the Philistines. With this 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


17 6 


end In view he accompanied his parents to a cit}^ called Timnath, where the 
I nilistines were holding a great festival. Instead, however, of engaging in a 
fight, he fell so deeply in love with a Philistine maid, whom he met there, 
that he besought his parents to procure her for his wife. This request they 
for a long time refused, because she was not a Hebrew, but his persuasion 
finally prevailed and he married her. 

SAMSON DESTROYS A LION. 

On one occasion, while Samson was returning from a visit to his parents 
to his wife in Timnath, he was attacked by a great lion which meant to de¬ 
vour him ; but although Samson had no weapon, he seized the mighty beast, 
and with the powerful grip of his arm strangled it; he then threw the carcass 
into a piece of woods which bordered the highway. 

It was not a great while after Samson’s fight with the lion that he was 
again passing along the same road, when he spied the beast’s carcass and per¬ 
ceived that a swarm of bees had made of it a hive, wherein Samson found a 
quantity of honey, some of which he ate and took also pieces to his wife. 

The astonishing strength of this wonderful man gave great concern to the 
Philistines, who were in constant dread of his enmity; so, under pretense of 
doing him honors appropriate to his renown, they gave him thirty stout youths 
for servants, whose real duty, however, was to act as a guard over him. 
Shortly after his marriage, at a festival given by him, these thirty youths were 
making merry and disporting themselves in many ways, when Samson said to 
them: “ Come, if I propose you a riddle, and you can expound it in these seven 
days, I will give you every one a linen shirt and a garment, as the reward of 
your wisdom.” He then propounded the following: 

“ Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth 
sweetness.” 

Being extremely anxious to solve this riddle, but not being able to discover 
the answer themselves, they went to his wife and tried to induce her to gain the 
secret from her husband. For some time she refused, but when the thirty 
threatened to burn her if she did not do their bidding, she prevailed on Samson 
to tell her the answer, and gave the reply to the thirty. At the end of seven 
days, when they had come into the presence of Samson, they said to him : “ What 
is sweeter than honey ? and what is stronger than a lion ? 

Samson knew immediately that his wife had betrayed his secret, and told 
the young men as much; nevertheless, he did not try to evade his promise, 
for immediately he went to the city of Askelon, where he killed thirty Philis¬ 
tines, whom he divested of clothing and sent it to the thirty as their reward. 

SAMSON TURNS LOOSE THREE HUNDRED FOXES AND SPREADS A FIRE. 

His wife’s betrayal incensed Samson so greatly that he left Timnath and 
returned to his father’s house; but very soon the old love for his wife revived, 


174 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


and he went back to claim her. Upon arriving at Timnath, his father-in-law met 
him with the cruel information that his wife had been given in marriage to one 
of his thirty groomsmen during his absence, but offered to make amends for the wrong 
done him by giving him a younger and more beautiful daughter for wife instead. 

Samson rejected his father-in-law’s proposal, and resolving upon revenge 
directed against all Philistines, he captured three hundred jackals, which he 
tied together in pairs by the tails; between each pair he fastened a burning 
brand, and then turned the whole troop loose in the fields of the Philistines 
among the standing corn, which was just ready for harvesting. By this means 
a great fire was spread that burned up not only all the corn, but vineyards 
and olive trees as well. This wanton act of Samson’s was avenged upon his 
former wife and her relations, whom the Philistines seized and promptly 
burned. This cruelty further inflamed Samson, who now went against his ene¬ 
mies, and, by the force of his marvellous might, slew many hundred of them 
in the plains. Having done this, he took refuge on the top of a large rock at 
Etam, in the territory of Judah. 

SAMSON’S EXPLOIT WITH THE JAW-BONE OF AN ASS. 

When the Philistines discovered the place of Samson’s retreat, they went 
in a large army into Judah and demanded of the Judahites that they sur¬ 
render the strong man to them. This demand alarmed the Judahites, for they 
were not equal in fighting strength to the Philistines, and to avoid a conflict 
they went to Samson and begged that he would suffer himself to be bound 
and delivered to the Philistines, else their country would be ravaged for no 
sin which they had committed. Though Samson was conscious of his power, 
he permitted himself to be bound with two strong cords, first exacting a 
promise from the Judahites that they would not side with the Philistines. He 
was now led captive to the Philistine camp, and as they saw him approaching, 
apparently in a helpless condition, with shouts of joy they came out to take 
him. The spirit of God now came upon Samson, who broke his bonds, and 
with the jaw-bone of an ass, which he found lying at his feet, he sprang 
upon the Philistines, and thrashing on every side, he killed several thousand 
and put the rest to flight. 

For his success in beating so many of his enemies, Samson refused to 
give God the credit, becoming so vain as to believe that he had done it by his 
own unaided exertion. But God now afflicted him with a great thirst, until, 
in his agony, Samson prayed for pardon, perceiving that nothing could avail 
him save God’s help. Then the Lord caused a spring to burst out of a rock, 
at which Samson refreshed himself and called the place Jaw-bone, which name 
it retained in the time of Josephus. 

SAMSON CARRIES OFF THE GATES OF A CITY. 

After the slaughter at Jaw-bone, Samson went to the city of Gaza, where 
he put up at a certain inn. The Philistines, learning of his presence there, 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


175 


formed a plan to capture him, which, however, miscarried, as had all their 
former efforts. They surrounded the city and barred all the great iron gates, 
besides placing men to guard every avenue, but iu the night Samson, having 
been apprised of their plans, got up from his lodging and ran with such force 
against the gates that they were thrown down, with the post and beams that 
supported them; to show his strength to his enemies he then picked up the 
gates and carried them upon his shoulders to a neighboring mountain near 
Hebron. This wonderful act struck such terror into the Philistines that they 
did not attempt to dispute his way, looking only to their own safety. 

HE IS AT LAST OVERCOME BY HIS ENEMIES. 

The many favors which Jehovah showed him should have inclined Sam¬ 
son's heart to proper reverence and obedience, but instead, he neglected to 
exercise his power always for the glory of God or the good of his people. He 
at length fell into evil ways, broke even the laws of his own country, and 
adopted many of the abominable customs of the Philistines, notwithstanding 
they had always been his enemies. 

It was no doubt sinful in Samson in taking his first wife from among 
the Philistines, as circumstances proved the folly of the act; but experience 
failed to make him any wiser, for he fell in love with another Philistine 
woman, one, too, of the lowest character, who at length compassed his down¬ 
fall. Her name was Delilah, and as the Bible represents her as having been 
a most beautiful woman, it is not improbable that, despite her loose morals, 
she may have occupied a high social position among her people. Her qualities 
of beauty and accomplishments exercised so potent an influence upon Samson 
that he became plastic in her hands, moving him as she chose. The Philis¬ 
tines, observing this, bribed Delilah to obtain from him the secret of his 

strength and betray it to them. She seems to have cared very little for her 

Herculean lover, for she entered heartily into the scheme proposed. When, 
therefore, a suitable occasion was presented, she urged Samson to tell her in 
what charm lay his wonderful strength. In order to delude her, he replied 
that if he were bound with seven withes of a certain green vine his strength 
would be as that of other men. She hastened to tell the Philistines, who 
stationed a number of soldiers in ambush, and there waited until Delilah plied 
him with strong drink till he fell asleep. The soldiers then bound him as he 
had prescribed. She now awakened him, as if in great alarm, by shouting in 
his ear that the people were upon him. He roused up in a maudlin condition 
and broke the withes as if they had been threads. 

When her first artifice failed Delilah reproached Samson for his want of 
confidence, and for having deluded her, and then renewed her persuasions 
until he told her that if she would bind him with new cords his strength 

would depart. Again she tried to betray him to the Philistines, but with no 

better success than before. Pretending now to be sorely hurt by his decep- 


176 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


tion, and withal charging him with entertaining no love for her, she at length 
obtained his confidence, and he told her truly tnat God had taken care ol him, 



DELILAH DECEIVES SAMSON. 


and “ thence it is that I suffer my hair to grow, God having charged me never 
to poll my head, and thence my strength is according to the increase and 
cont ; nuance of my hair.” He further said that if she would braid his hair 



























































































































































178 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


and then cut it off his strength would be no greater than that of any othei 
man. Believing that he spoke the truth, she lulled him to sleep with his. 
head resting in her lap, and then braiding his hair clipped it from his head. 
When she now awakened him the soldiers rushed in and easily bound him, 
for he had lost his strength, and when taken to the place of judgment his 
eyes were put out, and he was afterward led about the streets an object of 
public derision. 

PULLING DOWN THE TEMPLE OF DAGON. 

But the Philistines continued their cruel exhibition too long, for Samson’s 
hair grew out again, and with its increase all his former strength returned. 
When his power had become as great as before there was a great public 
festival given, which was attended by the most eminent Philistines in the 
whole country. In their feasting and revelling they sent for Samson, in order 
to make sport of his shorn strength and helpless condition. The place in 
which this festival was given was called the Temple of Dagon, and one of the 
rooms of the temple, in which the revels were being held, was supported by 
two immense pillars extending from the foundation to the roof, and were its 
chief supports, as Samson had perceived before he had been deprived of his 
sight. 

After the Philistines had amused themselves for some time with Samson, 
whose shame and anger were now fairly consuming him, he requested the boy 
who had been leading him about to conduct him to a seat beside the pillars, 
as he was very tired and desired to rest awhile. As soon as he was brought 
to touch the pillars he put his arms out against them with such power that 
they were broken asunder and the entire building was overthrown, crashing 
down and burying in one common ruin three thousand men that were in the 
temple, and with them perished Samson also. 




CHAPTER XV. 

THE STORY OF NAOMI AND RUTH. 

Ruth. 

who had been acting as high-priest, upon the 
death of Samson became judge of Israel, whose 
rule was not distinguished for any great wisdom, 
and who is chiefly remembered in Jewish history 
by reason of the iniquity and terrible fate of his 
two sons. But during Eli’s administration a fam¬ 
ine prevailed throughout the land, which bore with 
such severity upon the people that a large num¬ 
ber were forced to emigrate to save themselves from 
starvation. Among those who thus changed their 
abode was a man named Elimelech, who lived in 
Bethlehem with his wife, Naomi, and his two sons, Chilion and Mahlon. He 
went to the land of Moab, where his affairs v/ere all prosperous, and after a 
little while he married his sons to two Moabitish maidens, named Orpah and Ruth. 

Elimelech continued to prosper in the land of Moab for a period of ten 
years, when he fell sick and died, leaving the care of his estate to his two 
sons. But it was only a little while after his death before the two sons also 
died, which double misfortune so deeply distressed Naomi that she decided to 
return to Bethlehem, where many of her friends still lived, especially as the 
famine had now disappeared and the harvests there were again abundant. 

Though Elimelech had greatly prospered while in the land of Moab, he 
must have left behind him only a small estate, for when Naomi decided to 
return to Bethlehem her possessions were so small that it was with much 
difficulty she managed to subsist. When she was upon the point of starting, 
both Orpah and Ruth desired greatly to accompany her, having become so 

(179) 






























180 


l HE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


much attached to her that they were quite ready to leave their own friends and 
kindred and go to a strange land, esteeming the companionship of their good 
mother-in-law above all other attachments. This love greatly affected Noami, 
but she, nevertheless, sought to persuade her daughters-in-law against their 
expressed determination, reminding them of the uncertainty which such a trip 
might entail; that perhaps, her old friends were now dead and her early 
acquaintances moved away or had forgotten her; besides, she urged, it were 

better for them to remain among 
their kinsmen rather than trust 
themselves upon a journey from 
whence they might never re¬ 
turn. This argument finally 
persuaded Orpah to remain, 
but Ruth replied, out of the 
fervor of her great love: “ En¬ 
treat me not to leave thee, or 
to return from following after 
thee; for whither thou goest I 
will go; and where thou lodgest 
I will lodge ; thy people shall 
be my people, and thy God my 
God; where thou diest I will 
die, and there will I be buried; 
the Lord do so to me, and more 
also, if aught but death part 
thee and me.” 

When Naomi saw that Ruth 
was determined to go with her, 
which she no doubt secretly 
desired, the two journeyed for¬ 
ward together and in due time 
arrived at Bethlehem. When 
her old friends, of whom many 
yet remained in the town, saw 
her, they greeted her with much 
affection, saying, “Is this Naomi?” To which she replied, “Call me not 
Naomi, call me Mara (meaning She who weeps or laments ), for the Almighty hath 
dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me 
home again empty.” 

Naomi returned to Bethlehem at the beginning of harvest time, and having 
nothing upon which to feed herself, being so extremely poor, she sent Ruth 
to glean after the reapers in the fields of a rich man named Boaz, who was a 
kinsman of Elimelech. It was customary in Judah to allow poor people to fol 



NAOMI AND HER DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW. 














ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


181 



low the harvesters, and gather up the few straws of grain which were left on 
the ground after the reapers had passed over it. This was called gleaning. 
While Ruth was thus engaged picking up the stray straws Boaz came out 
into the field, and seeing the girl, who was very beautiful, inquired of his 
workmen what damsel it was; to which they replied that it w*as a Moabitish 
girl who had come into Bethlehem with Naomi, and had in the morning asked 
of them permission to glean. Boaz now approached her and told her not to go 
into anv other field to glean, but to continue after his harvesters and with his 
maidens, and when she was 
thirsty to drink from the 
vessels used by his young 
men. This kindness, so 
unexpected, because the 
poor of Judah were not 
generally treated with such 
compassion, Ruth did not 
understand, and she asked 
why she, being a stranger 
to him, should find so 
much grace in his eyes. 

Then Boaz answered that 
he had been told of her 
love for Naomi, and of how 
she had left her kinsmen 
to follow her mother-in-law 
into a strange land, trusting 
to the Lord for shelter. 

When Ruth had expressed 
her thanks, Boaz went 
among his reapers and 
told them to allow the 
damsel to ' gather from 
among the sheaves, so that 

she might take away all ruth gleaning in the field of boaz. 

the grain she wanted, and 


in addition to this he gave her food in plenty from the harvest baskets. 

In the evening Ruth returned to Naomi, carrying with her an ephah— 
equal to one bushel and a half—of threshed barley, and related all that had 
befallen her in the field of Boaz. At the mention of this name, Naomi told 
Ruth that he was a near kinsman, whose kindness was very great, since he 
had not forgotten the living and the dead. 

In accordance with Boaz’s wish, Ruth continued gleaning in the same 
field until the end of the harvest, taking away each day all the grain she 








182 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



could carry. When at length threshing time came, Ruth, following the advice 
of Naomi, went in the night to a barn where Boaz was sleeping, and, uncover¬ 
ing his feet, lay down by 
him. About midnight 
Boaz was awakened, and 
discovering a woman lying 
at his feet, was alarmed, 
and cried out, “ Who art 
thou ?” She answered him 
with becoming meekness, 
telling him of her kin¬ 
ship to him and desiring to 
be covered with his skirts. 

The humility and fidelity of Ruth greatly increased Boat’s respect for her, 

who now told the girl that 
he would be her protector, 
calling her his “daughter ” 
to assure her of his good 
^intentions; saying, also, “I 
i will do to thee all that thou 
C requirest, for all the city of 
my people doth know that 
thou art a virtuous woman.” 
He then reminded her that 
there were kinsmen nearer 
to her than himself, whom he 
would ask to do to her a 
^ kinsman’s part; but if the } 7 
refused, he would then him¬ 
self do the part of a kinsman. 

It was a custom among the 
Israelites, according to a law 
given by Moses, that upor 
the death of a husband his 
nearest of male kin took the 
widow for wife, for it was a reproach for any woman to 
live single. It was to this law that Boaz referred when he 
told Ruth if her nearest of kin refused to take her, then 
he would himself espouse her. 

When the interview with Boaz terminated, he gave Ruth 
six measures of barley and sent her again to Naomi, who, 
being apprised of all that had passed between them, bade her daughter-in-law 
to wait the fulfilment of what had been promised, assuring her that Boaz 
would not rest until he had made good all hi?, assurances. 







ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


183 


Early in the morning Boaz went up to the gate of the city and there sat. 
down, that he might talk with any of the kinsman who should pass in or out. 
As each came by Boaz called to him and urged him to sit down, until all the 
near kinsmen of Naomi had been assembled about him; he next called ten 
elders of the city, whom he also bade to sit by him, and when the party was 
complete Boaz told the kinsmen that Naomi had returned to Bethlehem after 
selling a parcel of land which was Elimelech’s, which he called upon them to 
redeem, as next of kin, but in case they refused to redeem it. then, as second 
of kin, he would do so him¬ 
self. This was also accord¬ 
ing to a custom long prac¬ 
tised by the Israelites, by 
which the inheritance of 
one generation was trans¬ 
mitted intact, or increased, 
to another. 

When Boaz had given 
these kinsmen notice to re¬ 
deem the land, or renounce 
their claim in his favor, 
they all replied that they 
could not make the redemp¬ 
tion without sacrificing 
some of their own inheri¬ 
tance. This was the reply 
which it was evident Boaz 
desired them to make, for 
all his actions prove that 
he was deeply in love with 
Ruth from the time he 
first saw her gleaning in 
his field. He now called 
all the elders and people 
to witness that he would 
Chilion’s and Mahlon’s of the land of Naomi, and with this promise he also 
claimed, of right, the beautiful Ruth, by whom he would perpetuate the inheri¬ 
tance of the two sons of Naomi. So Boaz espoused Ruth before all the people, 
and he took both her and Naomi to his house, where he cared for them. In 
due course of time Ruth bore Boaz a son, which Naomi took to her own bosom 
and became a nurse to it. The neighbors gave to this child the name of Obed, 
which signifies servant , as it was prophesied that he should become a servant of 
the Lord. Obed became, as we shall hereafter see, the father of Jesse, who was 
in,turn the father of David, through whom the descent is traced to Jesus Christ, 













| Kaue fepit Sim to tSe fiorel. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE STORY OF SAMUEL, THE FIRST PROPHET. 

i Samuel. 

story of Samuel, the successor of Eli, the fifteenth 
and last judge of Israel, and the first in the succes¬ 
sion of prophets, is one of the most interesting re¬ 
lated in the Bible. His descent is uncertain, because, 
while the Bible tells us that his father was an 
Ephraimite, his genealogy shows him to have been 
a descendant of a Levite of the family of Kohathites. 
Samuel’s father, Elkanah, we are told, had two wives, 
one of whom, Peninnah, bore him several children, 
while the other, Hannah, was barren; but for all this 
Elkanah loved her better than he did Peninnah, and 
at the annual festivals given at the sacrifices at Shiloh, 
he allowed her a double portion. This preference excited Peninnah’s jealousy, 
so that she taunted Hannah for her barrenness and in every manner possible 
made her condition intolerable. At length in the fulness of her sorrow Hannah 
went to the Tabernacle, where Eli was high-priest, and fell to praying to God 
for a son, promising that if one were given her she would consecrate him to 
the Lord. She contined so long at prayer that Eli thought she was disordered 
by drink, and tried to drive her away, but she then told him her troubles and 
so gained his pity that he bade her be of good cheer for God would send her 
children. 

The consoling words of Eli greatly encouraged Hannah, who returned to 
her husband in gladness, and within a year she bore a son whom she named 
Samuel, signifying Asked oj God. When she next went to the Tabernacle to 
offer sacrifices she remembered her promise and accordingly dedicated Samuel 

(184) 









ILLUSTRATED BIgLE COMMENTARY. 


185 


to God that he might become a prophet. He was therefore brought up iu 
the Temple, his hair was left uncut and his drink was nothing but water, as 
was the custom in the raising up of those appointed for the priesthood. 

Hannah bore two other sons and three daughters, and she was abundantly 
blessed by God for keeping her promise. 

When Samuel was twelve years of age he was ready to begin prophesying, 
so God called to him while he was asleep, but believing it was the voice of 
Eli he got up hastily and went to the high-priest, to know what was wanted 
of him. Eli told him he had not called, so Samuel lay down again, but was 
soon aroused by a second call, when, returning again to Eli to know what was 
wanted, he was a second and even a third time told that no one had called. 
But Eli perceived that some one had spoken, and told Samuel that if he should 
hear the voice again it was surely God who spoke, and ordered him to answer. 
So God called to him again, and 
Samuel answered Him, u Here am 
I.” Then the Lord told him to 
prophesy of the evils that were 
to come upon the Israelites, and 
how Eli’s sons would be slain 
and the priesthood transferred to 
the family of Eleazar. All the 
things which God told him he 
repeated to Eli at the latter’s 
request, for he did not like to 
be the bearer of such ill news 

. RUINS OF SHII.OH AS THEY APPEAR TO-DAY. 

to the high-pnest. 

The glory of Samuel now spread rapidly, for all the prophecies that he 
made came to pass in due season, and he was hailed by all the Jews as their 
true prophet. 

It was directly after the beginning of the prophesying of Samuel that the 
Philistines went to war against the Israelites, who had incurred God’s anger 
by reason of their idolatry and other transgressions. Eli’s two sons made them¬ 
selves specially obnoxious by worshipping publicly the idol Ashtaroth, and 
committing other equally great sins, which Eli took no steps to punish, hold¬ 
ing them so highly in his favor that he preferred his wicked sons to the love 
of God. 

The next day after the Philistines had made their camp at Aphek, the 
Israelites engaged them in battle, but were defeated with a loss of four thousand 
men. After this defeat the Hebrews became afraid of their enemies, who were 
pressing them sorely. At length the sons of Eli, and other elders in Israel, 
thought they might overcome the Philistines by bringing the ark and setting it 
in their midst during battle. They remembered the power God had shown 
in protecting those who had followed the ark, and how His holy presence was 










186 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


never removed from it, but they did uot reflect that it was their profanation of 
the ark and their manifold transgressions against God which were the cause of 
the punishment that was now being sent upon them. 

But as they had wished, the ark was brought from the temple and carried 
before the Israelitish host. At sight of the ark the Philistines were greatly 
concerned, for they had heard of the miracles that had been performed by 
its presence; but nevertheless they fell upon the Israelites with the fury of 
despair, killing thirty thousand, and routing the rest, and also captured the 
ark, which they proudly bore away. Among the Israelites who were slain that 
day were the two wicked sons of Eli, as Samuel had predicted. 

A certain young Benjaminite was deputed to act as messenger to carry the 
news of the defeat to Shiloh, which was the place in which Eli sat in judg¬ 
ment, and where the ark was kept before it was taken into battle. As the 
people of Shiloh, heard, through the messenger, what had happened, they filled 
the city with their lamentations. Eli, who sat upon a high throne by one of 
the gates, hearing the cry of mourning, thought some ill thing had happened 
to his family, and to know the facts he sent for the messenger. When he 
heard that his sons were slain he did not show any grief, having been 
already apprised by the prophecy of Samuel of how they should end their 
days; but when he was told that the ark was captured and taken away, the 
news so distressed him that he fell from his seat upon the stones below and 
broke his neck. Eli was a very large man, and ninety-eight years of age at the 
time of his death, and had been judge for forty years. 

On the same day that the fatal accident happened to Eli, the wife of his 
son Phinehas, being unable to support the information of her husband’s death, 
was brought to bed by the excitement, where she gave birth to a seven-month’s 
child, and died immediately after the pangs of labor had passed. This child 
lived and received the name of Ichabod, which means disgrace , because of the 
disgrace which Israel had suffered at this time. 

HOW THE PHILISTINES SUFFERED WHILE POSSESSING THE ARK. 

When the Philistines bore away the ark of Israel they took it to their 
temple in Ashdod, and set it up beside their own god, which was called Dagon. 
This idol was made to resemble a man above the middle and a fish below, to 
personify its rulership over land and water. In the morning, when the Philis¬ 
tines came to worship, what was their surprise to find poor Dagon lying 
prostrate, as if in attitude of supplication before the ark. Though they 
restored him time and again to his base, every morning they found him lying 
prone before the ark, and finally sadly disordered, his head and hands having 
been broken off. 

The misfortunes of Dagon failed to prove to the Philistines their iniquity 
in retaining the ark, so that God sent a terrible plague among them, by which 
the people died in great torment, while myriads of mice sprang out of the earth 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


187 


and destroyed all the fruits and plants, until their dreadful afflictions at last 
admonished the Philistines that their disasters were due to the ark, and they 
now clamored for its removal from Ashdod. Askelon was a neighboring city in 
which the people were persuaded that the sufferings of their neighbors at Ashdod 
were due to natural causes, and they therefore desired that the ark be brought 
to them, which was accordingly done. 

But hardly had the ark rested in Askelon, when the people of that place 
became afflicted with calamities similar to those that had so grievously punished 
the people of Ashdod. It was therefore speedily removed again to another 
city, and was thus carried to five different cities, in each of which the plagues 
spread, until the Philistines were convinced it was the ark that bread the dis¬ 
eases which appeared and disappeared with its coming and going. 

HOW THE PHILISTINES RETURNED THE ARK. 

The disposition of the ark became now so serious a matter that the gov¬ 
ernors of the five principal Philistine cities, Gath, Ekron, Askelon, Gaza and 
Ashdod, met in solemn council to 
consider what was best to be done. 

In this council there were some who 
advocated sending the ark immedi¬ 
ately away, while others declared 
that the visitations from which they 
had suffered were not due to the 
ark, as many believed, for if God 
had so much regard for it, He 
would not have suffered it to fall 
into their hands; and they were 
therefore in favor of retaining it. 

But there was a third party, 
who said that it was neither right 
to send the ark away nor retain it, 
but advocated the dedication of five golden images, one lor each city, as a 
thank-offering to God for having spared their lives from the distempers spread 
among them. They also desired that five golden mice might be made, which 
they advised the governors to have placed in a bag and laid upon the ark. 
Also that a new cart be made, to which a yoke of milch-kine should be 
attached, but that the calves be kept from following after their dams, and 
driven to the spot where three roads met. Upon reaching such a place 
it was recommended that the cows be allowed to select their own way. If 
the cows should go toward the Hebrews it would be taken as a proof that 
the ark had been the cause of their misfortunes, but should they go either of 
the other ways they recommended that the ark be taken back to their cities, 
since it might be accepted as an evidence that the plagues were in no wise 





188 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


the result of the ark’s presence. The suggestions of these latter advocates 
found such general sanction that they were at once put into effect. 

The kine were harnessed to the ark and driven to where three ways met, 
when, being left to select their own route, they went directly toward the 
Israelites until they came to a village in Judah called Bethshemesh, the Philis¬ 
tines following in the mean time to see what would befall their enterprise. 
When the ark came in sight of the village all the people of the country left 
off working and came flocking out to greet it and express their joy. They ran 
to the cart, and taking the ark and the vessels containing the images and 
golden mice, set them upon a rock that stood in the plain. Here now they 
killed the cows and burned the cart as a splendid sacrifice to God, which, the 
Philistines seeing, they turned back, satisfied in their own minds that the ark 
was Israel’s and a plague to other people. 

While the people about Bethshemesh were making the burnt offering, sev¬ 
enty men, who were participating at the sacrifice, looked into the ark in a pro¬ 
fane manner, possibly coveting the golden images, and were instantly struck 
dead by the hand of God. The Bible tells us that there were smitten at this 
time fifty thousand, three-score and ten men, but in a foot-note in Josephus’ 
works is the following : 

“Theseseventy men, being not so much as Levites, touched the ark in a rash or profane man¬ 
ner, and were slain by the hand of God for such their rashness and profaneness, according to the 
Divine threatenings.—Numb. iv. 15, 20; but how our other copies came to add such an incredible 
number as fifty thousand in this one town or small city, I know not.” See Dr. Wall’s critical 
notes on 1 Sam. vi. 19. 

DELIVERANCE OF THE ISRAELITES THROUGH SAMUEL’S PRAYERS. 

Upon recovering the ark, the Israelites became suddenly conscious of their 
iniquities, and showed such a contrite spirit that Samuel seized the occasion 
to move their hearts yet stronger toward God. He reminded them that the 
source of all their discomfitures was in their own wickedness, and assured them 
that if they really desired to become free from the Philistine yoke, they 
could obtain their wish by being righteous and casting sin out of their souls, 
promising himself as surety for their deliverance if they would but turn to God. 

Samuel’s speech greatly pleased the Israelites, who gave their promise t c 
resign themselves to the will of God, whereupon Samuel assembled them to 
gether at Mizpeh (watch-tower ), where they drew water and poured it out as a 
libation to Jehovah, and, after fasting all day, betook themselves to praying. 
In the midst of their prayers, the Israelites were set upon by the Philistines, 
who had observed the great gathering, and who took them by surprise. Being 
wholly unarmed, as well as intimidated by their enemies, the Israelites scat¬ 
tered and fled in terror, coming to Samuel with woeful forebodings on their 
lips, and begging him to intercede with God in their behalf. 

. Samuel bade his people to be of good cheer, since God would assuredly 
assist them according to His promises. So he took a sucking lamb and 


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sacrificed it for the multitude, at the same time praying God to hold His 
protecting hand over them when they should fight with the Philistines. While 
this sacrifice was being made, the Philistines drew near in battle array against 
the unarmed Israelites; but before they had begun an attack, God sent a terrible 
earthquake, which split the earth asunder in many chasms, into which thou¬ 
sands of the Philistines were hurled, while heavy thunder and blinding light¬ 
ning caused those who escaped being ingulfed to drop their weapons and flee 
in confusion. The Israelites followed after them, seizing the weapons that had 
been dropped, with which they killed many others, and drove the remainder 
as far as Bethcar [house of lambs). This great victory, secured by the direct 
aid of God, was duly celebrated by praises, and a memorial stone was set up 
as a remembrance of the Philistines’ flight, which was called Eben-ezer (the 
stone of power ). 

Soon after this battle, Samuel headed an expedition into the enemies’ 
country, which was so successful that, besides slaying great numbers of the 
Philistines, he humbled the others, and dispossessed them of all the lands they 
had acquired from the Jews by conquest, and gave peace to all of Palestine 
during the remaining days of his rulership. In recognition of the services of 
Samuel, he was honored by appointment to the office of Judge of Israel, in 
which position he acted with great justice and became almost an oracle to the 
people of neighboring countries. His life would have been doubtless a happy 
one throughout but for the misconduct of his sons, who will be mentioned 
again hereafter, as well as the acts of Samuel also. 

THE ISRAELITES DEMAND A KING. 

Samuel ruled Israel somewhat differently from the administration of former 
judges, for while he held his personal court at Ramah, he appointed a court 
in every city and district, which he attended twice every year. But after a 
time he grew too old to conveniently make these semi-annual circuits, and to 
relieve himself from the labor, he committed the government to the care of his 
two sons, the elder of whom was called Joel, and the younger Abiah. 

He sent one to the city of Bethel and the other to Beersheba, and made 
each district distinct and answerable to the judgment of the respective sons. 
They had not long held the reins of government, however, before they fell 
into extravagances that required expenditures greater than their proper incomes 
could provide, and, as a consequence, they became corrupt and venal; they per¬ 
verted justice for gifts and bribes, and thus oppressed the people to provide 
luxuries for themselves, until at length the masses could endure their shame¬ 
less conduct no longer. Taking counsel therefore among the elders, some of 
the Israelites brought their complaints to Samuel, whom they begged to 
relieve them of their oppressions by appointing a king to reign over them and 
manage their affairs after the manner of the neighboring Macedonian kings. 

Samuel was much distressed by the urgent request of the people, and for 


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many nights took no rest for troubling over the affairs which had been brought 
to his attention. He, like Gideon, would have told the people that Jehovah 
should alone rule Israel, but he knew that their complaints were well founded 
and therefore such advice would have by no means satisfied them. 

While tormented thus in mind, and resolving what he should do, Samuel 
was called by God, who bade him not despair since it was not he but Himself 
whom the Israelites complained of; God further told him that the people should 
receive fitting punishment for their grumblings and desire for a king. “So I 
command thee,” says the Lord, “to ordain them such a one as I shall name 
beforehand to be their king, when thou hast first described what mischiefs 
kingly government will bring upon them, and openly testified before them into 
what a great change of affairs they are hastening.” 

In the morning, Samuel called the Jews together, and after confessing to 
them that he would ordain a king, told them of the adversities they would 
fall into by reason of such a ruler; showing how, to sustain the government 
and the condition befitting their dignity and exaltation, such kings would draft 
many people into their service, some of whom would be chariot-drivers, others 
archers, guards, runners-before, servants, husbandmen, diggers in the field; 
and equal servitude would be imposed upon the daughters of Israel. But, 
besides this, he assured them that their kings would take away the people’s 
possessions to bestow upon the eunuchs at court, and take the cattle and give 
them to their servants; and, in short, the people would be scarcely superior 
to slaves. He further told them that in time they would sorely repent having 
asked for a king, and would cry to God for deliverance, but that the Lord would 
not hearken to their prayers, rather permitting them to suffer the punishment 
which their evil conduct deserved. 

But to Samuel’s kindly advice and his predictions of what would come to 
pass the people turned a deaf ear, except to admonish him against anticipating 
evils, which they did not believe would follow the ordination of a king. So 
when he saw the Israelites fully determined, Samuel ordered them all to return 
to their several homes, promising to send them a king as soon as he should ^ 
know, from God, whom to appoint. 

SAUL IS ORDAINED KING BY SAMUEL. 

In the city of Gibeah, which was not many leagues distant from Ramah, 
there lived a man named Saul, who was the son of Kish, a wealthy and pow¬ 
erful Benjaminite, who kept many flocks and who brought up his family to 
pastoral pursuits. Saul, at the time of which I write, about 1000 B. C., was 
perhaps forty years of age, for he had grown sons, yet he continued in the 
service of his father, as was the custom in Israel. 

On an occasion some very fine she-asses, which Kish valued more than 
all his other live-stock, broke out of the pasture where they were usually kept 
and wandered away, none knew whither. Learning this fact Kish sent his 


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son Saul, accompanied by a single servant, in search of them. The two set 
out and travelled nearly three days without discovering any trace of the strayed 
asses, which so discouraged Saul that he proposed to return, lest his father’s 
solicitude for his long absence be greater than for the lost animals, but the 
servant replied that they were now near the city of Ramah, where dwelt a 
most renowned prophet, and he proposed that they go to this man and ask 
him the place where they might find the asses. Saul was in no wise averse 
to this suggestion, but 
he remembered that his 
money was spent, and 


he 


therefore had no 
means to pay the seer 
(prophet) for the infor¬ 
mation sought. The ser¬ 
vant, however, had the 
fourth of a shekel and of¬ 
fered to give this, where¬ 
upon the two went on. 

When Saul and his 
servant reached the sub¬ 
urbs of Ramah, they met 
some maidens that were 
going out of the gates to 
fetch water, and these 
they asked for directions 
to the prophet’s house. 

The maidens showed 
them and also bade the 
two to hasten quickly as 
the prophet was about to 
sit down to a feast with 
many invited guests. 

It so happened that 
Samuel had brought sev¬ 
enty-one (according to 
Josephus) of the elders of Israel to feast with him on that day, for the purpose 
of consulting with them concerning the king whom God had promised to send 
at the hour they were to eat. But at the time Saul entered the gates Samuel 
was sitting on his house-top watching for the approach of the Benjaminite who 
was to be ordained as the Lord had declared. As he saw the young man com¬ 
ing, Samuel retired from the house-top and met him, and at that moment God 
revealed to him that the stranger was he who should be ruler of Israel. But 
Saul did not know who it was that had greeted him, for he inquired again the 


SAUE ANNOINTED KING BY SAMUEL*. 















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way to the prophet’s house. Samuel now enlightened him, and the two retired 
into the house, where they presently sat down to supper. But before they had 
begun to sup Samuel told Saul that the asses were found and he should come 
up with them presently, but that greater news was yet in store for him, for he 
had been chosen king of Israel. Saul knew not how to regard this speech of 
Samuel’s, whether it was in jest, to make sport of him before the other guests, 
or in earnest; he therefore asked why he should be made the object of laughter. 
When, however, Saul perceived that Samuel was in earnest, he betrayed much 
modesty by declaring himself too inconsiderable to hope for such great things; 
“besides,” says he, “I am of a tribe too small to have kings made out of it, 
and of a family smaller than several other families.” 

Saul remained all night with Samuel, and in the morning when he 
departed the prophet went a distance with him. When they had come to a 
retired spot Saul was bidden to send his servant on apace, that no one might 
be near; and when they were thus alone, Samuel took a vessel of oil with 
which he anointed Saul king, as the Lord had prescribed. Samuel then told 
him how he would soon meet three men who would inform him where his 
asses might be found ; then, after going as far as Gabatha, he would overtake 
a company of prophets, whereupon he would be seized by the Divine spirit 
and begin prophesying, until all the people would wonder. 

The choice of the people being declared, Saul was commanded to assume 
the office of king; but when the people sought for him to proclaim him their 
sovereign he had disappeared and could not for some time be found. So great 
was the diffidence of his nature that he had hidden himself, and had finally 
to be drawn from the place of his concealment. When he was brought up the 
people saw that he was of majestic size, being a shoulder taller than any of 
his people, and they cried with one voice, “ God save the king! ” 

Being now duly ordained ruler of Israel, Saul returned to his home in 
Gibeah, but not until Samuel had given a new code of laws to the Israelites, 
to which even the king was made subject, and laid it in the sanctuary for the 
guidance of all that should come after. He also prophesied the things which 
should come to pass during the rulership of Saul. The multitude was now 
dismissed, but many went away muttering their dissatisfaction at the choice of 
Saul for king, for jealousies were as common in those days as they are m 
these. 




CHAPTER XVII. 


' THE REIGN OF SAUL.—HIS FIRST BATTLE. 


ERE is little in the Bible concerning Saul until he had 
ruled two years; as, indeed, there was nothing of mate¬ 
rial interest to describe during this time, because all the 
country about was at peace; but now the Philistines 
began to make themselves troublesome again, and had 
planned an invasion, which Saul prepared to resist by 
raising an army of three thousand men. He took com¬ 
mand himself of two thousand, and appointed his son, 
Jonathan, captain over the others. He had scarcely made this 
defensive preparation when a small army of Philistines invaded 
the country, but Saul easily beat them without much loss, how¬ 
ever, to either side. But it is probable that the small army of 
Philistines spoken of were rather sent as spies to see what the 
Israelites were doing under their new king. 

Soon after this event the Ammonites, under command of 
Nabash, laid siege to the city of Jabesh-gilead, and so certain 
were they of effecting its capture that they refused to con¬ 
sider any better terms of surrender than the condition that 
the right eye of ^very person of the city should be put out. 
Under pretense of giving even this hard and shameful con 
dition consideration, the people of Jabesh-gilead asked for a 
seven days’ truce, which was granted. This time was most profitably employed, 
for messengers were at once dispatched to Saul, at Gibeah, for help, who 
delayed not a moment in giving the assistance so badly needed. He forthwith 
issued a call for troops among all the people of Israel, accompanying the 
13 ' (193} 








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order for enlistment with promises of severe punishment upon those who failed 
to respond promptly. In a few days he was thus enabled to assemble an army 
of 330,000 men at Bezek. He now. made a forced march to Jabesh-gilead, 
before which he arrived on the sixth day of the truce, and fell upon the 
Ammonites at night, to their surprise, routing the camp and slaying many 
thousands. As the enemy retreated Saul pursued them throughout the entire 
day until darkness put an end to the slaughter. 

This victory of Saul’s many of his subjects desired to celebrate by putting 
to death all those who had grumbled, in their jealousies, against his ordination 
as king, but he was above the petty spites so often exhibited by his people, 
as with dignity and clemency befitting a king he replied that no man should 
be put to death on the day that Jehovah had saved Israel. 

Samuel’s advice to the people. 

His success as a soldier and mercy as a king put an end to all opposition 
to his ruling, so that Saul was now solemnly ordained by all the tribes at GilgaL 
who had before opposed his reign. At the festival, given soon after, Samuel 
was present and addressed the people, at the same time resigning his judge- 
ship, which office now became abolished by reason of the substitution of a 
monarchy. Being old and full of the Spirit of God, at the same time possess¬ 
ing great love for his people, Samuel spoke to them in a most touching and 
compassionate manner. He first desired from them an acknowledgment of the 
integrity of his judicial administration, which being given, he charged the 
people with ingratitude to God, whom they had grievously sinned against, in 
calling for an earthly king to rule over them, rather than trusting themselves 
to the mighty arm and loving providence of Jehovah. But he reminded them 
that since their requests had been granted, they owed a sovereign allegiance 
to the king of their selecting, respect for whom was necessary to the full 
establishment of the kingdom. He further told them that if they served both 
Jehovah and their king they would attain to all blessings, but if they were 
rebellious the hand of God would punish them as it had their fathers. As an 
evidence of the prophetic character of his utterances, and the inspiration which 
had moved him, he lifted his eyes toward heaven, it being a clear day in har¬ 
vest time, and called God to show the people a sign of His presence by send¬ 
ing a thunder storm out of the sky. No sooner had he spoken than a terrible 
rain came pouring down, accompanied by fearful peals of thunder and dazzling 
flashes of lightning. The people were stricken with fear for their lives at this 
exhibition of Jehovah’s response to Samuel’s prayer, and in terror fell on 
their knees and begged Samuel to avert God’s wrath. He bade them fear not. 
but to keep the Lord’s laws, who would watch over them as long as they lived 
uprightly. 

When Saul had chosen 3000 men at Bethel, as already referred to, it is 
probable that it was his intention to use them as a body-guard, 2000 of whom 


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195 


were to remain with him and the other 1000 to be with his son Jonathan at 
Gibeah. These were no doubt depended upon to serve him loyally in cases of 
insurrection or any emergency, just as we see monarchs of the Old World 
to-day provided with a contingent of loyal soldiers to serve as a body-guard, or 
special protectors of the royal person. 

Jonathan’s great valor. 

It was not long after Saul’s defeat of Nahash that the Philistines recov 
ered from their surprise and rout, and mustered their armies again for another 
contest. A party of the enemy therefore formed a garrison on a hill called 
Geba, which was opposite Saul’s camp at Michmash. Jonathan was first to 
discover their presence, and supposing their object to be to surprise the king, 
sallied out, accompanied by no other person than his armor-bearer, to challenge 
the Philistines to battle. The arms of soldiers at that time being spears,, 
swords and shields, it was quite a common practice for the soldiers of one 
army to challenge those of another to conflict, and such duels were usualty 
witnessed by the two armies without interference, as such fights greatly encour¬ 
aged personal valor. 

When Jonathan went out to challenge the Philistines he seems to have 
been under the guidance of God, for he spoke to his attendant as a prophet, 
telling him, if the Philistines answered his challenge by asking him to wait, 
then it should be taken as a sign that the Lord would not help him ; but if, 
on the other hand, they should cry out to him, “ Come up to us,” then he would 
go up, because God would give him the victory. So Jonathan and his armor- 
bearer went and stood in sight of the Philistines, whom they challenged, any 
one of them, to battle. But the Philistines replied by mocking them with 
laughter, and saying, “ Come up to us and we will show you a thing.” Jona¬ 
than took these words as a sign of his victory, and clambered up over some 
large rocks which separated him from the enemy, his armor-bearer faithfully 
following. When they came up to the Philistines they fell upon them and 
fought with such valor that they killed no less than twenty. While the 
unequal contest was thus waging an earthquake occurred which shook the 
earth so violently that all the Philistines became helpless with terror. 

The watchmen in Saul’s camp saw the fighting among the Philistines, 
and reported what they had witnessed to Saul. He, knowing nothing of his 
son’s adventure, was for a time sorely puzzled, for he could not discover who 
was waging battle with his enemies. To explore this mystery, therefore^ 
he ordered the roll called of all his army, by which he ascertained that 
Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not in the camp; and now, perceiving that 
it must be they who were fighting the Philistines, he set his army in motion 
to the hill of Geba. A great battle now took place, in which the Israelites 
were victorious, driving the enemy from their camp and pursuing them out of 
the country. So eager was he in this pursuit that Saul commanded his 


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soldiers not to stop to eat until night was come, threatening with dire pun¬ 
ishment any who should disobey his orders. 

Jonathan was leading his one thousand men in the pursuit, and toward 
evening he came to a wood in which he found a hive of honey in a tree. 
All his men were very hungry, but they were afraid to eat the honey because 
of Saul’s order. Jonathan, however, not being told of his father’s prohibition, 
dipped his staff into the honey aud thus conveyed some of the comb to his 
mouth. When this act was reported to Saul he immediately ordered that Jona¬ 
than be put to death, which sentence would have been executed but for the 



THE DEFEAT OF THE AMMONITES. 


earnest pleading of the soldiers for his life, asking, “ Shall he who won this 
great victory for us be put to death ? ” and afterward declaring that no harm 
should come to him. This demand, that he spare Jonathan, was made in such 
an imperative manner that Saul was compelled to respect it. 

Saul slew sixty thousand Philistines in this engagement, besides taking 
great numbers of cattle and much spoils, and then returned to his own city 
and reigned in peace for some time, and until Samuel called him to punish 
the Amalekites and their allies. His success thus far had been so signal that 






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197 


the Israelites looked upon him as an inspired leader, and therefore rendered 
him such obedience that there was great prosperity among them. In time of 
peace he was not idle, however ; for being surrounded by tribes whose hatred 
of Israel was perpetual, he increased his army, organized cavalry and chariot 
forces, and recruited from among the tallest and most vigorous of his subjects 
a body-guard that became famous for valor throughout the realm. 

saul’s expedition against the amalekites. 

When, therefore, Samuel bade Saul to wage war against the Amalekites he 
had the finest army that had ever been organized. This war was to be one of 
extermination, for Samuel commanded Saul to pursue the Amalekites constantly, 
from generation to generation, beginning with the women and children, and to 
spare not one, nor even the asses or cattle, but to “ blot out the name of Amalek 
entirely,” as Moses had before ordered. This dreadful, remorseless punishment 
was to be inflicted on the Amalekites for the outrages they had perpetrated 
on the Israelites during their sojourn in the wilderness, and upon the principle 
expounded by Moses, that the sins of the father should be visited upon his 
children and future generations. 

In obedience to the command of Samuel, Saul hastened to gather his forces 
together at Gilgal, where, after numbering them, he found his army to consist 
of four hundred and thirty thousand men, at the head of which he marched 
into the country of the Amalekites and set parties in ambush at the river fords, 
so as to permit none to escape. He then began a series of surprises by which 

the Amalekites fell before him in great numbers, scarcely offering any resist¬ 
ance. He also attacked their cities and strongholds, and drove them out by 

battering down their walls, or by digging tunnels underneath, or by building 

overtopping walls and towers, from which his archers could rain down their 
arrows upon the people inside the defenses. These strategies were first prac^ 
tised by Saul, who therefore won greater honor for his masterful abilities as a 
soldier than had before been accorded him, and to this day he is entitled to 
rank * among the great kings and generals of the world’s history. 

saul’s sin against god. 

The ruthless ravages of Saul’s immense army were not long in accomplish¬ 
ing the utter destruction of the Amalekites, but their king, Agag, fell into 
his hands, whose comely person and persuading eloquence so prevailed with 
Saul that he resolved to spare him. The soldiers, too, instead of killing all 
the cattle, as they were ordered to do, were content to capture and keep them 
as a prey, and also to appropriate the spoils to their own use. All of these 
acts were offensive to God, who had ordered, through Samuel, that nothing 
should be spared, and especially that the Amalekites should be destroyed both 
root and branch. 

When Saul had returned from his great victory he was met by Samuel, to 


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whom he ran in raptures, declaring that God had given him the victory an 
that he had done everything God commanded. Samuel, however, had already 
been told by God of how Saul had done that which he was specially bidden 
not to do, and he therefore said to the king: “ How is it then that I hear the 
bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the greater cattle in the camp. 
This inquiry covered Saul with confusion, who managed, however, to excuse 
himself by saying the cattle had been reserved for sacrifices. He admitted 
also that he had spared the Amalekite king, but it was in order to bring him 
before the prophet for sentence what should be done with him. 

SAMUEL REBUKES SAUL AND PROPHESIES HIS DEPOSITION. 

To the answers of Saul, Samuel made reply in full explanation of his faults 
before God, saying, “ God is not delighted with sacrifices, but with good and 



SAMUEL REBUKING SAUL. 


with righteous men, who are such as follow His will and His laws, and never 
think that anything is well done by them but when they do as God has com¬ 
manded them; that He then looks upon Himself as affronted, not when any 
one does not sacrifice, but when any one appears to be disobedient to Him. 
But that from those who do not obey Him, nor pay Him that duty which is 
the alone true and acceptable worship, He will not kindly accept their oblations, 
be those they offer ever so many and so fat, and be the presents they make 























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Him ever so ornamental; nay, though they were made of gold and silver 
themselves; but He will reject them, and esteem them instances of wickedness 
and not of piety. And that He is delighted with those who still bear in mind 
this one thing, and this only, how to do that, whatsoever it be, which God 
pronounces or commands for them to do, and to choose rather to die than to 
transgress any of those commands ; nor does He require so much as a sacri¬ 
fice from them. And when these do sacrifice, though it be a mean oblation, 
He better accepts of it, as 
the honor of poverty, than 
such oblations as come from 
the richest men that offer 
them to Him. Wherefore, 
take notice that thou art 
under the wrath of God, 
for thou hast despised and 
neglected what He com¬ 
manded thee. How dost 
thou then suppose that He 
will respect a sacrifice out 
of such things as He hath 
doomed to destruction? un¬ 
less perhaps thou dost 
imagine that it is almost 
one to offer it in sacrifice 
to God as to destroy it.’’ 

To this rebuke Samuel 
added the prophecy that 
Saul should not much 
longer be king, for God 
would depose him and set 
up a new ruler more worthy 
of the place than Saul had 
proved himself to be. 

This sentence added 
greatly to the distress of 

111 i SAMUED AND AGAG. 

Saul, who had now become 

somewhat vainglorious and anxious for the world’s applause, so he besought 
Samuel to pray God for his forgiveness, promising never to offend again, and 
asking the prophet to go back with him that he might offer his thank-offering 
to God. But Samuel would not stay to hear him further, knowing that God 
would not become reconciled, whatever his promises, and turned to depart. At 
this the anxiety of Saul was so much increased that he took hold of Samuel’s 
cloak in an effort to detain him, but the cloak was torn in his hand, whereupon 









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the prophet told him that this was a new sign that his kingdom should be rent 
and taken from him and given to a good and just man. 

THE TERRIBLE EXECUTION OF KING AGAG. 

Seeing that his disobedience would not be forgiven, Saul asked Samuel to 
go with him and worship God, which favor the prophet granted. W hen they 
had concluded their worshipping, Agag, the captive Amalekite king, was brought 
in, whose first exclamation before Samuel was, u How bitter is death!” possibly 
reflecting upon his own miserable end, or with the hope of exciting the prophet’s 
compassion. Whether Samuel felt any pity for the unhappy monarch we know 
not, but certainly he regarded the king as well meriting death, for he said to 
him : “ As thou hast made many of the Hebrew mothers to lament and bewail 
the loss of their children, so shalt thou, by thy death, cause thy mother to lament 
thee also.” So saying Samuel seized a sword and cut Agag to pieces, after 
which act he left Gilgal and went to his own city, Ramah, nor did he ever 
come to see Saul again, though he mourned long for the king’s transgressions. 

THE APPOINTMENT OF DAVID AS SAUL’S SUCCESSOR. 

After Samuel had spent some time in Ramah mourning for Saul’s dis¬ 
obedience, God told him to leave off his grief, as he had a new duty for him 
to perform in the ordination of a new king of Israel. He therefore ordered 
the prophet to take some holy oil and proceed to Bethlehem, to the house of 
Jesse, and there anoint one of his sons to be king in Saul’s place. At this 
command, Samuel was much concerned for fear that Saul would learn of his 
mission and kill him to prevent the choosing of another king. But God re¬ 
moved his fears by directing him in a safe way, so that Samuel reached Beth¬ 
lehem without trouble and repaired at once to Jesse’s house. When he saluted 
the family they asked the purpose of his mission, to which he replied that it 
was to sacrifice to God. Samuel now set to work to prepare a heifer for the 
sacrifice, which being completed, he called Jesse and his sons, eight in num¬ 
ber, to partake with him. Now, there were only seven of the sons present, the 
youngest, whose name was David, being at the time tending his father’s flocks 
in a pasture somewhat remote from Bethlehem. When Jesse and his sons 
came to the sacrifice, Samuel perceived that the eldest son, Eliab, was tall 
and comely, very much resembling Saul, so he was upon the point of anoint¬ 
ing him king, when God interposed, telling the prophet that he was not to 
seek a king among the tall and comely of feature, but from the righteous in 
heart. Then Samuel would have anointed the second eldest, but the Lord 
again restrained him; and so continued to withhold His sanction from the se¬ 
lection of all the seven sons. Samuel, now much embarrassed as to what he 
should do, asked Jesse if the seven were all the sons he had. The father re¬ 
plied that there was one other, the youngest, who was tending the sheep. So 
the young man was sent for; and when he came before Samuel, the Spirit of 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


201 


the Lord commanded that he be anointed, for it was he that had been chosen 
to rule over Israel 

David [the beloved ), at the time of his selection, was a small stripling, of 
ordinary size, and in no sense commanding in appearance. His aspect was 



DAVID PI.AYING BEFORE SAUL. 


rather that of one in whom the poetic sentiment predominates a tender, music- 
loving youth, full of bright fancies and joyful satisfaction, who enjoyed the 
companionship of his sheep more than the company of boys, and preferred 




202 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


rhapsodies and reflections to the common pastimes of boyhood. And yet this 
grandson of the beautiful Ruth and the just Boaz, was destined to be the 
greatest king that ever ruled, and from him was to descend the Christ, the 
King of kings. 

David’s introduction to Saul was quite as singular as the circumstances 
under which God had appointed him to take the sceptre of the Israelites. 
Being much alone in the fields with his father’s sheep, David spent much of 
his time in playing upon the harp to beguile the hours and indulge his love 
for music, until he became known as a most skilled performer, whose music 
delighted all who came to listen to him. 

Now, after Samuel’s rebuke of Saul, and the prophecy that he should not 
much longer rule Israel, he fell into a great melancholy and was troubled with 
loss of sleep and the vexings of spirits. To comfort him in these spells, Saul’s 
servants and physicians recommended that he send for a harper, whose music 
would bring peace to his soul and comfort to his troubled mind. This advice 
seemed so well that Saul sent for David, whose fame as a player upon the 
harp was made known to him. But at this time, no one save the immediate 
family of Jesse knew that David had been anointed by Samuel, for God had com¬ 
manded that the matter be kept secret until His own good time for revealing it. 
David was brought by his father to Saul’s house, and remained with the king 
for some time; for so well did his music relieve Saul’s distemper that the 
youth was prevailed upon to become the king’s armor-bearer, and be also a 
member of his household. 





<Ufte maa affer ^oiL’A ocna eKearf. 



THE STORY OF DAVID—HE FIGHTS WITH THE GIANT GOLIATH. 

jT is not told us in the sacred writings how long David 
remained with Saul, and the narrative is also some¬ 
what confusing as to whether David was appointed 
armor-bearer before or after his fight with Goliath; 
but it is more consistent with appearances and natural 
consequences to suppose that it was after. Another 
difficulty meets us in the apparent conflict of state¬ 
ments wherein it is made to appear that Saul re¬ 
mained at peace after his destruction of the Amale- 
kites and their allies, while succeeding chapters are devoted to 
descriptions of his battles with the Philistines, among whom 
were classed the Amalekites, Moabites, Ammonites, etc. This 
confusion undoubtedly arises, as was explained in a previous 
chapter, from the want of sequence in the narrative. This is 
even illustrated by the fact that David was the great-grandson 
of Ruth, and yet circumstances are related in the history be¬ 
tween Ruth and the last chapters of i Samuel, which must have 
occurred nearly four hundred years after Ruth’s death. But 
without attempting to describe the events chronologically, or 
arguing the reasons why the compilers neglected to arrange the 
books of the Bible in the proper order as indicated by consecu¬ 
tive events, we will proceed according to the history as it is printed, being 
content with the assurance that the imperfect arrangement in no wise diminishes 
the interest or truth of the sacred narrative. 

David returned to his father and resumed the duties of shepherd after a 
length of service in Saul’s house, but events were now to happen that would 

(203) 















204 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


soon call him from his quiet pursuit to take arms, and before manhood’s 
period was reached he was to become the most famous warrior in all Israel. 

Josephus says it was not long after David drove the spirit of melancholy 
from Saul by the melody of his voice and harp, that the Philistines reorganized 
a great army and again went to war with the Israelites. They pitched their 
camp on a plain between Shochoh and Azekah, but were soon driven from 
that place by Saul’s army, which now came out to oppose them. It is more 
likely that, instead of being driven from their first position, the Philistines 



DAVID’S FIGHT WITH THE GIANT. 


withdrew of their own accord in order to take up a more strategic place on a 
hill near by, from whence a wide view was afforded. Saul also occupied a hill, 
which lay opposite the Philistine camp, so that a valley lay between the two 
camps. 

It would appear that neither army was anxious to open hostilities, for 
they lay thus inactive, glaring at each other for a period of forty days, con¬ 
tent with exchanging taunts, each awaiting an attack from the other, as, 
owing to the nature of the encampments, the attacking party would have to 




















































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


205 


inarch up a steep hill exposed to a galling fire of arrows and stones from 
those on the apex. There was in the Philistine camp a man named Goliath, 
a citizen of Gath, whose stature was so extraordinary that his very aspect 
inspired terror. His height was above eight feet, and his bulk proportionate, 
so that he must have weighed four hundred pounds at least. But the arms 
that he bore were even more formidable and massive than his size. He was 
protected by a coat of mail that weighed more than one hundred and fifty 
pounds, while beneath this and on his limbs were greaves of brass, the value 
of which at that time was greater than gold, and he wore a helmet made of 
the same metal. He carried a spear that was so heavy he had to support it 
on his shoulder; the head of it was made of iron, a metal even more rare than 
brass, which weighed above twenty pounds, while several attendants followed 
behind carrying his shield, which was made to resemble a moon. This giant’s 
voice was quite as terrible as his general aspect, for when he cried out it was 
like the deep tones of thunder. Relying upon his amazing strength and the 
massive armor that he wore, he marched down from the Philistine camp into 
the valley below and thence hurled defiance at the Israelites, challenging any 
of “ the servants of Saul ” to come out and fight him. But at his appearance 
all the army of Saul were dismayed, and no one was bold enough to hazard an 
issue with him. Every day, for forty days, this giant went into the valley, 
near the Israelites’ camp, and bellowed his defiance, returning to the Philis¬ 
tines at evening to gloat over his valor and the cowardice of the enemy. 

In Saul’s army at this time were the three eldest brothers of David, for 
whose safety Jesse was so greatly concerned that he sent David to inquire of 
their welfare and to carry such messages as he might choose to send. As he 
came into the Israelite camp on the afternoon of the fortieth day that Goliath 
had stood before the army of Israel, he heard the giant issuing his usual 
challenge, and observed the fear that possessed the people. A youth, a mere 
stripling, though he was, David’s courage and pride revolted at the cowardice 
displayed by the Israelites, seeing that none would go out to fight. “ Who,” 
he asked, “ is this Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living 
God ? ” Those who stood near told him that Saul had promised to give his 
daughter in marriage to the man who would kill the giant, but Eliab, his 
eldest brother, rebuked him for presuming to ask such a question and derided 
him the more when David expressed a willingness to stand before the mighty 
man in the name of the Lord. 

David’s desire to wage battle with Goliath was at length expressed before 
Saul, who, sending for him, and seeing his youth, advised him against 
matching his weakness against the strength of such a giant, who had been, a 
warrior all his days. David, however, bade Saul to dismiss his fears, saying, 
that Jehovah, who had delivered him from the lion and the bear, would also 
protect him from the great Philistine. At ] this Saul told him to go, and 
prayed that Jehovah might be with him, besides arming him with his own 


‘ 20(5 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


weapons and armor. David started out to meet Goliath thus encumbereo. ; but 
finding the armor too heavy he cast it aside and went forward clothed in his 
simple raiment and with no other weapon than a staff and sling, in the use 
of which he had made himself an expert while serving his father as a shep¬ 
herd. As he went along he came to a little brook, from which he picked up 
five round stones and placed them in a pouch ready to his hand. 



DAVID CUTS OFF THE GIANT’S HEAD. 


When Goliath saw David coming to accept his challenge, he spoke scorn¬ 
fully, asking if he had come to fight as against a dog, seeing nothing in his 
hand but a staff, not being near enough to observe the sling; but David replied 
as became a servant of God, in whom he relied for the victory, and ran swiftly 
toward his huge antagonist. When within the distance of a few yards David 























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


207 


placed a stone in his sling, and, whirling it twice about his head, let fly the 
missile upon its certain errand. In another moment the two armies saw the 
mighty giant stagger and fall forward prone on his face. The stone, directed 
no doubt by God, was true to the aim, and went crashing through the giant’s 
forehead, and deep into his brain. David now ran fleetly to the body of his 
fallen foe, and jerking the dead man’s sword from its sheath, with a sweep of its 
keen blade cleft the head of Goliath from the body and held it aloft to show to 


both armies how 
he had van¬ 
quished the vain- 
boasting giant. 

At the dread¬ 
ful sight of their 
champion fallen 
by the hand of a 
youth, the Phil¬ 
istines became 
panic stricken 
and fled with 
precipitation, 
pursued by the 
Israelites, as far 
as the gates of 
Gath and Ekron, 
who killed thirty 
thousand, and af¬ 
terward returned 
to take the spoils 
of the abandoned 
camp. David 
took from the 
body of Goliath, 
as trophies of his 
conquest, the 
head, armor and 
sword of the 

giant. Goliath’s head was soon after publicly exhibited at Jerusalem, and the 
fame of David spread not only throughout Israel, but the neighboring countries 
as well, for such a valorous deed had never before been done. 

Saul sent for David and persuaded him to remain with him for a time, 
though apparently having entirely forgotten him as the minstrel who had only 
a few years before charmed away his melancholy. In his new position, whether 
as armor-bearer, as it is written, or an officer of his court, David demeaned 


SAUL ATTACKING DAVID. 
































































208 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


himself so uprightly that Saul bestowed upon him lavish favors, while Jonathan, 
of whom I have already written, conceived for him the strongest friendship, 
which was further cemented by a covenant between them. This friendship was 
of the utmost consequence to David, as we shall presently see. 

SAUL BECOMES JEALOUS OF DAVID AND SEEKS HIS LIFE. 

It was not long after David entered the king’s service a second tim? that 
Saul became insanely jealous of the young warrior’s fame, provoked chiefly by 
a song which was composed in celebration of David’s victory over Goliath and 
which became popular in everybody’s mouth. Saul first heard it sung by a 
body of Hebrew women who came out to serenade David with instruments 
to accompany their voices. All the words of this song are not given in the 
Bible, but among the applauding verses were these: 

“ Saul has slain his thousands .” 

To which the chorus responded in the full burst of praise : 

“ And David his ten thousands.” 

The fear of dethronement, according to Samuel’s prophecy, continually 
haunted Saul, so that he was suspicious of every one who became the subject 
of popular praise; and now that David had taken a place in the warmest affec¬ 
tions of the people, Saul’s hatred of him became so violent that on the day 
after first hearing the song sung, while the two were dining together, the king 
rose up suddenly and threw two spears at David, who only escaped being murdered 
by fleeing from Saul’s presence. 

In his saner moments the king realized how devotedly the Israelites loved 
David,, and that to openly assassinate him might cause a revolt among the 
people, so he resolved to rid himself of the young man by secretly plotting 
his death. To disguise his schemes more effectually he sent for David and 
appointed him chief of a thousand men, at the same time offering to fulfil 
his promise to give him his daughter in marriage for having slain Goliath. 
But before celebrating this promise he expressed a desire that David would 
undertake new enterprises against his enemies, hoping that he would meet his 
death from some of the Philistines. All the things asked of him David per¬ 
formed, but when he returned to Saul he found that Merab, the daughter 
promised him, had been married to another during his absence. But now the 
second daughter of Saul, Michal, became deeply enamored of David, who 
returned the love given him, and would have gladly espoused her at once; 
but Saul, still hoping to bring about his destruction, contrived to have his 
servants demand of David, as a dowry, the spoils of one hundred Philistines 
whom he should slaughter. These haid terms David readily agreed to, and 
taking his army went into the Philistine country and engaged a body of the 
enemy in battle, in which he killed two hundred. Divesting the slain of their 
bloody garments, he brought the spoils and cast them at Saul’s feet. 

Though mad with jealousy and ambition, Saul still possessed some goodly 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


209 


traits, especially during intervals of calmness; and it chanced that his reason 
was with him when David returned with the bloody spoils, so he gave his 
daughter Michal in marriage to David, but his enmity was in no wise abated. 
Michal, however, was a true and 
faithful wife, loving her husband 
above her father, upon which ac¬ 
count, and also the friendship of 
Jonathan, which seemed to grow 
constantly stronger, Saul sought 
no longer to disguise his inten¬ 
tions, but gave a peremptory order 
to Jonathan and his courtiers to 
kill David. By a strategy of 
Jonathan, however, he contrived 
to restore David to Saul’s favor, 
but the reconciliation was of short 
duration. 

saul’s second attack on 
DAVID’S LIFE. 

The Philistines, though often 
beaten, were still strong enough 
to offer opposition to the Israel¬ 
ites, and there was, therefore, con¬ 
stant war between them, though 
of a desultory character. David 
undertook a new expedition against 
the enemy, who had appeared 
upon the borders of Judah, and 
gained a great victory, for which 
he was again applauded by the 
people. This so increased Saul’s 
jealousy that he cast his spear 
at David a third time, but, as 
before, without avail. David now 
ran from the royal presence and 
hid in his own house, round which 
however, Saul, intent upon his escape of david. 

death, stationed a guard, with in¬ 
structions to kill him when he should make his appearance in the morning. 

It was now that the faithfulness of Michal was best shown, for in the 
night she aided her husband to escape by letting him down over the walls, 
and then, making a dummy, set it in bed, and sent messengers to Saul t n 
-4 
























































































210 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY.* 


tell him that David was sick. The deception was protracted long enough to 
enable David to make good his escape from Gibeah—the royal residence—and 
to reach Ramah, the home of Samuel. A strange thing now came to pass. 

There was a “ school of the prophets ” at Ramah, instituted to reform the 
priestly. order and to prepare those received into the school for prophesying, 
or, more properly, no doubt, to prepare them for the ministry, somewhat after 
the manner of theological schools of to-day. At the head of this prophetic 
order was Samuel, whose quiet life had kept him from view since his anoint¬ 
ment of David. 

It was not long after David’s escape that Saul learned of his presence in 
Ramah, and he sent his officers there to arrest him, but when they came to 
the school they were astonished to see the company of prophets, with Samuel 
as their instructor, all engaged in prophesying. The effect upon them was so 
great that they, too, fell to predicting, by the power of God. Saul, hearing 
how his messengers were converted, went himself to the school, but as he came 
to the well of Sechu, in the suburbs of Ramah, the Spirit of God also came 
upon him, and he, too, began to prophesy, and afterward came and fell at the 
feet of Samuel, acknowledging the goodness of the Lord. 

When Saul returned to Gibeah he told his kinsmen and the people that 
he was reconciled to David, and desired hint to attend again at court. But 
this pretension was discredited by both Jonathan and David, who, however, 
resolved to test Saul’s sincerity, by first renewing the covenant of their friend¬ 
ship perpetually. 

The following day was the feast of the new moon, which was solemnly 
kept by the Israelites as a time for purification, but instead of appearing at 
the table at feasting time, David went and hid himself in a pile of stones 
called Ezel, near Saul’s residence, as Jonathan had directed him. 

Saul sat at the banquet with Abner, his chief officer, and Jonathan, but 
made no inquiry why David was absent, supposing that he had not yet purified 
himself. On the second day of the feast, however, finding that David con¬ 
tinued to absent himself, Saul asked Jonathan the reason why he was not with 
them. To this inquiry Jonathan replied that David had been invited to 
sacrifice that day with his kinsmen, in Bethlehem, having first asked his per¬ 
mission to go. At this Saul fell into a furious rage, and calling Jonathan a 
renegade, accused him of conniving with David against himself, and reminded 
him that while the rulership of Israel should rightfully descend to him as the 
lawful heir, yet he would never become king while David lived. He then 
ordered that David be brought to him that he might kill him. Jonathan 
attempted to remonstrate with his father upon the injustice of his motives, 
whereupon the enraged king hurled his spear at his son, and then left the 
table without partaking of any food. 

On the succeeding morning Jonathan, accompanied by a lad, went into a 
fieid where David was hiding, and began shooting arrows, which the boy 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


211 


gathered up again. This was the sign to David that he should flee for his 
life, but as he came out of hiding the two embraced and pledged anew their 
fidelity to each other. 

DAVID IN EXILE. 


Being thus warned of his danger, David fled from Gibeah and went to the 
city of Nob, which belonged to the priests, and the place where the Tabernacle 



THE PARTING OF DAVID AND JONATHAN. 


was preserved. As he approached alone, Ahimelech, the high-priest, saw d’m 
and was concerned for his safetv. but David told him that he had come upon 
a commission from Saul, and had appointed servants to meet him at the next 
















212 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


place. As his food was nearly exhausted he asked Ahimelech for five rolls of 
bread for himself and his imaginary servants. It chanced that the priest had 
nothing but some loaves of stale shew-bread, but these he gave David, after first 
being assured that the receiver was undefiled, but the act was nevertheless 
against the law, though afterward justified by the Lord upon the ground of 
necessity. 

Before taking his departure from Ahimelech, David explained that the 
urgency of his mission had prevented him from taking any weapons, and he 
therefore asked the priest if he had a sword or a spear that he could give him. 
The priest replied that the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom he had slain, 
was there, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod (high-priest’s dress), and that 
if he wished he could take that, as he had no other. David was rejoiced at 
this information, and took the sword gladly, for he said there was none other 
like it. 

David tarried only a short time at Nob, and went quickly on to Gath, 
the former home of Goliath. Here his identity was discovered by the Philis¬ 
tines, who would have quickly put him to death ; but upon being brought 
before King Achish he feigned idiocy so well that he was dismissed. Having 
nowhere to lay his head, and with enemies on every side, as a last resort he 

now took refuge in the caves that are so numerous on the borders of the great 

plains of Shefelah, near the Mediterranean Sea, and not far from Bethlehem. 

Being, as it were, outlawed himself, there were attracted to him the restless 

and lawless characters of the adjacent country, and in a short time he found 
himself the leader of a brave band of followers such as Jephthah was captain over 
before being called to deliver Israel. 

Having first provided a place of safety for his parents among the Moabites, 
who were his kinsmen through Ruth, his grandmother, David began a war 
of spoliation against the Philistines, though his army numbered only four 
hundred men, some of whom were his nearest relatives. His success was so 
remarkable, however, that notwithstanding the smallness of his forces, the 
Philistine cities were in a state of anxiety lest he should attack them. The 
wonderful bravery of his warriors is illustrated by an incident recorded in the 
Bible, wherein David having expressed a wish for a drink of water from a 
well in Bethlehem, beside whose brink he had spent many hours of his youth, 
three of his devoted followers started at once to procure the longed-for water. 
Nothing daunting their desperate valor, they cut their way through the Philis¬ 
tine army, which was encamped in the Rephaim valley, and reached the well, 
which was by a gate of Bethlehem. Having procured the water, they fought 
their way back, and in the pride of their renown gave the water to David to 
drink. The wonderful daring of this trio so affected David, however, that 
instead of drinking the water he poured it upon the ground as an offering to 
God, saying, u Shall I drink the blood of these men, that have put their lives 
in jeopardy ? ” 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


213 


SAUL RENEWS THE HUNT FOR DAVID. 

While David and his men were hiding in the cave of Adullam they were 
joined by the prophet Gad and eleven other men under Amasai, who was the 
son of his sister Abigail. By Gad’s counsel David soon after left the cave 
and went into the forests of Hareth, among the hills of Judah, but he had 
tarried here only a short while when Saul heard of his presence and set out 
in person to effect his capture or death, having become mistrustful of the men 
he had before sent against him. Repairing to a grove at Ramah, Saul called 
his army together there and harangued them upon their disloyalty and 
endeavored to incite them to anger against David and Jonathan. This speech 
failed to elicit any response from his army, whose sympathies continued strong 
for the two exiles ; but there was an Edomite officer, named Doeg, who, we 
remember, was present, as a servant, at the meeting of David and the high- 
priest Ahimelech, when the latter had given bread and the sword of Goliath 
to David, and this Edomite now told Saul of the help which the high-priest 
had given to his enemy, artfully contriving to make it appear that Ahimelech 
had given succor to David out of sympathy for the latter’s conspiracy against 
the king. Ahimelech was therefore immediately summoned to attend before 
Saul, charged with treason. The high-priest responded to the summons, and 
being confronted with the charge, told Saul that he was ignorant of David’s 
treason, but believing him to have come as a loyal messenger from the king 
he had received and honored him as such and also as Saul’s son-in-law, esteem¬ 
ing 'him worthy of the confidence bestowed. 

This protestation of innocence was not accepted by Saul, whose fury was 
so great that he ordered his soldiers to slay Ahimelech, together with all the 
priests of Nob. But his guards refused to execute the cruel order, whereupon 
the same command being given to Doeg, who was a descendant of Esau, the 
infamous man slew eighty-five of the priests with his own hand. Besides this 
the entire city was given up to massacre, including men, women, children and 
every live thing that was in the place. Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, 
alone escaped, and fleeing to David, told him of the slaughter. The news 
brought great sorrow to David, for he saw that it was the result of the deceit 
he had practised upon Ahimelech. 

DAVID REFUSES TO REVENGE HIMSELF UPON SAUL. 

Having "now with him the prophet Gad, and also the rightful successor 
to the high-priesthood, David placed himself under the guidance of the oracle 
of Jehovah, and marched against the Philistines, who were at the time besieg¬ 
ing Keilah, and whom he speedily overcame, after a great battle. Here David 
established himself for a time, but being warned by the sacred ephod that the 
men of Keilah had conspired to deliver him up to Saul, he hastily left the 
place with his army, now numbering six hundred men, and fled to the wilder¬ 
ness of Zipli. It was here that T°uatliau and David parted, after renewing 


214 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


their covenant of perpetual friendship, the former assuring David that he 
should yet become king over Israel, and expressing the hope that he himself 
would be next to him. Jonathan now returned to his own home, refusing to 
join his father, whose anger would have made such a step dangerous. 

The Ziphites, joined against David, betrayed his presence to Saul, who now 
left Gibeah and with his army and spies hunted him like a partridge over the 
hills of Judea. David fled again to the wilderness of Maon, in the extreme 
south, where he was pressed so closely by Saul that only a mountain sepa¬ 
rated them. When he had almost surrounded David, Saul was suddenly 
called away by the news of an invasion of the Philistines, but he soon after 

repelled the invaders, and 
with an army of three 
thousand men renewed his 
search for David, who had 
now fled to caves in the 
wilderness of Engedi. 

Saul sorely pressed 
David and his little band, 
who were compelled to flee 
from rock to rock like so 
many hunted goats. At 
length, as David had taken 
refuge in a certain cave, 
Saul by chance entered 
alone, not being aware 
however, that the place 
had been chosen as a re¬ 
treat by his enemy. Being 
weary with the chase, Saul 
lay down by the mouth of 
the cave and fell asleep, 
and while thus resting he 
was discovered by David 
and his men. The opportunity for revenging himself upon the king had now 
arrived, and he was therefore urged by his followers to slay him, but David 
contented himself with approaching the unconscious monarch and cutting off a 
portion of his skirt. But even this insult to his king gave him much remorse, 
for when Saul had awakened and was going out of the cave, David ran after 
him, crying, “ My father, lord, the king; ” he then bowed down before him 
and, in a passionate burst of grief, protested his innocence of any desire to 
harm him, and showed the skirt he had cut off as a proof that he had spared 
the king’s life. 

The appeal which David made to Saul touched his heart, and with that 









ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


215 


impulsive spirit so often before exhibited, he replied, “ Is this thy voice, my 
son David! ” An interview now took place between the two, in which Saul 
acknowledged the magnanimity of David, and confessed the Divine decree 
which had called him to rule over Israel. After this interview Saul returned 
to Gibeah, but David would not trust himself to the whimsical caprices of his 
jealous father-in-law, and remained in his fastnesses. 

THE STORY OF DAVID’S MARRIAGE TO ABIGAIL. 

It was not long after the parting between Saul and David in the cave of 
Engedi that Samuel died and was buried with great ceremony, at Ramah, where 



DAVID ADDRESSING SAUD. 


he had spent the last several years of his life. The mourning of Israel for 
this great man was long and bitter, but by none other was his death so greatly 
regretted as by David, who loved him, not only as his early preceptor and 
guide, but also because, up to the time of his death, he continued to exercise 
some restraint upon Saul, and whose advice was always in behalf of the anointed 
of God—himself. Anticipating a renewal of Saul’s jealous anger, David moved 
from his haunts in Engedi and retired into the wilderness of Paran, which 
was in the south. Here a singular adventure befell him, as we shall see. 

The chief city of Paran was called Maon, in which there lived a man 
named Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, who was possessed of great wealth. His 

















216 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


flocks were so numerous that they covered all the surrounding hills; but as 
the country was iufested with robbers, he was much annoyed by thieves who 
thrived off his folds. 

David made his camp beside Maon, aud having no other means of sub¬ 
sistence he volunteered to defend Nabal’s flocks for the few that would suffice 
for his food. Having performed this service well, David sent ten of his men 
to Nabal, during sheep-shearing time, with a polite request for a present of so 
many sheep as he might choose to give. Instead of generously responding to 
this very proper request, Nabal returned a reply so insulting in its language 
and spirit that David's anger was aroused and he resolved to administer a 
severe punishment to the rich but avaricious churl. Accordingly he took four 
hundred of his men to attack Nabal, leaving two hundred behind to protect the 

camp. But on his way he met Abi¬ 
gail, the wife of Nabal, who, having 
been informed of David’s request 
and also his threat to destroy her 
husband, had come to propitiate his 
anger by bringing an abundance of 
provisions, such as parched corn, 
bread, raisins, ready-dressed sheep, 
figs and wine in skins. When 
she had met David she pressed 
upon him all the things thus 
brought and besought him to spare 
her husband, acknowledging him 
as the future king of Israel and 

NABAL CELEBRATING THE HARVEST CLOSE. . . - - - r T , 

the power m the hand ol Jehovah. 

Abigail is represented as having been a very beautiful woman, and of great 
intelligence, so that it is no matter of surprise that she should find favor in 
David’s eyes, who gave -thanks for the presents, and sent her home with assur¬ 
ances that the possessions of Nabal would not be violated. But upon Abigail’s 
return she found her husband unconscious from the deep potations of wine in 
which he had indulged, and it was not until morning that she could tell him 
of the evil her actions had averted. Nabal, however, though he recovered his 
senses, did not recover his strength, for his drunkenness produced a sickness 
from which he died ten days after the meeting of his wife with David. 

Upon hearing of the death of Nabal, David sent messengers to Abigail 
asking her to become his wife, for he was greatly moved bv her beauty from 
the time of first beholding her. She seemed to have well understood the 
character of David and the future that had been predicted for him, for she 
sent a reply in which she declared her unworthiness to even touch his feet. 
But being pressed she came finally to David’s camp, with all her servants, and 
became his wife. 









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Before his marriage to Abigail—how long before we are not told, nor is 
the circumstance explicitly related in the Bible—David had married Ahinoam, 
of Jezreel, his first wife Michal having been given by Saul to Phalti, in the 
city of Gallim 

DAVID AGAIN SPARES SAUL’S LIFE. 

After his marriage to Abigail, David left Paran and returned again to the 
wilderness of Zipli, but no sooner had he come into the country than some 
of the Ziphites made report of the fact to Saul, assuring him that his old 
enemy might now be easily caught. 

Upon learning that David was again among the Ziphites, having returned 
from Paran with fresh honors, Saul’s old jealousy and hatred were aroused, 
and gathering together three thousand men he marched rapidly toward the 
camp" of David, and at night halted near him at a place called Hachilah. 
David, however, had been apprised of Saul’s coming, and sending out. spies to 
watch, he thus discovered the king’s army encamped at Hachilah. As soon 
as he learned of the enemy’s proximity, he called Abishai, his nephew, and 
Ahimelech, a Hittite, and taking only these two with him he made his way 
secretly into Saul’s camp. Carefully approaching the royal tent he looked in 
and saw the king asleep, while about him lay his guards, who were also in 
profound slumber. Abishai desired to kill Saul as he lay sleeping, but David 
restrained him, desirous of again manifesting his magnanimity; so he took 
Saul’s spear and the cruse of water that was beside him, and with these evi¬ 
dences of his daring he made his way out of the camp undiscovered by any 
of Saul’s army. When he had passed well out of the camp and across a 
brook beside which the army lay, David cried out to the king and his guards 
until they were awakened, and then reproached them for their want of vigi¬ 
lance. Abner, the commander of the guard, answering the cries, asked who it 
was that had called, to whom David replied: “It is I, the son of Jesse, whom 
you make a vagabond. But what is the matter ? Dost thou that art a man 
of great dignity, and of the first rank in the king’s court, take so little care 
of thy master’s body? and is sleep of more consequence to thee than his 
preservation and thv care of him ? This negligence of yours deserves death, 
and punishment to'be inflicted on you, who never perceived when, a little 
while ago, some of ns entered into your camp, nay, as far as to the king 
himself, and to all the rest of you. If thou look for the king’s spear and his 
cruse of water, thou wilt learn what a mighty misfortune was ready to over¬ 
take you in your very camp without your knowing it. 

Saul heard David thus talking aloud to the guard, and knowing it to be 
his voice, saw at once how he had been again in David’s power, but who had 
a second time so graciously spared his unworthy life; so he rose up and went 
to speak with David, thanking him for his preservation, and assuring him 
that he would do him no harm now that he perceived David loved him better 
than he loved himself. Saul also begged David’s pardon for having so 


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unjustly hunted him and made him an exile from his friends, returning his 
kindness with anger and injustice. David, seeing that Saul was humiliated, 
sent back the spear and cruse, after which the king returned to Gibeah, but 
David, still mistrustful of Saul’s jealousy, went away into the land of the 
Philistines, and with his six hundred men entered Gath, over which city Achish 
was still king. 

THE SIN AND DECEPTION OF DAVID. 

The ways of God are often mysterious, as we have already seen in the 
careers of David and Saul, both of whom were anointed by Samuel to rule 
over Israel. We may wonder why God’s forbearance with Saul was so great, 
or that He permitted David to be so dreadfully persecuted when He might 
have at once brought him into possession of the throne whereon he had been 
appointed to sit. But the end only shows a wisdom which man could never 
have exhibited. God’s purposes are always wise, and we will now soon see 
how His design was accomplished through the exercise of wholesome examples 
that would prove of great benefit to David, and to all mankind as well. 

David’s second visit to Achish was made under very different circum¬ 
stances from those which brought him first before the king. He was now no 
longer the friendless outcast, driven to act the idiot in order to escape the 
penalty of having slain the Philistine champion, Goliath; but a man of renown, 
whose army of six hundred might well be compared to the modern heroes of 
Balaklava. 

The Philistines had become so powerful that Saul gave them battle without 
great confidence in the result, and only when driven, by acts of invaders, to 
measure his strength with them. David knew this, and, therefore, for his own 
protection, he sought Achish, who would respect him for Saul’s enmity. Soon 
after thus joining forces with the Philistines, David asked for a place of resi¬ 
dence, and was given the frontier city of Ziklag. We now behold David in 
the role of a deceiver, whose actions are difficult to explain, though they are, 
no doubt, due to the mysterious ways in which Providence works, His wisdom 
to perform. 

In his wars with the Israelites, Achish expected that David would lend 
his assistance, since, though he was an Israelite himself, having craved the 
protection of a Philistine against his own people, it was proper to suppose he 
would prove loyal to his benefactors. But David could not be an enemy to his 
race, for he loved his people, and believed that they would be true to him 
when Saul should be removed by the hand of God. Though cherishing these 
sentiments, David sought to deceive Achish, and committed a great sin in the 
manner in which this deception was carried out. 

David’s residence in Ziklag was only for a period of a few months, but 
during this time, being sent to battle with the Israelites, instead of engaging 
them, he privately attacked the Geshurites and Amalekites, neighbors and 
allies of the Philistines, and laid waste their country, took their cattle, camels, 



ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


2lt) 

and spoils of whatever character he could find, and brought them to Achish, 
as possessions captured from the Israelites. To the more perfectly protect his 
deceit from being discovered by Achish, he put every one to the sword ol 
those he attacked, so that none might be left to tell the true story. 

When David presented himself before Achish with an abundance of free 
gifts as the prey of his invasions, and being asked from whence the spoils had 
come, he made answer that they had been taken from those tribes living .in 
the south of Palestine, which were, of course, the Jews. Thus imposed upon, 
Achish placed unlimited confidence in David, as an enemy of Israel, and planned 
a campaign against the Israelites in which David was expected to aid him. 
Indeed, David had carried his deception so far that he boasted of the courage 
he would exhibit against his people, and which accident alone prevented him 
from proving. 

SAUL CONSULTS THE WITCH OF ENDOR. 

When Achish had resolved upon a w^r with Israel he sent orders through¬ 
out his realm and to his allies to arm themselves and assemble at Reggan, 
from which place and rendezvous they would suddenly attack their enemies 
and overwhelm them. David was also appealed to for aid, and he, quickly 
responding, made boasts that he would now repay the kindness and hospitality 
of the Philistine king. 

A short time before this last declaration of war Saul had taken the most 
dreadful measures to rid the country of necromancers and fortune tellers, in 
accordance with God’s command that all those having a familiar spirit should 
be put to death. He caused a great many of those suspected, as well as those 
openly charged with witchcraft, to be slain, until he believed there was not 
one remaining in his realm ; but he was soon to repent this decree, and to 
commit sacrilege by seeking for a witch for consultation. 

When the Philistines had gathered together in the valley of Jezreel, oppo¬ 
site the camp of Israel, Saul saw that their numbers were very great, so that 
he was sore distressed in mind, being afraid to engage in battle lest he should 
be put to rout and his kingdom devastated. In the agony caused by his de¬ 
sperate situation he cried to God, but receiving no answer, he sent his messen¬ 
gers to inquire if there was not yet living a woman having a familiar spirit 
who could call up the dead, by which he hoped to learn the fate that was in 
store for him. One of the messengers soon returned and told him that there 
was such a woman in the city of Endor, unknown to any that were in the 
camp. Upon receiving this news, he divested himself of his royal apparel, 
and taking his servants with him he repaired to the woman’s house. When 
he had come into her presence he entreated her to call up the soul of one 
that was dead whom he would name. She refused at first to exercise her art, 
telling him that the king had banished or slain all such of her kind, and that 
it ill became him to lay a snare by which she would be discovered and pun¬ 
ished. Saul declared to her upon oath that he would tell no one and other- 


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wise pleaded so hard that the witch at length consented to bring up the spirit 
of Samuel. After some incantations the woman saw, clairvoyantly, the spirit 
of a man whom she described as of venerable and divine aspect. But at this 
she showed great fear, and exclaimed, “ Art not thou King Saul?” for the 
spirit of Samuel had so impressed her. Saul now admitted his identity and 
asked her to give him a better description of the spirit she saw, whereupon 
she told him it was the soul of one glorious in aspect, of extreme old age, and 
clad in a priestly mantel. By this description Saul perceived that it was the 



SAUl/S VISIT TO THE WITCH OF ENDOR. 


spirit of Samuel, and bowed himself low in an attitude of worship. Samuel 
now spoke to him, through the voice of the woman, commanding to know why 
he had been disturbed, to which Saul answered by saying that he was in great 
distress of mind by reason of the defiance and threatenings of his enemies ; that 
God had forsaken him in his extremities, and that neither the medium of 
prophecy nor of dreams was longer available to discover to him the future, and 
hence he had come to consult the shade of his old friend who had taken care 
of him and had anointed him. 
















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221 


Samuel answered Saul, as reported by Josephus, as follows: “ It is in vain 
for thee to desire to learn of me anything further, when God hath forsaken 
thee ; however, hear what I say, that David is to be king, and to finish this 
war with good success ; and thou art to lose thy dominion and thy life, because 
thou didst not obey God in the war with the Amalekites, and hast not kept 
his commandments, as I foretold thee while I was alive. Know, therefore, that 
the people shall be made subject to their enemies, and that thou, with thy 
sons, shall fall in the battle to-morrow, and thou shalt then be with me [in 
Hades, signifying shade , or death"]” 

When Saul heard this prophecy he fell down from grief and fear, and for 
a time appeared as one dead. His anxieties had caused him to abstain from 
food the foregoing day, which being discovered to the woman, she prepared 
some bread, and gave him meat of the only calf she possessed, and after much 
persuasion induced him to sit at her table and eat. When he had finished he 
returned to his camp that night, so that none might know of his visit. 

DAVID IS DRIVEN OUT OF THE PHILISTINE CAMP. 

In the assembling of the Philistine forces in the valley of Jezreel, Achish 
came to the place of rendezvous, accompanied by David and his six hundred 
men, last, and when the numbering of the army was begun, according to the 
custom of the time, it was discovered by some of Achish’s allies that David 
had enrolled himself as a fighter against Israel. Many of the Philistines 
objected to trusting David in the battle, declaring that he would prove recre¬ 
ant in the most critical stage of the fight by becoming reconciled to Saul, as 
he had previously done. Achish tried to dispel their doubts of David’s loyalty, 
but being unable to do so the king sent him immediately away, telling hit# 
to return to Ziklag and preserve the place against threatened invasions, thus, 
by an accident, so to speak, preventing him from fighting against his own 
people. 

David had not proceeded far on his road toward Ziklag, when he met a 
messenger who told him that the city had been laid waste by the Amalekites, 
who, not content with burning the place, had carried off all the women and 
children captives, among whom were David’s two wives. This sad news so 
oppressed David that he rent his clothes, and would have wept, but that his 
heart was so oppressed, grief had dried his tears. His soldiers were no less 
affected, and blaming him for their misfortunes, were upon the point of stoning 
him to death. At this, David raised his voice to Jehovah, and calling to Abia- 
thar, the high-priest, bade him inquire of God, by the sacred ephod, if he 
should pursue after the Amalekites. The oracle being favorable, David set 
out on the march at once, accompanied by his following of six hundred men. 
As he came to the brook of Besor he met an Egyptian,who was wandering 
about almost dead of hunger. After David had given him food, he inquired of 
the man the cause of his misfortune. The Egyptian replied that he had been 


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‘‘ Saul had put away those who had familiar spirits, and the wizards, 
out of the land.”—i Samuel xxviii. 3. 


with his master at the pillage of 
Ziklag, but having been sick he 
was unable to follow his master, 
and was left behind to care for 
himself. David refreshed the man 
so that he was able to travel, 
and used him as a guide to find 
the Amalekites. He came up 
with the enemy as they lay scat¬ 
tered on the ground feasting and 
drinking off the spoils taken at 
Ziklag, and made such a sudden 
attack upon them that they were 
all slaughtered except four hun¬ 
dred, who escaped on the camels. 
David thus recovered everything 
that had been taken from Ziklag, 
including the men, women and 
children carried away captives, 
among whom were his two wives, 
and returned in triumph to his 
own city. 

THE DEATH OF SAUL. 

While David was pursuing 
the Amalekites, a great thing had 
happened to Saul and his follow¬ 
ers, by which the last barrier 
was removed between David and 
the throne. Notwithstanding the 
rueful prophecy of the spirit of 
Samuel, Saul, though feeling that 
his doom was impending, went 
out to meet the enemy that was 
marshalled in Jezreel valley. He 
had moved his army to the moun¬ 
tain of Gilboa before seeking an 
interview with the witch of Endor, 
and having returned oppressed 
with the forecast of his own de¬ 
struction he seems to have grown 
reckless under the knowledge 
that nothing could now avail him. 

























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He therefore marched down into the valley of Jezreel and engaged the host of 
Philistines, whose forces greatly exceeded his own. The battle raged furiously 
for some hours, when at length the Israelites gave way and retreated up the moun¬ 
tain, closely pressed by the Philistines, who slaughtered them in vast numbers 



SUICIDE OF SAUL AND HIS ARMOR-BEARER. 


and without mercy. But none fought more valorously on that day than Saul 
and his three sons, Jonathan, Melchishua and Abinadab, who fell one after 
another round their father and king, esteeming death an honor in the defense 
of Israel. At last, wounded by a score of arrows, until further defense was 





















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impossible, when his mighty arm had become palsied through the exertion of hew¬ 
ing down his enemies, and the loss of blood, Saul commanded his armor-bearer 
to pierce him through with his sword, that it might not be said he had perished 
at the hands of the Philistines. The armor-bearer, however, was afraid to raise 
his hand against his master, whereupon Saul took his sword, and placing the 
point to his breast fell upon it, but not being able to force it through his armor 
he called to a young man who was near, and who chanced to be an Amalekite, 
to slay him, which he accordingly did. Thus miserably perished one of Israel’s 
greatest warriors who, had he obeyed God in all things, might have become the 
most renowned character of Jewish history. 

The young man who had killed Saul took his golden bracelet and the 
royal crown that was upon his head and fled away with them, afterward bearing 
the news of Saul’s overthrow to David and delivering up to him the bracelet 
and crown, as a proof that he told what was true. 

After the battle was over, and all the Israelites engaged therein had been 
slain, the Philistines went over the field to gather up the spoils that had been 
left, as it was customary to strip the dead bodies of all enemies. While thus 
engaged they came upon the corpses of Saul and his three sons, whom they 
stripped, and then cutting off their heads, carried their bodies and hung them 
on crosses on the walls of Bethshan, and dedicated their armor in the heathen 
temple of Ashtaroth. 

The cities of the Israelites that were in the district of Judea were hastily 
abandoned in fear of the Philistines, but some of the most courageous inhabi¬ 
tants of Jabesh-gilead, having heard of the indignity done to the bodies of 
Saul and his sons, journeyed all night and secretly came to Bethshan, and 
recovering the bodies, took them to their city and buried them at a place 
called Aroura. The funeral rites were conducted with great ceremony, befit- 
ting a king whose death they lamented, and a public fast was observed for 
seven days. 

By none was the death of Saul more sincere^ mourned than by David, 
who, though persecuted and outrageously wronged by the king, looked upon 
him still as one of God’s anointed. But for Jonathan, David’s grief was yet 
greater, and the overwhelming sorrow which now bowed him down found expres¬ 
sion in a Jeremiade that is justly celebrated as one of the most exquisite poems 
of any age. Saul’s reign, as the first king of Israel, was for a period of forty 
years, eighteen years during the life of Samuel, and twenty-two years after that 
great prophet’s death. 



DAVID IS PROCLAIMED KING. 

2 Samuel. 

HE overthrow of Saul was followed by other vic¬ 
tories by the Philistines, until they had made 
themselves masters of all that region west of the 
Jordan, which was the richest portion of Pales¬ 
tine. All the Israelites fled to the east of Jor¬ 
dan, and soon afterward made David their king 
at Hebron, where he ruled for a period of seven 
years; but not in peace, for Abner, Saul’s general, 
was so jealous of David that he fomented a 
division in Israel by proclaiming Ish-bosheth, 
Saul’s only surviving son, king of Gilead, and 
nominally over all Judea, whose seat of government was at Mahanaim, which 
was also'east of Jordan. Abner attempted to enforce his proclamation not only 
upon those east of the Jordan, but sought to extend Ish-bosheth s power on the 
west side as well, and a civil war followed which continued with varying results 
for about five years. 

Abner raised a considerable army and marched upon Gibeon, where he 
was met by an opposing force under Joab, who was the sou of David s sister 
Zeruiah. The two armies encamped on opposite sides of the Pool of Gibeon, 
where, both being reluctant to hazard battle, it was agreed that twelve soldiers 
selected from each side should engage each other, and the result of the con¬ 
test should decide which army had the more valiant men. Accordingly, twelve 
Benjamiuites went out to meet twelve men of Judah, and they fell upon each 
other at a place equidistant between the two armies. The combat was a fear¬ 
ful one and fatal to all of the contestants. When they came together it was 
1; < 22 5> 














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in pairs, each man seizing his adversary by the hair and plunging his sword 
into his enemy’s body until the twenty-four champions lay dead upon the 
field. The fight therefore not determining the question at issue, the two 
armies became engaged and fought with great fury until Abner’s men were 
beaten, and retreated, followed by Joab, who incited his soldiers to do their 
utmost to destroy every man of their enemies. In the army of Joab was his 
younger brother Asahel, whose fleetness of foot it is said exceeded that of a 
horse. His valor was equal to his swiftness, and he pursued after Abner to 
take his life. The race was a strong one and continued for a great distance, 
with Asahel constantly gaining on his foe. Seeing that he was about to be 
overtaken Abner begged Asahel to turn back lest he should be forced to slay 
him and thereafter not be able to look his brother Joab in the face. But 
Asahel had no mind to give over the pursuit, but continued to press Abner 
until within a spear’s throw, when the latter turned suddenly upon Asahel and 
cast his javelin into his body, killing him upon the instant. Joab seeing his 
brother fall, pressed on with his other brother, Abishai, after Abner until it 
was sunset, and they had come to a place called Ammah. Here Abner con¬ 
trived to talk with Joab, and to persuade him to give over the pursuit by tell¬ 
ing him that it was not right that men of the same nation should fight 
against each other, and by declaring that the death of Asahel was due to his 
own fury and folly. 

When the pursuit had been abandoned, Joab camped with his army at 
Ammah while, during the night Abner drew off his forces and marched across 
the Jordan to Mahanaim, where Ish-bosheth lived. In the morning Joab took 
account of the slain, finding that there had fallen three hundred and sixty of 
Abner’s men, but only nineteen of David’s. He buried all the dead on the field 
except the body of Asahel, which he carried to Bethlehem and deposited in the 
sepulchre of his relatives. 

THE TREACHEROUS ASSASSINATION OF ABNER. 

The battle at Gibeon was only the beginning of long protracted internecine 
strife, in which the power of David gradually increased, while that of Saul’s 
son, the pretender, as surely diminished. David did not lead his army in these 
conflicts, trusting the execution of his plans to Joab, in whom he reposed the 
greatest confidence. 

About this time, or three years after he had been proclaimed king at 
Hebron, David had become the father of six sons by as many mothers. The 
eldest of these was by his first wife Ahinoam, and was named Ammon; the 
second was by his wife Abigail, and called Chileab; the third was Absalom, 
by his wife Maacah, who was the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the 
fourth he named Adonijah, by his wife Haggith; the fifth was called Shepha- 
tiah, by Abital, and the sixth was Ithream, by Eglah. 

The increasing strength of David so alarmed Abner, whose course had been 


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227 


that of a traitor to the lawful king by God’s appointment, that he determined 
to gain his favor before a final victory might place him within David’s power. 
Accordingly, he sent overtures to David, first reciting some of the insults he 
had received from Ish-bosheth, and proffering his aid to the establishing of 
his undisputed power over all Judah. Before agreeing to treat with him David 
required of him first to restore his wife Michal, whom Saul had given to 
Phaltiel, as already explained. This Abner succeeded in doing through an 
order from Ish-bosheth, and then treated with the elders of Israel, through 
whom he persuaded the tribe of Benjamin to acknowledge David, because of 
his designation by Jehovah and of his services against the Philistines. 

So well did his league with David succeed that he determined upon going 
in person to Hebron, accompanied by a guard of only twenty men, to pay his 
homage to the lawful king. He was received by David with every mark of 
respect and consideration, being feasted with all the good things that could be 
found, and honored with great promises of preferment; so that when he de^ 
parted it was with an expressed resolution to gather all Israel to David’s 
standard. 

Abner had not gone above a few miles from Hebron when Joab returned 
to the city from a successful expedition against some foraging Bedouins, and 
learning that David had treated with him as a friend, was so enraged in hia 
remembrance of the death of Asahel that he sent messengers in the name of 
David to tell Abner to return, as he had some more important matters to con 
suit with him about. Abner, suspecting nothing wrong, rode back to Hebron, 
but was met at the gate by Joab, who received him with evidence of much 
kindness. Upon the pretense of a desire to speak with him secretly, Joab and 
Abishai led Abner apart from his guard behind a gate, where they foully 
murdered him. Josephus tells us that this treacherous act was committed by 
Joab, not because of revenge for Asahel’s death, but because h$ feared that 
Abner would supplant him in the favor of David and become the king’s chief 
officer. 

DAVID LAMENTS FOR ABNER. 

When David learned of the assassination of Abner he was exceedingly 

grieved, not so much for the loss of a new ally, who would be of great ser¬ 

vice in establishing the kingdom, as because his honor had been compromised 
by the act; for Abner was ostensibly under the royal protection and had been 
promised the king’s favor. To relieve any impression which might obtain that 
he secretly sanctioned the murder, David called all his people as witnesses 
and appealed to God for an affirmation of his condemnation of the act. He 

also called down curses upon those who committed the crime, and then ordered 

that there be a public lamentation for the dead and that the body be accorded 
all the honor due to one occupying an exalted station. As a still further 
evidence of his extreme sorrow, David put on sackcloth and followed the bier, 
with all the elders and rulers of his kingdom, and had the remains deposited 


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in a magnificent sepulchre in Hebron, over which he indited funeral elegies. 
The sorrow and respect manifested by David procured for him the favor of 
the people, particularly those who had joined their fortunes to Saul’s son* and 
the affair therefore did great credit to David’s judgment, for it gave him the 
confidence of those who had been his enemies and did more toward establish¬ 
ing his kingdom over all Judah than a hundred great victories in war would 
have done. David would have gone further and requited the murder, except 
that this power was wanting; for he says, “ God, who hath regard to all men’s 
actions, will not suffer this man (Joab) to go off unrevenged; but know ye, 
that I am not able to do any thing to these sons of Zeruiah, Joab and Abishai, 
who have more power than I have; but God will requite their insolent attempts 
upon their own heads.” 

THE ASSASSINATION OF ISH-BOSHETH. 

The sad death of Abner affected Ish-bosheth quite as much as it did David, 
for he did not know how Abner had made a league with David to depose him, 
or anything of the true reason that had caused Abner to visit Hebron. But 
he did not long survive his chief officer, nor was his death any less horrible 
and untimely. The change of public feeling in Mahanaim had been very rapid 
from the time that Abner had first advised the elders of the Benjaminites to 
accept David as king, and after his death the eagerness to abandon the failing 
fortunes of Ish-bosheth and secure the favor of David was so great that two 
sons of Rimmon, Baanah and Rechab, resolved to murder the king, with the 
expectation that David would reward the deed by bestowing upon them some 
rich presents or offices of preferment. Being captains in Ish-bosheth’s army 
they had free access to the royal presence, and one sultry mid-day, finding him 
alone and asleep in an upper room, they cut off his head, and making their 
escape, travelled all night until they came to Hebron. Here they procured an 
audience with David, to whom they presented the ghastly trophy of their 
villainous deed, explaining at the same time how they had killed his enemy. 

Instead of fulfilling the wishes and expectations of the murderers, David 
at once ordered that they be put to the torture and afterwards to death for the 
crime of murder, and also for offending his own honor with the infamy of 
their proposals. Accordingly, their heads, feet and hands were cut off, and 
their bodies hanged over the Pool of Hebron, while the head of Ish-bosheth 
was deposited in the sepulchre with Abner, after appropriate rites had been 
bestowed upon it. 

DAVID IS CROWNED KING OF ALL ISRAEL. 

All the things which David had done out of respect to Abner and Ish- 
bosheth so increased his popularity among all the Israelites that there was 
now a general consent to accept him as the ruler of United Israel. The 
armies that had before been in revolt against him began, one after another, to 
come into Hebron with their arms and lay them at his feet in acknowledgment 


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229 


of his sovereignty. Seeing the disposition that was everywhere manifest, David 
feasted and otherwise kindly treated those who first came to him. and sent 
them away to invite all the other tribes to visit him. Accordingly, there now 
came all the legions of Israel, enumerated by Josephus as follows : 6800 of the 
tribe of Judah, who had served under Saul’s son; 7100 of the tribe of Simeon; 
4700 of the tribe of Levi; and after these came Zadok, the high-priest, with 
22 captains of his kindred; 4000 out of the tribe of Benjamin, though many 
others of this tribe refused to acknowledge David, expecting a new ruler from 
the house of Saul to succeed Ish-bosheth ; of the tribe of Ephraim there were 
20,800, all mighty men of great valor and eminent for strength; of the half 
tribe of Manasseh came 18,000 of the most potent men; of the tribe of Issa* 
char there came 200 who were gifted with the foreknowledge of events and 
20,000 warriors ; of the tribe of Zebulun were 50,000 chosen men, which was 
the only tribe that came universally to acknowledge David; of the tribe of 
Naphtali there came 1000 eminent men and rulers, besides 37,000 others of the 
tribe; of the tribe of Dan there were 27,600, and of the tribe of Asher there 
were 40,000. Beside these came those from the two tribes east of Jordan 
(Reuben and Gad), and of the tribe of Manasseh, who used shields, spears 
and swords, 120,000, making a total of 357,200 armed men. All these came 
together at Hebron to David, bringing vast quantities of corn, wine and other 
fruits as offerings to their king, and here David was crowned king of Israel, 
after which event there was a great feast and rejoicing for a .period of three 
days. 

DAVID LAYS SIEGE TO JERUSALEM. 

Finding himself now strong in the affections of his people, and at the 
head of an army almost invincible by reason of its vast numbers and unison 
of sympathy and purpose, David resolved to change the seat of government 
from Hebron to a city more central and accessible to the commerce of the 
several tribes, while at the same time other necessary advantages, in case of 
war, were not overlooked. It is but natural that his choice should fall on 
Jerusalem, which was the largest and strongest city in all Palestine, but in 
the possession of the Jebusites. In the days of Joshua the advantages of 
Jerusalem had been well understood, and at that time a desperate attempt was 
made to capture the place. That portion of the town situate in the valley 
had surrendered to Joshua, but the city proper, that was built upon a hill, 
resisted all the efforts of the mighty men of Judah, and had continued in the 
hands of the Jebusites. 

David marched at the head of his army against the great city of Jeru¬ 
salem with composure and confidence in his ability to effect its capture, 
notwithstanding its reputed impregnability ; his confidence, indeed, exceeded 
that of proper discretion, as the circumstances afterward proved. He directed 
his first attack against the lower city, which, being feebly garrisoned and 
slightly protected, soon capitulated; but the citadel on top of the hill held out 


230 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


and repulsed so many attempts to scale the walls that, at length, in derision 
of David’s efforts, the Jebusites manned the walls with those that were sick, 
lame and blind, shouting to the besiegers that these were sufficient to over¬ 
come the Israelites. Infuriated by these taunts, David encouraged his army 
to superhuman exertions by the offer of large rewards, but all to no purpose, 
until he finally proffered the command of his entire army to the one who 
would first pass the ditches and ascend over the wall. This offer was so 
tempting that many hundreds tried with reckless desperation to win the honor 



SIEGE OF JERUSALEM—SHOWING ANCIENT WEAPONS OF WAR. 


and distinction, but were sent, one after another, headlong back from the walls, 
till the ditches were nearly choked, and certain death appeared to wait on all 
who made the effort. There was one, however, whom fortune favored, who 
managed to guard against the shafts flung at him, and, by prodigious effort 
and valor finally gained the citadel, and standing aloft on the walls claimed 
the command as had been promised. This great warrior was Joab, who had 
dishonored David by the murder of Abner, and upon whom now fell the office 
of chief commandant of Israel. He was soon followed by other brave men, 


























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


231 



Itid a breach being effected the army poured into the city and put the Jebusites 
to the sword. This was the first capture of Jerusalem, effected after a fight 
scarcely less desperate than that which took place more than two thousand 
years afterward, when Saladin, the Moslem conqueror, wrested the city from 
the Christians 
after a siege 
of twelve days. 

REBUILDING 
OF 

JERUSALEM. 

The attack 
upon and sack 
of Jerusalem 
by the Israel¬ 
ites so nearly 
destroyed the 
city, or left it 
in such con¬ 
fusion, that 
when David 
had made him¬ 
self secure he 
set about re¬ 
pairing and 
rebuilding the 
place, and 
changed its 
name to that 
of The City 
of David , for 
it was his de¬ 
sire to rule 
here all the 
days of his 
life. David 
was thirty 
years of age 
when first pro¬ 
claimed king, and his rule at Hebron was for a period of seven and one-half years, 
so that at the time of the capture of Jerusalem he was still a comparatively 
young man, but he had long before proved the possession of remarkable resource, 
both in conception and execution, in civil and military affairs. In the rebuilding 


JOAB MOUNTING THE WALES OF JERUSALEM. 





232 


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of Jerusalem, he again manifested the great sagacity and craft with which he was 
endowed. Understanding the importance of perfect defenses to the lower por¬ 
tion of the city, which previous occupants had utterly failed to consider, he 
caused a strong wall to be built around it, and so arranged the building that 
there was a safe connection between the lower city and the citadel, thus making 
it a compact city, where, before, the lower portion, being detached and ill- 
defended, served as a lodgement for an enemy who, by occupying it, could be 
safely housed for a siege against the citadel, or upper city. 

Five hundred and fifteen years had elapsed since Joshua divided the land 
among the twelve tribes, and in all this time Jerusalem (formerly called 
Salem, before the days of Melchizedec, and after Abraham Jireh-Salem, hence 
its present designation, meaning, u the Lord will see and provide”) had 
remained in possession of the Canaanites until David, strengthened by God, 
effected its capture. The consequence of this triumph did not terminate with 
the mere possession of the city, but its influence was wide-extending and had 
the happiest effect of largely increasing David’s power. Tyre was a kingdom 
adjoining Palestine on the west, and was ruled over at the time by the most 
powerful potentate of the then known world, whose name was Hiram. This 
king had carried terror among all the nations with whom he was ever engaged 
in war, but the capture of Jerusalem, regarded for so many centuries as being 
absolutely impregnable, spread the fame of David so greatly that Hiram imme¬ 
diately desired him far an ally. He accordingly sent ambassadors to the new 
city of David, and made a league of mutual friendship with the Israelites, by 
which the power of David was so strengthened that no nation now dared to 
incur his ill-will. 

DAVID COMMITS A GREAT SIN. 

The possession of great power almost invariably reacts dangerously upon 
the possessor, since it promotes vanity and undue exaltation that prompt to 
the most extravagant conceits and follies, leading finally to disaster. So it 
proved with David; though a man of excellent judgment, when great respon¬ 
sibility required its exercise, the enlargement of his powers and the security of 
his present situation caused him to become careless of his honor and dignity, 
and he abandoned himself to the lowest craving of his nature. 

Though already married to six wives, which was apparently no sin, as 
polygamy was then general, David established a very harem, which he filled 
with concubines, to whose dalliances he devoted his time to the neglect of his 
royal duties and his respect for God’s laws. How many wives he had we are 
not told, for he took many others beside the six already mentioned, and by 
whom he had nine more sons named respectively, Amnon, Emnos, Ebon, 
Nathan, Solomon, Jeban, Elien, Phalna and Emnaphen. By his concubines he 
had two sons, named Eliphalet and Jenai. Afterward he took other wives and 
ten more concubines, who bore him as many sons. 

David’s excesses brought upon him the anger of God, who surrounded 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


233 


him with enemies that he might be brought to realize the sinfulness of his 
living. The manner in which he was punished will appear hereafter. 

THE PHILISTINES WAR AGAIN WITH DAVID. 

Some time after David had been proclaimed king of all Israel and had 
fallen somewhat into disrepute by reason of his immorality, the Philistines 
gathered together a great army, and came to attack him at Jerusalem. They 
took possession of the Valley of the Giants, which is near the city, and there 
pitched their tents to prepare for a siege. David, somewhat fearful of the 
result, now realizing the wickedness of his conduct, prayed to Jehovah for for¬ 
giveness ; but not being sure that his prayer would be heard, commanded the 
high-priest to foretell the will of God, and what would be the result of the 
battle. Jehovah, though offended, did not abandon David, but promised to give 
him the victory. The fight soon took place, in which David came upon the 
Philistines by ambush, and defeated them with small loss to himself. But 

though the Philistines retreated without showing any courage, they speedily 
reorganized, and securing help from Syria, Phoenicia and other nations, they 
raised an army three times greater than that of David, and pitched their camp 
as before, in the Valley of the Giants. Being again in doubt as to the issue 
of the battle, David prayed to God as before, and also sent the high-priest to 
inquire whether Jehovah would give him the victory. 

The prophecy was again favorable, but he was directed to assemble his 

army in a grove near the enemy’s camp, called the Grove of Weeping, and 

not to sally out from this ambush until a wind should spring up and disturb 
the trees. David repaired to the place designated and there remained with 
his army until he perceived the trees bending under pressure of a strong 
wind; he now rushed out and fell upon the enemy with such suddenness 

and impetuosity that they retreated with scarcely a show of resistance. The 
Israelites pursued them for several days, slaughtering great numbers, until 
the Philistines were driven to Gaza, by the sea, which was the limit of their 
countrj’. 

DAVID BRINGS UP THE ARK TO JERUSALEM. 

The decisive victories which David had gained over his enemies made him 
desirous of manifesting thanks to God, of proving his disposition to do that 
which was holy instead of following in evil ways; therefore, after despoiling 
the Philistines of their riches and breaking their idols, he returned to his city, 
and selecting a large number of soldiers from the flower of his army, and 
taking many priests and Levites, he set out to bring the ark, which had for 
several years, indeed since its restoration by the Philistines, rested at Kirjath- 
jearim with the family of Abinadab, to Jerusalem, that he might sacrifice to 
it as the symbol of Jehovah’s presence. Accordingly, this new army proceeded 
to Kirjath-jearim, and bringing out the ark, they put it upon a cart and both 
cart and oxen started drawing it toward Jerusalem. Before the ark marched 


234 


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David and a great multitude, singing hymns to God and playing musical instru¬ 
ments. As the procession reached a place called Chidon, where there was a 
threshing floor, a singular and melancholy accident occurred, by which Jeho¬ 
vah’s presence was manifested. In passing over some rough ground the cart 
was all but upset, and to save the ark from such a catastrophe a man named 
Uzzah put out his hand to save it, when on the instant he was struck dead. 
This was in accordance with the law, by which any person, save that of a 
priest, who might touch the ark should perish for his rashness. 

It seems most probable that this expression is a correct one, for David 
evidently so construed it. He was much frightened by Uzzah’s singular death, 
and bade the people to leave the ark at the house of a righteous man named 
Obed-edom, where it remained for three months, and until David could arrange to 
have it transported to Jerusalem in a manner which he thought would please God. 

During the time that the ark was in the keeping of Obed-edom it brought 
to him many blessings, elevating him from a position of extreme poverty to 
one of competence and happiness. When the time arrived for its removal, 
David, who now perceived that the ark was calculated to increase the pros¬ 
perity of its keeper, repaired to the house of Obed-edom with many priests, 
who took it upon their shoulders and again started for Jerusalem, preceded 
by seven companies of singers, while David himself played upon a harp and 
manifested exuberant joy. His demonstration excited the derision of his 
wife Michal, Saul’s daughter, who afterward wished him all possible happiness, 
but could not refrain from taxing him with unseemly actions in dancing and 
uncovering himself before the multitude. 

The ark was brought in safety to Jerusalem and deposited in a tabernacle 
which David had prepared as its depository, after which he offered costly 
sacrifices and peace-offerings, and gave to each of the great number who re¬ 
joiced with him a loaf of bread and two cakes, together with portions of the 
sacrifice. ; 

DAVID PROSECUTES A WAR FOR SPOILS AND CONQUEST. |> 

After the removal of the ark to Jerusalem David prospered in all things, 
giving the credit to Jehovah’s presence, who was now always with him. This 
success made him anxious to prove his worthiness and appreciation, to do 
which he resolved to build a more worthy repository for the sacred object than 
the tent in which it was kept. He mentioned this intention to the prophet 
Nathan, by whom the project was highly commended; but during the same 
night Jehovah came to Nathan in a dream, commanding him to tell David to 
forego this intention, as he should first establish his kingdom and leave to his 
son, who would be chosen to rule hereafter, the duty of providing a suitable 
house for the ark. 

David contented himself with what God had ordered through Nathan, and 
then set about extending his kingdom, to conducting a war of subjugation and 
for spoils. He now attacked the Philistines and captured their chief frontier 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


235 


city, Gath, and continued driving his enemies until he had made himself 
master of all of southern Palestine to the u river of Egypt.” He next turned 
toward the eastern frontier and overran Moab, two-thirds of whose people he 
ordered put to death, and the remainder laid under tribute. This vengeance 
on the part of David is unaccounted for, and can scarcely be credited, since it 
was to the Moabites he committed the care of his father and mother when he 
was first forced to flee from Saul, as already related. There *is an old Jewish 
tradition to the effect that his parents were murdered by the Moabites, but there 
is no record of the crime in the Scriptures. 



MEETING OF DAVID AND MEPHIBOSHETH. 


After subjugating Moab David advanced toward the northeast, intending 
to extend his kingdom to the river Euphrates. Two Syrian nations lay 
between him and the river, one of which was ruled by Hadadezer, and the 
other by Hadad. He engaged the former near the Euphrates and speedily 
overthrew him, destroying twenty thousand of his foot soldiers, seven thousand 





























































THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


^3 

horsemen, and took one thousand chariots, one hundred of the finest of which 
he reserved for his own use. 

Hadad, king of Damascus, hearing of Hadadezer’s defeat, who was his 
ally, raised a powerful army, and marched quickly to his friend’s aid, coming 
up with David also besides the Euphrates. Here another great battle was 
fought, but with no less decisive results for David, who slew twenty thousand 
of Hadad’s army and put the rest t flight. 

These victories were followed by alliances with Toi, king of Hamath, and 
a renewal of the treaty with Hiram, so that David now held possession of 
nearly all of Palestine, besides gaining enormous spoils of gold, silver, jewels, 
arms, and everything that had been used by those with whom he fought. A 
portion of the plunder thus taken was dedicated to the service and building of 
the future temple. 

DAVID ADOPTS JONATHAN’S SON. 

In the hour of David’s greatness he did not forget the memory of his 
dead friend Jonathan, to whom he had been joined in his early years with ties 
stronger than those of brotherhood. In the hours of his reflection he remem¬ 
bered the covenant he had made with Jonathan, and the desire came upon him 
to know if any of his friend’s children were yet living, that he might show a 
kindness to them according to his promise. He therefore sent for a man who 
had been a servant to Saul, of whom he made inquiry concerning Jonathan’s 
children. The servant told him that there was one child of his friend yet 
living, who was a cripple, having received his injuries by being dropped from 
his nurse’s arms on the day of his father’s death. David immediately sent 
for the young man, whose name was Mephibosheth, and when he was brought 
into the king’s presence he bowed down very low, and asked what was desired 
of him. David raised the young man and assured him that no danger should 
befall him. He then explained to Mephibosheth that he desired to do a kind¬ 
ness to him for the sake of his father, who being dead, he should now find a 
home in his house and a father in himself. David then ordered that all the 
land that had belonged to Saul should be given to the young man, who should 
thereafter eat at the royal table and be a member of the roj^al household. 

DAVID’S WAR WITH THE AMMONITES. 

The conquests of David had made him master of nearly all Palestine, and 
his power was greatly feared by all the neighboring nations, yet he was not 
permitted to remain long in peace, for, by a curious incident, he was forced 
to go to war with one of his strongest allies, the Ammonites. Nahash, king 
of the Ammonites, having died, his eldest son succeeded him, a petulant, vain 
and bigoted young man, wholly unfitted, by reason of indulgences in his 
youth, to assume so important a position. When David heard of Nahash’s 
death he sent ambassadors to the young king, conveying messages of con¬ 
dolence and assurances of his wishes that the alliances made with Nahash 
should continue in effect. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


237 


The youthful king had several brothers who, to secure their own exalta¬ 
tion, should their schemes be consummated, advised their royal brother not to 
accept the assurances of David, whom they charged with having sent condoling 
messages to disguise his real intentions, which were to spy out the country 



DAVID BESIEGING THE CITY OF RABBAH. 


and discover its weakness. The new king was so influenced by these declara¬ 
tions of his brothers that he abused David’s ambassadors by ordering that 
they be shorn of half their beards, and that one-half of their clothes should be 
cut off. With this indignity he sent them out of his kingdom, not deigning 
to answer David’s messages with any words. The result of this insult was a 





















238 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


speedy declaration of war by David, who vowed an oath that he would be 
revenged. 

The Ammonites, though strong in war themselves, could not hope for a 
successful issue with David without help, so they sent a present of one 
thousand talents (equivalent to nearly $2,000,000) to the king of Syria and 
Mesopotamia, who had twenty thousand soldiers, for his assistance, and they 
also hired the king of March, whose soldiers were not enumerated, and also 
another king named Ishtob, who had twelve thousand armed men. With these 
forces and such as they themselves could muster, the Ammonites marched 
against the Israelites. 

David had no reason to fear the result, for his army was well-nigh 
invincible, so perfectly were his soldiers trained. He therefore ordered out 
only a portion of the forces at his command, with Joab as the leader, a position 
which he had held since the capture of Jerusalem. 

DAVID’S GREATEST INIQUITY. 

The Israelites pressed the Ammonites to their own city of Rabbah, the 
capital of Ammon, and here a decisive battle was fought, lasting nearly three 
days. During the progress of this war David committed the greatest sin of 
his life. While walking upon the roof of his house, late in the evening, he 
chanced to observe a very beautiful woman washing herself in a house near 
by. Being infatuated with her appearance, he sent a messenger to inquire who 
she was. By this means he discovered that her name was Bathsheba, and 
that she was the wife of Uriah, Joab’s armor-bearer, who was with Joab fight¬ 
ing against the Ammonites. This information caused him to conceive a 
heinous plan by which he. should become possessed of this comely woman 
either as wife or concubine. He accordingly sent word to Joab, ordering that 
Uriah he brought to him. When Uriah had answered the summons David 
received him with affected kindness and many pretensions of friendship, but 
when he sent him back to the army, he wrote to Joab, secretly instructing 
him to procure the death of Uriah by advancing him to the forefront of the 
next battle, and then suddenly to abandon him that he might be slain by the 
enemy. All was done as David had commanded, and Uriah, fell fighting at the 
gates of Rabbah, after proving himself to have been the most valorous man of 
all Israel. We will presently see how God punished this monstrous act of 
David. 

The battle, or siege of Rabbah, was vigorously contested, both sides losing 
so heavily that it was a very slaughter. Joab divided his forces so that a por¬ 
tion, under the command of Abishai, fought with the Ammonites, while he led 
the rest of his army against the three mercenary kings. In thus fighting, the 
Syrians finally flanked Joab and for a time the indications were that Israel would 
lose the battle, but Joab’s stratagems turned the tide when all seemed lost, and 
finally drove the enemy into their city. The Israelites laid siege to Rabbah for 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


239 



a time, but finally gave over the contest, being content with a bare victory, and 
returned to Jerusalem. 

The manner in which they had withstood the assaults of Israel’s army 
encouraged the Ammonites to renew hostilities, but not until they had largely 
increased their forces by the engagement of other mercenary kings. They 
accordingly sent to Chalamon, a Syrian king, whose nation was beyond the 
Euphrates, whom they persuaded, by the use of liberal rewards, to join them. 
This was a great acces¬ 
sion, for he brought to 
the assistance of the Am¬ 
monites a force consist¬ 
ing of 80,000 foot soldiers 
and 10,000 cavalry. 

When David heard 
how great an army his 
enemies had raised to at¬ 
tack him, he was some¬ 
what concerned for the 
result, and instead of trust¬ 
ing to his officers, as be¬ 
fore, he took command 
in person of his troops 
and pushed across the 
Jordan to meet the enemy 
on their own soil. A bat¬ 
tle was soon precipitated, 
which resulted in a com¬ 
plete overthrow of the 
Ammonites and their al¬ 
lies, and the loss of 7000 
charioteers and 40,000 
foot soldiers, besides the 
death of the great Syrian 
leader, Shophach. The 
Syrians thus became 

tributary to David, and the power of the Ammonites was utterly broken. 


‘THOU ART THE MAN.” 


NATHAN CONDEMNS DAVID IN A PARABLE. 

When David returned from the war with the Ammonites he was confronted 
by Nathan, the prophet, whom God had instructed, in a dream, to reprove the 
king for the infamy of his action in causing Uriah to be slain. Resolving 
not to expose himself to the anger of David, which would certainly be excited 
by openly accusing him of his crime, Nathan engaged him in a good-natured 







240 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


conversation, which he artfully changed after a short time, and asked the 
king’s opinion of what punishment should be given to one guilty of such an 
otfense as the following: 

“ There were,” said he, “ two men, inhabiting the same city, the one of 
them was rich, the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks of cattle, 
of sheep, and of kine; but the poor man had only one ewe lamb. This he 
brought up with his children, and let her eat her food with them; and he 
had the same natural affection for her which any one might have for a daughter. 
Now, upon the coming of a stranger to the rich man he would not vouchsafe 
to kill any of his own flocks, and thence feast his friends; but he sent for the 
poor man’s lamb, and took her away from him, and made her ready for food, 
and then feasted the stranger.” 

This complaint of Nathan’s aroused the keenest sympathy of David, who 
denounced the rich man as the basest of criminals, and declared that he should 
first be required to restore the lamb fourfold, after which he should be executed 
as one unworthy to live among God’s creatures. 

When the king had somewhat spent his rage, with maledictions upon the 
rich man, Nathan arose, and pointing his finger at David, in a stern voice 
said to him : “ Thou art the rich man who committed this crime.” When the 
king would have remonstrated, Nathan rehearsed to him the infamy of his act 
with Bathsheba, and how he had ordered that her husband be slain in order 
that he might indulge his base and lecherous propensity. But Nathan did not 
content himself with a mere denouncement of the king’s monstrous crime, but 
employed the occasion to remind him of God’s provident care in raising him 
from the humble and lowly position of shepherd to be king of the Jews, and 
had enlarged his kingdom by numerous manifestations of His divine favor and 
power. For these blessings he accounts himself under no obligations, and 
even turns against Jehovah with acts of iniquity and disgrace. Nathan then 
threatened David with God’s anger, for it was unreasonable to suppose that 
He would take no account of a crime so monstrous; therefore the prophet 
pronounced against David a curse wherein a bitter punishment would lie; that 
his harem should be broken up, his wives disgraced, and that he should be 
supplanted by a son begotten in iniquitous relations with one of his wives; 
moreover, he prophesied that the offspring of Bathsheba would speedily 
languish and Tlie. 

When David had heard all that Nathan was ordered by God to tell him, 
he was overcome with grief and remorse, discovering now the enormity of his- 
cin, and he prayed for compassion with such earnestness that God finally pro¬ 
mised to preserve to him his life and kingdom. But the Lord could not 
wholly forgive David’s great fault, and that the measure of his punishment 
might be complete the child born of Uriah’s wife to the king was stricken 
wren disease and soon died, as Nathan had predicted. 

When David first learned that the child was sick, remembering what 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


241 


Nathan had declared, he clothed himself in a black garment and lay down 
upon the floor of his room, where he remained seven days, refusing food and 
praying God for its recovery. When the child was dead the servants refused 
to tell him, fearing that any increase of his present grief might cause him to 
prolong his fast until he should starve to death. But David discovered, by 
the actions of his servants, that a fatal issue had resulted, and being so 
informed when he had commanded that they should tell him, instead of relaps¬ 
ing into greater grief, he rose up and washed himself, after which he put on 
a white garment and ordered supper to be brought. While he was eating, 
some of the company perceiving how great a change had come over him, ven¬ 
tured to inquire why, when the child was ill his grief was uncontrollable, while 
now that it had just died, he should put aside his grief entirely. To this 
inquiry David made reply in the most memorable and hopeful of all words: 
“ I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” This expresses his belief 
in the final resurrection, and is the most direct and implicit reference to that 
life beyond the grave that is made in all the Old Testament. 

David explained to those who attended him that while his child lay sick 
he prayed to God, in the anxieties v>f his heart, for its recovery ; but now that 
it was dead grief could not restore its life, and it was becoming in him that 
he should accept the Lord’s decree without murmur. This contrite spirit 
gained for him the favor of God, who comforted him with forgiveness and new 
assurances, and also by another proof of his continued care, for when Bath- 
sheba had been joined to David in lawful wedlock God gave to him another 
child, who was afterward the glory of his kingdom. This child was named 
Solomon ( peace ), whom Nathan also called Jedidiah, which signifies in the 
Hebrew, Beloved of Jehovah , and for whom the prophet predicted the most 
wonderful things, chief of which was that through him should come the 
promised Messiah. 

DAVID ANNIHILATES THE AMMONITES. 

Very soon after the birth of Solomon, Joab was sent again against the 
Ammonites, at the city of Rabbah, and after capturing the first defenses and 
cutting off the city’s supply of water, rested until David came to his assist^ 
ance at the head of all Israel. After a siege of a few days the city capitu¬ 
lated and was followed by one of the most cruel massacres of which history 
gives an account. The sacred narrative tells us that u David brought out the 
people, and put them under saws, and harrows of iron, and axes, and made 
them pass through the brick-kiln, to their grim idol.” The terrors of these 
tortures can scarcely be pictured, and are too painful to be dwelt upon. Of 
the spoils which he captured little is said except that he deposited them in 
the ark of the Tabernacle. There was captured at the time, however, in addi¬ 
tion to the other spoils, a so-called sacred crown weighing a talent (93^ 
pounds) of gold,* which was set with precious stones. This was worn by the 
*A foot-note to Josephus fixes the weight of this crown at seven pounds, and estimates that it 
‘JOiild not have been greater, because David wore it upon his head constantly. 


242 


THE WORLD’S* BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


idol Moloch which the Ammonites worshipped, but David did not eschew it 
nor consider it any profanation to wear it upon his own head, for we are told 
that he took the crown for his own royal vestment. Other cities of the 
Ammonites also fell into David’s possession, and their inhabitants were as 
cruelly sacrificed to his anger as were those of Rabbah. 

AMNON CONCEIVES A PASSION FOR TAMAR. 

Though God forgave David for the sin of causing Uriah to be slain, he 
did not choose to forego the punishment which Nathan had prophesied, and 
we shall soon see how great a judgment was sent upon him, fulfilling all that 
the prophet had foretold. 

Among the several children that were born to David by his many wives 
and concubines there were four who became conspicuous in Bible history, viz.: 
Amnon, Tamar, Absalom and Solomon. Others are mentioned, but not so 
often, nor in connection with such important incidents as these four. Amnon 
was the eldest, having been born of his first wife, while Tamar was an ille- 
estimate, or daughter of one of the king’s concubines, but she grew up to be a 
woman famous for beauty and withal goodly in her deportment. The fascina¬ 
tions of Tamar inspired Amnon with an unholy passion for her, notwithstand¬ 
ing she was his half-sister. This love constantly grew greater, until he 
contrived, through the advice of Jonadab, a kinsman, to have Tamar wait 
upon him, while he was pretending sickness, and taking advantage of her 
helplessness while they were alone, committed a great wrong which brought 
grief and disgrace upon her. As she went out from Amnon’s presence, she 
covered her head with ashes and recited the violence of her half-brother in the 
streets until she was met by her brother Absalom. When she had told him 
of Amnon’s conduct he bade her to leave off crying, and not to esteem the act 
of Amnon as being so disgraceful as she had declared. He thus comforted 
her and brought her to his house to live with him. 

David was in due time told of Amnon’s sinfulness, but on account of his 
great affection for this, his eldest son, he did not offer to punish him. Absa¬ 
lom, however, though controlling his anger, resolved to avenge his sister’s 
wrongs which he often attempted, but was unable to accomplish until two 
years had passed. He finally, to make an opportunity for his purpose, went 
up to Baal-hazor to shear his sheep, and while there gave a feast to which he 
invited his father and kinsmen. They all accepted the invitation except David, 
and when the feast was at its height wine was introduced and drunk until all 
were senseless with intoxication. Absalom’s servants, as they had previously,, 
been instructed, now rushed into the room, and first creating great confusion 
in order to better disguise their purpose, fell upon Amnon with their swords 
and killed him. The other brothers, as soon as their condition would permit, 
gained their horses and fled away, intending to go directly to David, but were 
persuaded to tarry awhile at a neighboring town. Thus it happened that some 


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one went to David and told him that all his other sons had been slain by 
Absalom. This news so greatly affected the king that he never attempted to 
inquire the cause of his sons’ death, but fell upon the ground, tore his clothes 
and was fairly crazed with grief. Seeing him so inconsolable Jonadab ventured 
to suggest that it was possible the facts had been exaggerated and that his 
sons had not been slain, though he was inclined to believe that Absalom had 
procured the death of Amnon, for his crime to Tamar. 

The brothers who had tarried by the way came to their father while 
Jonadab was trying to console him and reported how Amnon had been slain, 
whereupon David’s grief was in no wise diminished, for his love for Amnon 
was greater than the affection he bore for any of his other sons except for 
Absalom. 

DAVID BECOMES RECONCILED TO ABSALOM. 

After the assassination of Amnon, Absalom fled to Geshur, over which his 
maternal grandfather was king, and remained with him for three years, when 
David sent Joab to induce him to return home. But when Absalom had come 
back to Jerusalem his father was still unreconciled, and bade him not to come 
into his presence, but to remain at a house which was occupied by his 
own family. 

At this time Absalom surpassed in beauty all other men in his father’s 
kingdom. Notwithstanding the hardships endured during the period of his 
exile, his fine appearance had not become impaired, for he still remained so 
comely that every one was attracted toward him. In his hair, however, lay 
his chief glory, for Josephus tells us that it grew so thick that it had to be 
cut every eighth day. 

Absalom dwelt in Jerusalem for two years without seeing his father; for 
being a married man he remained at his own house and never ventured to call 
at the royal residence. His wife bore him three sons and one daughter, the 
latter being as famed for her beauty as was her aunt, Tamar. She afterward 
became the wife of Rehoboam, who was the son of Solomon, by whom she had 
a son whose name was Abijah. We will hear further of this son in a future 
chapter. 

Absalom became very much oppressed by reason of his father’s coldness, 
and being unable to endure the suspense longer, he sent for Joab with the 
view of influencing him to prevail upon David to be reconciled to him. Joab 
promised to intercede for Absalom, but neglected for some reason to do so, and 
when the cast-off prince sent for him again he refused to come. To better 
effect his purpose, therefore, Absalom ordered his servants to set fire to the 
fields adjoining Joab’s, knowing that he would come to inquire the cause. 
When Joab came over to reproach Absalom the latter accused him of unfaith¬ 
fulness, and then said: “ I have found out this stratagem that might bring 

thee to us, whilst thou hast taken no care to perform the injunction I laid 
upon thee, which was this, to reconcile my father to me; and I really beg it 


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of thee, now that thou art here, to pacify my father as to me, since I esteem my 
coming hither to be more grievous than my banishment, while my father’s 
wrath against me continues.” Joab pitied the distress of Absalom, and imme¬ 
diately went to David with such excellent excuses for his son’s conduct that he 
succeeded in fully reconciling the king. When at length Absalom came beiore 
his father he fell down on his knees and begged forgiveness of his offenses, 
which so moved David with compassion that he raised him up and gave him 
the kiss of reconciliation. 

ABSALOM’S REBELLION AGAINST DAVID. 

It appears very strange that Absalom should have felt such great grief by 
reason of his father’s long refusal to receive him back to his royal and paternal 
favor, when we learn that within a short time after he had been restored to 
his father’s confidence and love he began to plot a treason against the hand 
that had blessed him. Indeed, we are almost forced to conclude that Absa¬ 
lom’s pretensions of anguish were intended to disguise a purpose he had con¬ 
ceived while sojourning with his grandfather, Talmai, in the land of Geshur. 

There were two things specially favorable to Absalom’s enterprise, one of 
which was his extreme beauty and suavity of manner, attractions which David 
himself could not resist ; but the more important circumstance was the decreas¬ 
ing popularity of the king because of his numerous wives and concubines, and 
particularly the crime through which he secured Bathsheba for his wife. The 
people generally commended Absalom for assassinating Amnon, and held David 
accountable for bringing odium upon Israel by maintaining a harem that 
produced the natural consequences of domestic discord and crime. This feel¬ 
ing was greatest among the men of Judah, and was most openly expressed in 
Hebron, where he was first crowned. 

Absalom began to put his treasonable designs into execution by first 
winning the affection of the people. He stood every day at the portal of his 
father’s audience chamber; as those having business with the king came out, 
he would accost them with civility, and to those who failed to obtain favorable 
judgment on their causes he would make promises to intercede in their behalf. 
Besides this, he would kiss those in distress, and assure them if he should 
ever come into power to do them the fullest justice. By this means he rapidly 
increased his popularity and very soon had a large following upon whom he 
could depend when the time should come for an open announcement of his 
ambition. Knowing nothing of his purpose, David granted Absalom the greatest 
indulgence, and provided him, at his request, with fifty armor-bearers and a 
considerable body of foot-runners, chariots and horsemen, ostensibly as an 
honorary guard, as befitted his station as a favorite prince of so powerful a 
potentate as was David. His popularity having been pretty well established, 
Absalom asked permission of his father to go up to Hebron, offering as an excuse 
his desire to sacrifice there according to a vow he had made while at Geshur. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


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David still suspected no evil, and freely gave his permission; so Absalom 
started with two hundred men who, though his followers, were unacquainted 
with his designs; but he sent out spies at the same time, whom he instructed 
to secretly inform the people of Hebron of his intentions, and to notify them 
that when a certain trumpet signal was given they should consider it as a pro¬ 
clamation that he had been crowned king. 

Absalom not only induced a large number of the common people to join 
his standard, but also succeeded in winning over to his cause David’s chief 
counsellor, Ahithophel, who, we suppose, was glad of an opportunity to oppose 
the king for the wrong done to Bathsheba, who was his granddaughter. 

Absalom’s plans succeeded so admirably that within a short while after 
entering Hebron, he had not only been proclaimed king, but had also raised 
an immense army, which he led against Jeiusalem with the hope of taking the 
city and his father as well. When messengers came to David telling him of 
Absalom’s intentions, and how all the hearts of the men of Israel were with 
him, the king was frightened and made immediate preparations to abandon Jerusa¬ 
lem, which he, no doubt, regarded as being filled with those who sanctioned 
Absalom’s conspiracy. 

When the king departed he left the city in charge of ten of his concu¬ 
bines, but why he chose to make these the custodians of his possessions the 
Bible does not tell us. There were still several faithful followers left him, 
among whom vvere the devoted six hundred who had shared his fortunes when 
Saul was so bitterly pursuing him for his life. As they fled they passed over 
Kidron and up the Mount of Olives and across to Jericho, thence to the wilder¬ 
ness, “ crying with a loud voice ” as they went. 

When David reached the territory of Benjamin he was assailed by some 
of the friends of Saul, one of whom, Shimei, threw stones at him, and cursed 
him as a bloody man ; insults which David would allow none of his soldiers 
to resent, esteeming his crimes as worthy of any punishment which God might 
see proper to inflict. 

While resting on Jordan’s banks for the night, weary with much travelling, 
David was warned by two messengers, who had escaped from Jerusalem, to 
cross the river at once, as Absalom’s forces were hot in pursuit. This news 
proved true, for directly after entering the city, Ahithophel asked leave of 
Absalom to take 12,000 men and pursue after David, who, he claimed, might 
now be easily dispatched while weak and overcome with fatigue. This counsel 
was highly commended, as Absalom was anxious to procure the death of his 
father, so as to prevent any dispute in the future as to who should rule all 
Israel. 

The army would have been pushed forward at once, but for the advice of 
Hushai, who, being shocked by Absalom’s depravity, interposed a stratagem to 
save the king. First secretly sending messengers to apprise David of his 
son’s designs upon his life, should his plans miscarry, he went to Absalom 


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and represented that the counsel of Ahithophel was unwise, since David was a 
cunning warrior, who had no doubt protected his retreat and had certainly set 
his soldiers in ambush in caves along the route he had taken, where to follow 
him would be sure to result in a defeat that would bring disaster to his ambi¬ 
tion. He further counselled Absalom to first gather Israel together m a great 
army, and then assuming command himself, to overpower David, and thus 
make’ secure his claim to the throne. This advice Absalom followed, to the 
great mortification of Ahithophel, who, thus finding himself replaced as chief 
counsellor by Hushai, went at once to his native city, Giloh, and hanged 
himself. 

When David was apprised of Absalom’s design to pnrsne him, he crossed 
the Jordan and went to Mahanaim, where he was kindly received by Shobi, son 
of Nahash, and other Gileadites, who brought him all needful supplies and 
bade him rest with them. Here also a great number of people came to his 

assistance, which en¬ 
abled him to organ¬ 
ize a considerable 
army to resist the 
threatened invasion 
of his son. 

DEATH OF ABSALOM. 

Absalom was 
crowned king at Je¬ 
rusalem, where he 
spent some time in 
peaceable possession 
of the throne, but 
being in constant 

JOAB KILLING ABSALOM, dread of ^ retum 

of David at the head of a large armv, resolved now to follow the advice of 
Hushai. Accordingly, he drafted every man available for service in that part 
of Palestine, and conferring the command upon Amasa, a half-cousin of David, 
he set out in pursuit of DavH, crossing the Jordan and made his camp at 
Mount Gilead. 

David prepared to- receive Absalom’s attack by dividing his army into three 
bodies, commanded, respectively, by Joab, Abishai and Ittai. Before joining 
battle David charged his officers and soldiers, particularly, not to harm Absalom, 
for his love for his erring son had not been diminished by his numerous acts 
of perfidy, and he would rather sacrifice his own life and crown than that any 
harm should come upon the head of Absalom. 

The two armies became engaged in the “ forest of Ephraim,” and a great 
battle was fought throughout the entire day, in which Absalom’s army was 




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247 


routed with a loss of 20,000 men, a larger number of whom perished in the 
defiles of the forest, being unable to extricate themselves. Absalom sought to 
retreat on a mule, but the animal ran beneath the bough of a tree upon which 
his luxuriant hair caught and left him suspended, and from which he tried in 
vain to release himself. Some of David’s men, in pursuing the fleeing enemy, 
came up to Absalom, but spared his life because of David’s command ; instead 
of releasing him, however, they went quickly and told Joab, who returned with 
ten armor-bearers and thrust three javelins into the helpless man’s heart. 
Joab now sounded the trumpet of recall, and taking down the body of 
Absalom cast it into a pit, over which he raised a pile of stones as a mark 
of execration. 

DAVID LEARNS OF ABSALOM’S DEATH. 

When the victory was complete Joab sent a messenger to inform David of 
the result, but cautioned him against saying anything concerning Absalom’s 
death. In the mean time, however, David had sent his own special messenger, 
Ahimaaz, to inquire how the battle had gone, and especially to know if Absalom 
was safe. David sat at the gate of Mahanaim awaiting the return of his messen¬ 
ger, breathless with anxiety and forebodings of bitter woe. The watchman on the 
tower at length announced the rapid approach of a runner, followed directly after 
by another, whom he perceived by his gait must be Ahimaaz. This inspired 
David, who believed, by the manner of their running, that they must be bearers 
of good news. The first messenger came forward with open hands and 
beaming face to inform the king of his victory, but David’s first inquiry was ? 
“ Is the young man, Absalom, safe ? ” The runner evaded the question by 
speaking of a confusion which was in the camp when he left. Ahimaaz now 
flew toward him with expressions of congratulation, to which the king made no 
reply, but eagerly asked if Absalom was safe. To this Ahimaaz responded, 
“ The enemies of my lord, the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee 
hurt, be as that young man ! ” 

The full horror of this news burst suddenly upon David, the pathetic 
grief which followed being thus beautifully described by the inspired writer: 
a And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate 
and wept; and as he went, thus he said: O my son Absalom! my son, my 
son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” 

The distress of David was so great that he refused to see any one, or to 
show himself to his victorious troops, who expected some recognition of their 
success and valor. When at length they began to murmur at his seclusion, 
Joab forced his way to the king and loudly upbraided him for giving himself 
over to grief for his bitterest enemy, and from holding aloof from those who 
had preserved him. When this argument failed to move him, Joab threatened 
to persuade the people to leave him and give the kingdom tc another, and to 
make him grieve thereby more bitterly, if he did not cease his lamentations 
and go before the soldiers, who desired an expression of his favor. This threat 


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aroused David from his melancholy, % aud he went out and sat by the gate to 
receive the salutations of his people. 

DAVID REMITS THE OFFENSES OF HIS ENEMIES. 

The soldiers mourned with David for the death of Absalom, but the affairs 
of state required that he should, as speedily as possible, resume the throne 
and set about restoring the country to peace and prosperity. He was there¬ 
fore conducted back to Jerusalem, but while on his way several of those who 
had espoused the cause of Absalom came before him to ask foigiveness. One 
of these was Shimei, who threw stones at him when the king was letreating 
from Jerusalem. Abishai begged David to kill this man for his offenses, but 
to this importunity the king replied: a Will you never leave off, ye sons of 
Zeruiah? Do not you, I pray, raise new troubles and seditions among us, 
now the former are over; for I would not have you ignorant that I this day 
begin my reign, and therefore swear to remit to all offenders their punish¬ 
ments, and not animadvert on any one that has sinned. Be thou therefore of 
good cheer, O Shimei, and do not at all fear being put to death.” 

It was thus that David gave a full pardon to all those who had joined in 
Absalom’s rebellion, believing that such a cour.se would most speedily secure 
the adherence of those who had been against him. But his generosity was the 
direct cause of another uprising, for the Benjaminites were displeased at his 
actions, and especially angered at the men of Judah, who having been the first 
to give their allegiance to Absalom, were also the first to receive and convey 
David back to Jerusalem; so that a dispute arose, the desire of the Benjamin- 
ites being to punish the Judahites, or to shut them out from the benefits of 
Israel. This dispute finally led Sheba, a Benjaminite, to proclaim war. Taking 
advantage of the furious passions excited, he blew his trumpet and shouted, 
“Every man to his tent, O Israel!” 

Learning of the trouble, which grieved David greatly, he appointed Amasa 
as an evidence of his desire for reconciliation, a commander of his army, to 
succeed Joab, and instructed him to muster the forces of Judah within three 
days to crush the revolt of the Benjaminites. Amasa went, promising to per¬ 
form the duty assigned him, but when he got into the camp of Judah he 
refused to muster the men. Dav.id now sent Joab and Abishai to suppress the 
uprising of the Benjaminites. They proceeded to Gibeon and there met Amasa 
with the main army. Under a pretense of great friendship Joab embraced 
Amasa, but while so doing he thrust a dagger into his heart, and then pressed 
on after Sheba, who fled north adding recruits as he went until he came to 
Abel of Beth-maachah at the head of the Jordan River. Here he made a stand 
and was soon besieged by Joab. The investiture of the city being complete, 
and the citizens perceiving that there were no means for escape, were upon the 
point of surrendering and submitting themselves to the mercy of their captors, 
when a wise woman of the town contrived to secure an interview with Joab, by 


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249 


which she learned that the desire of the besiegers was to punish Sheba rather 
than those who were his followers. Accordingly, she induced the people to 
cut off Sheba’s head and throw it over the wall to Joab, who now being satisfied 
raised the siege and returned to Jerusalem. 

The assassination of Amasa by Joab was a greater crime than that of the 
murder of Abner, as already related, for in the latter case Joab had the small 
excuse for his act that Abner had killed Asahel, his brother, though in self- 
defense. But Amasa was murdered for no other reason than that of the jeal¬ 
ousy of Joab, aroused by his being superseded in the command of David’s army. 

BATTLES WITH THE PHILISTINE GIANTS. 

David enjoyed only a short period of peace after Sheba’s death, when he 
went to war with the Philistines, whose territory bordered on his kingdom. 
In the first battle David’s 
army was victorious, but he 
came near receiving his death 
wound after the enemy had 
been dispersed. Being in per¬ 
sonal command of his men he 
had pursued the Philistines 
until he had become separ¬ 
ated from his attendants, and 
being at length very tired he 
sat down to rest himself. 

While thus resting, one of 
the enemy who had been hid¬ 
ing came out of his place of 
concealment to attack the 
exhausted king. This man 
was a giant who bore a spear 
quite as large as was that of 
Goliath, and wore a breast¬ 
plate of chain work. He 
rushed upon David, but his 
great stature chanced to be 
observed by Abishai, who 
ran to his king’s assistance just in time to receive the giant’s stroke upon his 
shield. He now engaged the giant in a conflict with swords and slew him 
before David’s eyes. This narrow escape admonished the king to accept the 
advice of his counsellors not to go an}^ more into battle, and to intrust his 
leadership to good men of his selecting. 

The Philistines soon after gathered at the city of Gazara and were there 
besieged by the Israelites. The victory here obtained was due to the remark- 





































































































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able courage aud dexterity of Sibbechai, a Hushathite, who challenged and 
vanquished, single-handed, several of the most noted fighters in the Philistine 
army, who prided themselves upon being the sons of giants. 

After their defeat at Gazara the Philistines made war again, and the two 
armies being brought up in battle array it was decided by mutual consent 
that the issue should be determined by an encounter between a champion 
chosen from among each army. Nephan, a kinsman of David, was selected to 
fight for Israel, and his adversary was u the stoutest of all the Philistines.” 
The victory was on the side of Israel; but though the Philistines retired, they 
were not vanquished, and w'hen they had changed their camp and set it up 
a short distance from that of the Hebrews, they sent another challepge to any 
one in the Jewish army to fight with the champion they offered to put forth. 
This defy was promptly accepted. The one chosen by the Philistines was a 
giant nine feet in height, and was distinguished also for having six toes on 
each foot, and as many fingers on each hand. Notwithstanding his great size 
and appalling aspect, Jonathan, the nephew of David, went out to meet him. 
They fought a furious battle, but Jonathan killed his mighty antagonist, 
thereby gaining a reputation as great as that of any other man who had ever 
fought for Israel. 

DAVID IS PUNISHED FOR NUMBERING THE PEOPLE. 

After the last war recorded with the Philistines, David reigned in tran¬ 
quillity for a considerable time, during which he wrote many beautiful songs 
which we find printed in the book of Psalms. Josephus is of opinion that 
nearly all of these were written during this interval. 

The dominant spirit of Israel being warlike, though there were no ene¬ 
mies threatening, David, at length, to employ his restless disposition, conceived 
the enterprise of subjugating some neighboring tribes, and to prepare for such 
a campaign he ordered that a census be taken of all the men in his kingdom 
capable of bearing arms. This order was given to Joab, who first refused to 
obey it, because he foresaw that David had in his mind some new enterprise 
of conquest; but when the order was repeated he undertook the duty, which 
was by no means a small one. Joab appointed census takers in all the several 
districts, but it was nearly ten months before the enumeration was completed. 
The result of the numbering showed that there were five hundred thousand 
available men of the tribe of Judah, and eight hundred thousand belonging to 
the other tribes, all of whom were capable of performing military service. The 
entire population of Israel must have been therefore about ten millions. 

This enumeration of the people, for the purpose it was intended, greatly 
angered God, who perceived that David had become bloody minded, as Shimei 
had said, and He accordingly resolved to punish him. God’s determination 
had been communicated to David in a dream, so that he had foreknowledge 
that a visitation of Divine wrath was to be sent upon him, but he knew not what 



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character of punishment would be inflicted. In the prayers which he now 
offered up he freely acknowledged the crime he had contemplated, but begged 
for forgiveness. 

In the morning David was visited by the prophet Gad, who announced to 
him God’s purpose, but permitted him to choose one of three kinds of punish¬ 
ment, viz.: seven years of famine; three months of fighting in which his 
enemies should be invariably victorious, or three days of pestilence. David 
knew not which to choose, but upon being pressed with one of three alterna¬ 
tives he at length bowed himself in submission to the promised pestilence. 

A few days thereafter God sent an angel over Israel to afflict the people 
with a pestilence, from which no less than seventy thousand men died within 
the time it was permitted to endure—three days. 

On the last day, as David was looking toward the point of Mount 
Moriah, he perceived an angel, as if suspended in mid-air, having a drawn 
sword, threatening the utter annihilation of Jerusalem. David and the elders 
of Israel now put on sackcloth, and the king bowed himself and prayed that 
God might sacrifice him, but to spare the people, who had not shared in 
his sin. 

When Gad saw David humbling himself before God, he told him to go up 
to Mount Moriah, and there upon the threshing floor of Araunah set up an altar 
to the Lord. In obedience to this command David went up, but when 
Araunah, who was at the time threshing wheat, saw the king coming he 
bowed himself and asked why he had come to his place. David answered that 
he had come to buy the threshing-floor upon which to build an altar for a 
burnt-offering to the Lord, that He might take away the pestilence. Araunah, 
hearing this, offered his threshing-floor as a gift, and also his oxen for a 
sacrifice, but David would not accept them, except that Araunah would take 
full payment. So David bought the threshing-floor, paying its full value, and 
built an altar, and when he had put an ox thereon God sent down fire from 
heaven to consume it. which was a proof that his sacrifice was acceptable. 
The pestilence was thus stayed on the evening of the third day. 




CHAPTER XX. 


a DAVID PREPARES TO BUILD A TEMPLE TO GOD. 

^ 1 Kings . 

OUNT MORIAH (signifying vision ) had become 
celebrated long before David had set up an altar 
there, for it was the identical spot upon which 
Abraham had built an altar to sacrifice his son 
Isaac. It was therefore now doubly holy ground, 
and David decided that it should be the site for 
a glorious temple to God, long contemplated in his 
mind. He had been preserving spoils captured from 
his enemies with which to build the Temple, and 
these, we are told, now amounted to 100,000 
talents of gold, and ten times as much silver. The exact 
value of the Hebrew talent of the time of David has never 
been determined, being variously estimated by Biblical writers 
at from $1000 to $1700, but if either of these estimates be 
correct, the value of the precious metals captured by David, 
to be devoted to the construction of the Temple, was enor¬ 
mous, greater, indeed, than the accumulation of any sovereign 
that ever ruled on earth. The probability is that the amount 
of David’s treasure has been greatly exaggerated, for there is 
scarcely such an amount of silver now among all the com¬ 
mercial nations of the world. 

Having chosen a site for the temple, thus miraculously pointed out, David 
procured the services of all the skilled workmen that could be found, either in 
his own kingdom or the foreign nations with which he had intercourse. These 
he employed to hew stones, and to prepare iron and brass for use in the con¬ 
struction, and sent to the Sidonians and Tyrians for the famed cedars of 

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Lebanon, of which the wood-work was to be made. But after these prepara¬ 
tions were begun, David was warned by God, through the prophet Nathan, that 
he should leave the construction to his son and successor, Solomon, as it was 
not becoming that a man who had shed so much blood as David should be either 
the designer or builder of a temple to be dedicated to Jehovah and peace. 
David recognized the justice of this denial and accordingly charged all the 
princes of Israel to help Solomon in the great work, and to give their hearts 
and souls to God. 

adonijah’s ambition TO SUCCEED DAVID. 

Adonijah, the fourth and eldest surviving son of David, by his wife Hag- 
gith, had long aspired to the rulership of Israel, in succession to his father. 
He was a man almost as distinguished for his beauty as had been Absalom, 
and was the recipient of quite as many indulgences, so that his expectations 
were natural. Therefore, when he learned that Solomon had been designated 
by David as the successor, he attempted to raise a rebellion and establish him¬ 
self by force. He accordingly gathered a strong guard about him, including 
many charioteers and horsemen, and also won over to himself the services of 
Joab and Abiathar. Considering the time ripe for his enterprise, he gave a 
great feast at the rock of Zoheleth, near Enrogel, to which he invited many of 
his brothers, and others favorable to his schemes, who set up the cry during 
the festival, “Long live King Adonijah!” 

News of the revolt speedily reached the prophet Nathan, and he immedi¬ 
ately informed Bathsheba, mother of Solomon, whom he advised to see David 
at once and secure the interests of her son. This she did, and had the satis¬ 
faction of procuring an order from David for the immediate anointing of Solo¬ 
mon, which was performed by the priest Zadoc, with the sacred oil taken from 
the Tabernacle. When Solomon had thus been proclaimed king a great shout 
of rejoicing went up from the people, which frightened Adonijah so that he fled 
for safety to the horns of the altar in the sanctuary. Solomon, however, being 
a man of peace, had no desire to harm his brother, whom he now assured 
of safety, and bade him return to his house. 

* DAVID’S LAST CHARGE TO SOLOMON. 

Soon after this event David called all the people together, to whom he 
now gave his final charge, knowing from his age and extreme feebleness that 
death was near at hand. He gave to Solomon, in the presence of his subjects, 
the plans of the Temple which he had designed, and also the money and 
materials that had been collected. A thanksgiving and prayer service was 
then held in honor of Solomon, who was now for a second time anointed king 
of Israel, and Zadoc proclaimed high-priest. 

The last act of David, when he had become bed-ridden and felt the chill 
of approaching death, was to send for Solomon, whom he charged to keep the 
laws of Moses and to walk uprightly before the Lord in all things, who would 


254 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


magnify his power and glory above that of any other king who had ruled 
Israel. He told him also of the crimes of Joab, who had without just provoca¬ 
tion murdered Abner and Arnasa, and advised that he be punished according 
to his deserts. He also denounced Shimei as a man unworthy of confidence, 
but commended to Solomon’s favor the good people who had so generously suc¬ 
cored him when he had fled from Absalom to Mahanaim. Soon after com¬ 
pleting this charge, David, the greatest king of all Israel to the time of his 



TOMB OF DAVID. 


successor, died, having reigned in all forty years, seven years in Hebron, and 
thirty-three in Jerusalem. He was buried in the City of David (Jerusalem) 
with great pomp, and his sepulchre was long a shrine at which the Jewish 
people came to weep and pray. 

god’s GREATEST GIFT TO SOLOMON. 

After the burial of David, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked 
him what gift he most desired, for whatsoever he would ask should be granted. 






ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


255 


The answer which he returned was a true index to his greatness and a pro¬ 
phecy of the success of his reign. To the time of his accession to the throne, 
all of Israel’s rulers had been devoted to war, first of resistance and afterward 
of subjugation and spoliation, and none had pursued the profession of arms so 
industriously as David. Therefore we might suppose that Solomon would 
choose greatness, the overcoming of all enemies and a further extension of his 
power, but so far from inheriting ambition, he had been given a spirit of pru¬ 
dence with a degree of humility, so he prayed to God that he might be 
endowed with wisdom, which was accordingly given to him, with a promise 
also of a long life if he should show himself worthy. 

SOLOMON CAUSES ADONIJAH AND JOAB TO BE SLAIN. 

Though Solomon had come to the throne with acclamations of all the 
people, Adonijah did not give up all hope of gaining the coveted position, and 
sought in many ways to secure a following that would enable him to wrest 
the power from his brother. He conceived the infamous project of wedding 
one of his deceased father’s wives, with the idea that such a marriage would 
give him the throne by right, and that his claim would then be acknowledged 
by the people. He therefore went to Bathsheba and begged her to intercede 
in his behalf, and obtain from Solomon consent for him to marry Abishag, a 
woman whom David had married in his declining years. In making this 
request Adonijah protested his love for Solomon, and declared that since God 
had ordained him to be king his own wish was to be a servant to his lord 
and brother all his days. Bathsheba did not discover the purpose which 
Adonijah had so speciously disguised, and though thinking the request a 
singular and improper one, went to Solomon and asked him to give his con¬ 
sent to the marriage of Adonijah with Abishag, supposing the desire proceeded 
from a natural passion. 

Though Solomon had a great affection for his mother, to whom he prom¬ 
ised to grant any request she might make, he perceived at once the object of 
Adonijah’s desire, and horrified at the iniquity of the man, he ordered Benaiah, 
captain of the guard, to seize his infamous half-brother and slay him as 
unworthy to live to the disgrace of Israel. 

When Joab heard of Adonijah’s death he was greatly frightened, having 
been an instigator of the treasonable designs of Adonijah ; and knowing that 
his actions and advice must be betrayed to the king, he fled to the sanctuary, 
hoping to find safety in the reverence which Solomon held for the sacred 
altar. But when Solomon was apprised of what Joab had done, he ordered 
Benaiah to pursue him and bring him to the judgment seat for trial. Joab, 
however, refused to leave the altar, still cleaving to it as his only hope of 
escape from punishment, which fact being told to Solomon, he ordered Benaiah 
to cut off his head where he stood. This order was promptly obeyed, and 
Benaiah was thereafter appointed to succeed Joab as commander of the whole army. 


256 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Shimei’s punishment was not long delayed. Solomon, not desiring to put 
him to death, ordered him to build a house in Jerusalem and remain in the 
city, where he would not be molested, but if he passed over Kidron (Cedron) 
he should be slain. Solomon no doubt prohibited Shimei from going out of 
the immediate neighborhood for fear that if he were put under no restraint he 
would stir up trouble and possibly incite some of the people to rebellion, for 



SOLOMON ORDERING THK CHTTD TO BE DIVIDED. 


it was evident ne was not a trustworthy man. Shimei promised with an oath 
to observe the command, but three years afterward he left Jerusalem and went 
to Gath in pursuit of two of his servants who had fled there. On his return 
Solomon had Shimei brought before him, and after reminding him of his oath 
and also the insults he had heaped upon David, ordered Benaiah to hill him, 
which was accordingly done. 






ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


257 


SOLOMON RESTORES A CONTESTED CHILL) TO ITS MOTHER. 

One of the first cases brought before Solomon for judgment, which must 
have been very soon after his accession to the throne, was one wherein two 
women claimed to be mother to the same child, and disputed for its pos¬ 
session. The first to speak before the king made her complaint that she lived 
in the same house with the other woman before the bar, the two being alone, and 
had a few days before given birth to a child. She further declared that on the 
third night thereafter the other disputant had also borne a babe, but that during 
the night the woman of whom she complained had overlaid her child and killed 
it, and then taken its dead body and laid it in the place of the live child, which 
she had taken away and claimed as her own. 

When the first woman had spoken, Solomon asked that the second one be 
introduced to give her testimony. When she had come in she fell to crying 
and related to the king a story exactly similar to that which the first woman 
had told, except that she accused the first of overlying her child and of then 
stealing her own. When these statements had been made, all those about the 
king wondered how a just judgment could be given, as it was impossible to 
decide which woman had sworn falsely. The difficulty, however, did not 
appear so great to Solomon, who ordered that a sword be brought to him, which 
being done, he commanded one of his guards to divide the living child in half, 
and give to each woman an equal part, by which act alone could it be made to 
appear that impartial judgment was awarded, and justice be made to triumph, 
for with prescient wisdom he foresaw how true motherly affection would manifest 
itself in such an appalling crisis. But when the guard was upon the point of 
destroying the live child, the real mother cried aloud, begging the king to stay the 
hand of his officer and to give the child to the other woman, for she would rather 
be content with occasionally seeing her babe, even in the arms of her rival, than 
that it should be so cruelly killed. The other woman, however, insisted on 
having both children cut in two, as the king had ordered, by which cruel desire 
the king perceived who was indeed the real mother of the living child, and 
accordingly ordered that it be restored to her. He also condemned the other 
woman for her wickedness, but whether he visited her with any punishment 
the Bible does not state. 

This manifestation of the great wisdom with which he was endowed 
inclined all the people to believe that the king was possessed of a divine mind. 
Concerning the abilities of this great man, Josephus thus writes : 

Now the sagacity and wisdom which God had bestowed upon Solomon was so great that 
he exceeded the ancients, insomuch that he was no way inferior to the Egyptians, who are 
said to have been bevond all men in understanding ; nay, indeed, it is evident that their 
sagacity was very much inferior to that of the king. He also excelled and distinguished 
himself in wisdom above those who were most eminent among the Hebrews at that time for 
shrewdness ; rhuse 1 mean were Ethan, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda. the sons of 
Mahol. He also composed books of odes and songs, a thousand and five ; of parables, and 
similitudes, three thousand ; for he spake a parable upon every sort of tree, from the hyssop 
u> the cedar ; and in like manner also about beasts, about all sorts of living creatures, whether 

17 


258 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


upon the earth, or in the seas, or in the air ; for he was not unacquainted with any of their 
natures, nor omitted inquiries about them, but described them all like a philosopher, and 
demonstrated his exquisite knowledge of their several properties. God also enabled him to 
learn that skill which expels demons, which is a science useful and sanative to men. He 
composed such incantations also by which distempers are alleviated. And he left behind him 
the manner of using exorcisms, by which they drive away demons, so that they never return, 
and this method of cure is of great force unto this day; for I have seen a certain man of my 
own country, whose name was Eleazar, releasing people, that were demoniacal, in the presence 
of Vespasian, and his sons, and his captains, and the whole multitude of his soldiers. The 
manner of the cure was this : He put a ring that had a root of one of those sorts mentioned 
by Solomon to the nostrils of the demoniac, after which he drew out the demon through his 
nostrils; and when the man fell down, immediately he adjured him to return into him no 
more, making still mention of Solomon, and reciting the incantations which he composed. 
And when Eleazar would persuade and demonstrate to the spectators that he had such a 
power, he set a little way off a cup or basin full of water, and commanded the demon, as he 
went out of the man, to overturn it, and thereby to let the spectators know that he had left 
the man ; and when this was done, the skill and wisdom of Solomon was shown very mani¬ 
festly ; for which reason it is that all men may know the vastness of Solomon’s abilities, and 
how he was beloved of God, and that the extraordinary virtues of every kind with which 
this king was endowed may not be unknown to any people under the sun. 

BUILDING THE TEMPLE. 

Solomon set about building the Temple, that was conceived by his father, 
soon after coming to the throne and immediately after the organization of his 
army. In this gigantic undertaking he was assisted by Hiram, king of Tyre, 
whose aid he solicited by letter. The Tyrians felled cedars and brought them 
by sea to Joppa, from whence they were carted by Solomon’s men over the 
thirty miles of road to Jerusalem. For all this work a levy was made from 
among the people whom David had subdued, numbering one hundred and 
fifty-three thousand six hundred men. These were appointed to certain tasks, 
seventy thousand being set to transporting cedars, eighty thousand were made 
hewers, and three thousand six hundred were appointed overseers. Besides 
these there were also thirty thousand Israelites engaged, who worked in Lebanon 
by relays of ten thousand, each of the three relays serving a month’s time, 
and returning home they rested two months, when they renewed their work 
again. Some of these were also masons set to hew out large stones, which, 
being brought from Western Phoenicia, were very expensive when laid down, 
ready dressed, in Jerusalem. 

The chief architect of the Temple was a man named Hiram, no relation 
of the king of Tyre, but a person whose skill was so great that his fame was 
known throughout Palestine. He was the son of a widow of Naphtali, and 
whose father had been a noted artist. This man was not only an architect 
but also a worker in brass, iron, gold, silver, stone, timber, and a designer in 
all branches. His greatest work in connection with the Temple was the 
building of two brazen pillars called Jachin and Boaz, which stood on either 
side of the porch in front of the Holy Place. 

The Temple proper was erected inside of a walled enclosure, which formed 
a square of six hundred feet, and was planned after the model of the Taber¬ 
nacle, being different chiefly in having chambers built about the sanctuary 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 259’ 

for the abode of priests and attendants, and also to keep the treasures. This- 
sanctuary covered a space about one hundred and twenty by sixty feet, and 
the Tabernacle thirty by sixty feet, the latter covering just one-fourth the 
space of the former. 



HIRAM SENDS MESSENGERS TO KING SOLOMON. 


The Tabernacle was divided into three parts, as was also the Temple, 
called respectively the Porch, Holy Place, and Holy of Holies. The Porch 
was supported by Hiram’s two brazen pillars, which stood nearly thirty-five 
feet high and were magnificently figured with' imitations of lilies and pome¬ 
granates. The entire interior of the Temple was made of cedar overlaid with 
gold and occasionally set with precious stones, producing at once a sublime 















260 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


and dazzlingly beautiful effect. Gold and silver were also lavishly used in the 
exterior adornment of the building, and all the principal furniture of the Holy 
Place was of the more precious metal. Above the ark were placed the images 
of two cherubim, made of cedar laid with gold, whose wings extended above the 



ark till they touched, and also met at the walls behind them, their extreme 
height being fifteen feet. The altar of incense was of cedar overlaid with gold, 

and the place 
was lighted with 
candles set in 
seven golden 
candlesticks. 
Besides these 
there were ten 
tables of gold 
upon which the 
shew-bread was 
set, and all the 
vessels used in 
the service were 
of beaten gold. 
The outer 

court was scarcely less lavishly decorated and pro¬ 
vided. The brazen laver which had so long done 
service for the priests, since the days of Moses, 
was now replaced by what was called “a molten 
sea of brass,” which was supported upon the backs 
of twelve brazen oxen. This contained holy water 
for the ablution of the priests. Its size was eight 
feet in height and fifteen in diameter. 

The Temple was made chiefly of stones cut 
at the quarries, which were cut so exactly that 
when brought to be laid every one fitted as if hewn 
upon the site and frequently tested. The time re¬ 
quired in constructing this then greatest wonder 
of the world, was seven and one-half years, the 
completion occurring in the eleventh year of Solo¬ 
mon’s reign, B. C. 1005. 


TEMPLE OF SOLOMON RESTORED. 


DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 

The dedication of Solomon’s Temple was, in all respects, the grandest 
occasion that was ever celebrated by the Jewish people. The preparation for 
this event was on a scale equal with the bewildering magnificence of the Temple 
itself. The time chosen for its celebration was the joyous season, the Feast of 


















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


261 


Tabernacles, corresponding to our month of September. Tiie people had now 
garnered their crops, which were plentiful that season, and in the exuberance 
of delightsome spirits gathered from all parts of the kingdom to participate 
in the ceremonies. Solomon clothed himself in the priestly vestments worn 
by his father, but gave the ark in charge of the priests and Levites, to 
whom its care had been bestowed by the law of Joshua. When all had been 
made ready the full body of holy officers appeared to transfer the ark from its 
former resting-place to the new abode provided, beneath the wide-stretching 
wings of the cherubim and behind the holy veil. After thus depositing the ark, 
as the priests came out the Levites arranged themselves in three courses of 
psalmody, clad in garments of white, and burst forth with the sacred chorus 



SERVICES AT THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPI/E. 


accompanying their tuneful voices with instruments, and making the very world 
musical with their divine-like symphony. The joyful refrain was, “ For He is 
good; for His mercy endureth forever.” 

God was near this holy scene, for at this moment, “just as the trumpeters 
and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking 
Jehovah,” He gave the sign of His coming to take possession of His Temple, 
“The house was filled with a cloud, even the house of Jehovah, so that the 
priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of Jehovah 
had filled the house of Jehovah.” As that sacred cloud spread through the 
open doors over the sanctuary, the voice of Solomon was heard recognizing the 
presence of the God who had said that He would dwell in the thick darkness. 


















262 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


and for whom he had now built a habitation forever. Then turning to the 
people from the great platform of brass, which he had erected in the midst of 
the court, in front of the brazen altar, the king blessed Jehovah, the God 
of Israel, who had chosen Jerusalem as the place sacred to His name, and had 
performed His promises to David and fulfilled his desire to build Him a house. 
And now, kneeling down before the whole congregation, with his face toward 
the sanctuary, Solomon poured forth a prayer uneqrailed for sublimity and com¬ 
prehensiveness, in which the leading thought, repeated with beautiful variety and 
minuteness, is this: that the abode which Jehovah had deigned to sanctify with 
His presence might prove the centre of blessing and forgiveness to His people; 
that whatever prayer for help, whatever penicent confession in the time of 
suffering and exile they might offer toward that house, God would hear it from 
His true dwelling-place in heaven, and forgive His people who had sinned against 
Him. The prayer is, indeed, a prophecy of the history of Israel, and of God’s 
chastisement of their sins, even to the captivity. He concluded with a blessing 
and exhortation to the people. 

The prayer of Solomon was followed by another sign of God’s presence. 
The fire came down from heaven, as on the first altar of burnt-offering, and con¬ 
sumed the sacrifices, while the Shekinah again filled the house, preventing the 
entrance of the priests, as if, for that one day, God claimed the sanctuary as His 
very own, to the exclusion of all mere creatures. Then Solomon and all the 
people offered their sacrifices on the altar, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep, the 
priests executing the office, while the Levites played and sang in their order 
and to the words of David. A great feast followed for twice seven days, seven 
for the Feast of Tabernacles, and seven for the dedication, and on the twenty- 
third day of the month Solomon dismissed the people. They returned to their 
homes, “ glad and merry in heart for all the goodness that Jehovah had shewed 
unto David and to Solomon, and to Israel His people.” 

BUILDING OF THE KING’S PALACE. 

When Solomon had finished and dedicated the Temple, he set about con¬ 
structing a palace which was little inferior in magnificence to the House of God. 
though he did not hasten the work as he did that on the Temple. 

This palace, which took thirteen years to build, was about one hundred and 
fifty feet in length, seventy-five feet broad, and nearly fifty feet in height, sup¬ 
ported by cedar pillars. It had folding doors, somewhat after the fashion of 
modern buildings, and its Corinthian roof and ceilings were elaborately frescoed. 
Josephus declares it to have been in many respects a very curious building, an 
observation no doubt prompted by the fact that it was never told how many 
rooms it contained, nor were the people given to know anything about the sub¬ 
terranean passages and dungeons which were built beneath it, except that such 
secret ways and rooms had been provided. Adjoining the main building was 
another erected for the habitation of Solomon’s queen, and smaller structures 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


263 


for sleeping and dining. Some of these were built of stones fifteen feet square, 
and all their floors were laid in cedar. About the whole was a garden that 
must have exceeded in beauty those of Babylon. Among the ornaments scat¬ 
tered about the grounds were immense stones carved to represent trees and a 
great variety of plants, with such perfection, too, that Josephus tells us it was 
difficult to distinguish them from the real, the stone leaves being carved so thin 
as to appear to stir with every breeze. 

The throne-room of Solomon’s palace exceeded in grandeur and magnifi¬ 
cence of furniture and embellishment all the other rooms or edifices excepting, 
possibly, that of the Holy of Holies in the Temple. He adorned the ceilings 
and walls with precious stones set in gold, which must have produced the most 
exquisitely beautiful effect. The throne itself he made of solid ivory, and it was 
so large that it had to be ascended by a flight of six steps. At the end of each 
step was the figure of a lion of life size, though of what material we are not 
told. In the back of the throne-seat were fixed the mechanical hands, which, 
Josephus says, came out to receive the king as he sat , down, but his back 
rested on the figure of a bullock of gold. 

Solomon was greatly assisted in all this labor and expense by his friend 
Hiram, king of Tyre, who sent him vast quantities of gold and silver and 
received in return presents of com, oil and wine, which the Hebrews raised in 
abundance. But Solomon further enriched his possessions by fitting out ships 
that went as far as India and brought him precious metals, stones and fabrics. 

SOLOMON IS VISITED BY THE QUEEN OF SAB^EA. 

The wisdom and wealth of Solomon, as well as the renown of his palace 
and the Temple dedicated to God, made his name familiar to all Me rulers 
of the world. By marriage with a daughter of one of the kings of Egypt, he 
established commercial relations with the Egyptians, which resulted largely to 
his advantage. Among those who heard much concerning his fame was a 
certain queen who ruled over a portion of south Arabia, called Sabsea, neat 
the sea. She is commonly called, as in the Bible, the Queen of Sheba, and 
is represented as having come from Ethiopia, but those best versed in the 
history of the Jews declare that she was not an Ethiopian, but that the 
country over which she ruled was south of Arabia Felix, and was called 
Sabaea, of which fact there is now no longer any doubt. This woman was of 
an inquiring mind and much given to philosophy, for which reason she made 
a journey to visit Solomon, that she might discourse with him on matters 
concerning which she desired information, as well also to behold with her own 
eyes the wonders of his palace and of the Temple. Accordingly . she loaded 
many camels with rich presents, and accompanied by a large retinue of ser¬ 
vants, came to Jerusalem, where she was graciously received by the king. 
Upon beholding all the magnificent things which Solomon showed her, she 
confessed that they exceeded even the flattering descriptions she had heard. 


264 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


but in her interview with the king she was more deeply impressed by his 
wisdom than by the wondrous things and riches of his surroundings. This 
friendly visit was terminated, at the end of several days, by an exchange cf 



the OUEEN OF SHEBA VISITS SOEOMON, 

costly presents, such as gold, silver and precious stones, when she returned to 
her own country to spread anew the fame of Israel’s great king. 

SOLOMON ABANDONS GOD AND BOWS DOWN TO IDOLS. 

The history of Solomon’s reign is very meagre, comparatively few inci¬ 
dents of his administration being recorded in either the Bible or Josephus’ 
writings. We are told that he subjugated all the Canaanites and made them 





































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


265 


his slaves, but none of the battles he had with these people are described; 
but he could hardly have accomplished their enslavement without a long and 
terribly destructive warfare. So we are told, but very briefly, of the manner 
in which he fortified Jerusalem, and surrounded the city by a great wall, but 
the principal portion of the Bible referring to Solomon is devoted to descrip¬ 
tions of his wealth and the luxurious extravagances of his court. 

With all of Solomon’s wisdom, his riches finally destroyed the gift of 
prudence with which he was endowed, and brought him into excesses that 
incurred God’s displeasure, resulting in a rupture, and a division of the king¬ 
dom of Israel. In many respects he was like his father, and these inherited 
passions at length dominated his better nature, and carried 
him to his grave in an inglorious manner. His disorder was 
first manifested by his taking a large number of wives, to 
which he afterward added hundreds of concubines from idola¬ 
trous nations, such as the Sidonians, Tyrians, Ammonites 
and Edomites, though he was inconsistent enough to order 
that none of his people should marry except among them¬ 
selves. These foreign wives and concubines exerted the 
greatest influence upon him, to the extent of weaning him 
entirely from God, and causing him to worship their idols. 
Having started upon the downward road, his descent was 
rapid, and the unhappy end could now be plainly foreseen. 






THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL IS DIVIDED. 

When the king’s conduct had become so profligate as to 
excite the fears of all Israel, God sent a prophet to warn 
him against his misdoings, and to tell him also that while 
the kingdom should not be taken from him during his life, 
it would be rent after his death, and that his son would 
succeed to the rulership of only one of the twelve tribes. 
This prophecy greatly grieved Solomon, though he made no 
effort to amend his ways. 

An enemy was soon raised up against the king in the 
person of Hadad, who had married a sister of Pharaoh, and 
whose aid and sympathy he received. This man, learning of 
affairs in Israel, joined what forces he could muster with a 
robber named Rezon, and together they attacked Syria with 
such success that Hadad soon made himself master of the 
country, and was proclaimed king thereof. He next entered 
Israel and laid waste a great portion of that fair 
land. About this time, Jeroboam, the son of 
Nabat, who had been in the king’s favor and 
was in charge of the tribe of Joseph and the (5) 





























266 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



walls of Jerusalem, was prompted by the advice of a prophet named Abijah 
to make a revolt against Solomon. This prophet met him in a quiet place, 
and taking off his mantle rent it into twelve pieces, and bade Jeroboam take 
ten of them as a sign that he should become king over ten tribes of Israel. 

This revelation of Abijah fired Jeroboam with such ambition that he went 
immediately to sowing discord among the people, and inciting them to rebel 
against Solomon, in which, however, he was only partially successful. The 
king, hearing of Jeroboam’s treason, sent men to arrest him, but he fled to 
Shishak, king of Egypt, under whose protection he remained only a short 
while before Solomon died. Solomon ruled forty years and was buried with 
the usual royal ceremonies in Jerusalem, but so unpopular had be become 

before his death 
that when his son 
Rehoboam attempt¬ 
ed to ascend the 
throne the people 
rejected him, after 
exacting a promise 
of how, in the event 
of his reign, he pro¬ 
posed to rule the 
country. The bit¬ 
terness of the peo¬ 
ple was so great 
against him that 
he fled in his char¬ 
iot to Jerusalem, 
where he was pro¬ 
claimed king by the 
tribes of Judah and 
of Benjamin, who 

had not participated in the revolt. All the other ten tribes now sent for Jero¬ 
boam, who upon his coming to them, was made their ruler, and established his 
seat of empire at Shechem, where he built a palace. Rehoboam tried to raise 
an army of 180,000 men to drive out Jeroboam, but the prophet Shemaiah 
restrained him by advising him of God’s displeasure at such an act, which 
would be causing brothers of the same country to fight against one another. 


SOLOMON ON HIS THRONE. 


JEROBOAM SETS UP GOLDEN IMAGES AND IS PUNISHED. 

The two kings ruled Israel under constant dread of each other, and though 
there was no war it was an armed peace. Affairs thus continued for a few 
months, until the Feast of Tabernacles, when it was customary for all the 
Hebrews to visit the Temple at Jerusalem to worship and make their sacrifices. 













ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


267 


Jeroboam very wisely concluded that if those tribes over which he was ruling 
should go to Jerusalem they would fall into the power of Rehoboam, who 
might persuade them to abandon him, and to prevent this possible result he 
invented a contrivance whereby his people might worship without going to 
Jerusalem. He accordingly had two golden heifers cast, and making a temple 
for each, set one up in Bethel and the other in Dan. He then made a speech 
to the people, telling them that God had His abode in every place and it was 
therefore unnecessary that they should make a long journey to Jerusalem to 
worship Him. He reminded them that it was only a man who had built the 
Temple, and that he had likewise made two golden heifers and dedicated them 
to God, together with temples consecrated to God, and had provided priests and 
Levites to minister to them. 

This speech satisfied the ten tribes and they had no desire to go to Jerusa¬ 
lem; but when the day of ceremony arrived, Jeroboam built an altar before 
one of the heifers and undertook to be a high-priest himself. As he was going 
to offer the sacrifices a prophet named Jadon, who had come from Jerusalem, 
stood up in the midst of the people and prophesied that a certain man of the 

name of Josiah, from the family of David, would be sent by God to punish 

these false priests and the deceivers of the people, and as a sign of the fulfil¬ 
ment of his words he declared that the altar should be immediately broken to 

pieces and all the fat of the sacrifices upon it be poured upon the ground. 
At this prophecy Jeroboam stretched out his hand and asked the people to 
grasp it, but instantly his arm was paralyzed and hung down limp by his side, 
while the altar was scattered and broken as the prophet had foretold. Jeroboam 
now prayed that his arm might be restored, which the prophet graciously did, 
but refused to accept his invitation to sup with him, having been ordered by 
God not to tarry in the city, nor to return by the same way he came. 

JADON IS DESTROYED BY A LION. 

When Jadon had gone out of Bethel, on his way to Jerusalem, a certain 
false prophet, who was in the esteem of Jeroboam, though enfeebled by age 
and infirmity, fearing that the true prophet might supplant him in the king s 
affection, had his ass quickly saddled and set out to overtake Jadon and bring 
him back to Bethel, that he might cause him to transgress God’s commands. 
The false prophet overtook Jadon as he was sitting beneath an oak-tree resting. 
Saluting him graciously he begged to know why Jadon had not stopped to 
sup with him, seeing that he, too, was a prophet worshipping the same God. 
Jadon excused himself by saying that God had forbidden him to tarry or sup 
in any man’s house in Bethel. At this the false prophet importuned him. the 
more, and at length induced Jadon to return with him to his home and to stay 
over night. 

While the two were making themselves merry at supper, God appeared to 
Jadon and told him that he should suffer the iniquity of his disobedience, and 


268 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


foretold also the manner in which it should be. When, therefore, Jadon resumed 
his journey in the morning he was met in the highway by a lion, which 
pulled him off the animal he was riding, and after killing him sat beside the 
body until some travellers came by and discovered what had been done. 

The false prophet begged of the sons of Jadon, when they came out to get 
the remains of their father, to give them sepulture, that when he himself should 
die, his body might be laid in the grave with so good and divine a man as Jadon 

had been; but when 
he saw Jeroboam he 
persuaded him that 
Jadon had been an 
impostor whom God 
had punished for his 
wicked pretenses. He 
thus gained the favor 
of Jadon’s sons, and 
also of the king, who,, 
believing all that had 
been told him, con¬ 
tinued in his wicked¬ 
ness. 

Rehoboam, being 
left unmolested for a 
long time, governed 
with such wisdom as 
not only made him 
very popular among 
his own subjects but 
also gained him the 
favor of the Levites 
and others of Jero¬ 
boam’s people w li o 
esteemed the sacri¬ 
fices made at Bethel 
as sacrilegious. As 
his power increased 
by these accessions from the ten tribes, Rehoboam extended his kingdom and 
built many cities, which he provisioned with corn, wine and oil, and garrisoned 
them with troops as a measure of safety. 

Soon after reaching the throne Rehoboam married a Jewish woman, by 
whom he had three children, but like the other leaders of Israel, he was not 
content with one wife, and accordingly married seventeen others. His second 
wife, however, was of his kindred, a double half-cousin, so to speak, for she 



JADON DESTROYED BY A ElON. 














ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


209 


was the daughter of Absalom by his sister Tamar. By this woman, whose 
n3 me was Maachah, he had a son whom he called Abijah (son of Jehovah ), 
and because of his exceeding love for Maachah, he designated this son as his 
successor and gave him charge of all the cities of his kingdom, and of his 
treasures. 

The eighteen wives and thirty concubines which Rehoboam had, bore him 
twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters, a manifest evidence of the same passion 
that had characterized Solomon and David, and which led to the same dis¬ 
astrous results. Having given himself to all manner of excesses, he forgot the 
goodness of God and became so wicked that he contaminated his subjects until 
Israel had become as perverse and iniquitous as were the Canaanites or 
Ammonites. 

God would not permit such wickedness to go unpunished, but instead of 
afflicting the people with His own hand He sent Shishak, king of Egypt, to 
invade the country and lay it waste. This king led an army comprising 
twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and four hundred thousand 
foot soldiers, the greater part being composed of Ethiopians and Libyans. This 
invasion occurred during the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, and considering 
the size and condition of his family at this time, we obtain an idea how rapid 
Rehoboam’s descent had been from that of a high-born ruler to the slave of the 
most despicable passions. 

Shishak’s march through Judah was almost unopposed. ' He captured city 
after city, and garrisoning them with his own troops, continued the invasion 
until he reached the gates of Jerusalem. He laid siege to Israel’s capital, and 
was not long in reducing the inhabitants to such straits for food that they 
surrendered without resistance. This result was hastened by the prophecy of 
Shemaiah, who told Rehoboam that God had forsaken him for his iniquity, and 
had determined to deliver him and his people into the hands of the Egyptians 
to be slaves. 

When Shishak was admitted into Jerusalem he set his soldiers upon the 
Temple, from which they took all the treasure, not sparing even the bucklers 
and shields of gold which Solomon had made, nor the golden quiver David had 
taken from the king of Zobah and dedicated to God. With the enormous riches 
obtained from the Temple, Shishak was content, for they were very much greater 
than he had expected to find, and he therefore returned to Egypt without sub¬ 
jecting the Israelites to the bondage which Shemaiah had prophesied. 

But Rehoboam, though escaping slavery, had lost all his glory, and never 
recovered his former power. He retained his crown, however, twelve years 
after Shishak’s invasion, though a portion of his kingdom was taken from him. 
He died at the age of fifty-seven years, and was buried in the royal sepulchre 
at Jerusalem, and was succeeded by Abijah, who was now scarcely fifteen 
years old. 


270 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


THE DOWNFALL OF JEROBOAM. 

While affairs in Judah were so calamitous, the ten tribes under Jeroboam, 
though escaping Shishak’s invasion into Israel, were in little more promising 
condition. The king continued to disregard the covenants of his father, and 
made sacrifices to images at Bethel, which finally brought him to a fate even 
worse than that to which Rehoboam was reduced. 

Jeroboam had a son by a wife whom he had married from among his own 
people, who was called Abijah, being the same name that Rehoboam had given 
to the heir to his throne. This son having fallen very ill, Jeroboam sent his 
wife to Shiloh to inquire of a prophet, named Ahijah, whether the child should 
recover. Before going, however, he charged her put on a disguise, so that 
the prophet might not know, when she should come into his presence, that 
she was the queen. But disguise did not serve to conceal her identity from 
the holy man, whose eyesight, though dim, discovered to him, through revela¬ 
tion from God, who she was, and also the purpose of her visit. When, there¬ 
fore, upon the moment she appeared before the prophet, he told her that he 

knew she was the wife of Jeroboam, come to ask 
concerning whether her child should live. He there¬ 
fore prophesied that her son should be dead before 
she could return to her home, and that Jeroboam 
himself should be punished by being dethroned, and 
i all his household given to dogs and fowls for food. 
Moreover, he added, the people themselves should 
be scattered into places beyond the Euphrates, being 
first overcome by a king who would be raised to the 
throne by appointment. 

All these things came to pass as the Shiloh prophet had predicted. When 
his wife returned to Jeroboam she found her child dead, but this verification 
of the prophecy did not incline the king to mend his ways, for the projects he 
now conceived only hastened his downfall. Despising the youth and opposition 
of Abijah, he fitted out an expedition against Judah, consisting of 800,000 men, 
and marched to Mount Zemaraim, where he was met by an army of about one- 
half the size of his own, at the head of which was the youthful king of Judah. 
While the two armies were in battle array Abijah stood in an elevated place 
and begged Jeroboam and his people to hear first what he had to say. He 
then made a speech before the two armies, in which he reminded the people 
that God had appointed David and his descendants to rule over Israel, and 
consequently that Jeroboam was wrongfully in possession of the crown, but 
that God would not much longer suffer him to thus reign and divide the 
twelve tribes. He also charged Jeroboam with sacrilege in offering burnt- 
offerings and worshipping golden heifers, which God would certainly punish. 
While he was thus talking, Jeroboam secretly sent a portion of his army to 
surround Abijah’s camp, and fell upon him with such suddenness that the 




ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


271 


young king’s army was on the point of a panic. Abijah’s bravery and exhorta- 
tion rallied them, however, and after a great battle he routed Jeroboam’s forces 
with a loss unparalleled in all history, for there were slain of Jeroboam’s army 
500,000 men. This victory was followed by the capture of Bethel and other 
important cities, until Jeroboam was reduced to a position little above that of 
a vassal. 

Abijah did not live long to enjoy the fruits of his victory, or to bestow 
upon his people the benefits of that wisdom and courage vhich he so early 
manifested. But his history is clouded by the same vices which distinguished 
bis predecessors, for though be reigned only three years, and had therefore 
not attained his majority at the time of his death, yet he was married to four¬ 
teen wives and left behind him twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. He 
was succeeded by his son Asa, under whom the country had peace for ten 
years. 

Jeroboam survived Abijah only two years, after governing the ten tribes 
for a period of twenty-two years. His successor was his son Nadab, a foolish 
and wicked young man, who met his death, two years after he had assumed 
the throne, at the hand of one of Abijah’s sons, Baasha by name. After killing 
Nadab, Baasha took the crown, and his first act thereafter was to destroy the 
entire house of Jeroboam. Those whom he killed in the cities were given 
to dogs to eat, while those slain in the fields were allowed to remain where 
they had fallen, as food for fowls, thus fulfilling the predictions of the prophet 
of Shiloh. 

ASA’S GREAT VICTORY OVER The EGYPTIANS. 

Asa was a man altogether different in disposition from those who had 
ruled before him. Instead of giving himself up to the vices which had so 
often cause the downfall of Israel’s kings, he devoted himself to doing that 
which was good for his people, and observing God’s laws. The dangers by 
which he was surrounded caused him to look to the safety of his kingdom, 
and he therefore raised an army of defense, consisting of three hundred thou¬ 
sand men of Judah, and two hundred and fifty thousand Benjaminites, who 
were admirably equipped with spears, shields and bows. Besides organizing 
so large an army he added new defenses to Jerusalem, and having thus pro¬ 
vided so well against foes he ruled in peace and with great wisdom and piety 
for ten years. At the end of this period, however, Zerah, king of Ethiopia, 
undertook an expedition against him at the head of nine hundred thousand 
footmen, one hundred thousand cavalry and three hundred chariots. Asa 
heard of the invaders before they had reached the boundary of his country, 
and making preparations hastily, went out to meet them. The two armies 
came in sight of each other in a valley, called Zephathah, which was only a 
short distance from Jerusalem. When Asa saw the magnitude of Zerah’s army 
he recited a prayer to God that he might be given the victory, to which peti¬ 
tion a gracious reply was made. 


272 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Strengthened by God’s assurance, Asa began the battle, and with such 
valor and impetuosity that the enemy was speedily defeated with the loss of 
many thousands. As the Ethiopians retreated, Asa pursued them as far as 
Gerar, taking such a vast quantity of spoils that his soldiers returned to 
Jerusalem heavily laden with the things they had captured. 

BAASHA’S WAR WITH ASA AND ITS TERRIBLE RESULTS. 

When Baasha had increased the power of the ten tribes somewhat, an 
had built himself a strong city at Tirzah, he became so dreadfully impious 
that God sent the prophet Jehu to warn him of the punishment which awaited 
his wickedness. But Baasha disregarded all these warnings, and continued to 
lead a life like that which had distinguished Jeroboam. He also became vain¬ 
glorious, and in a spirit of bravado took his army and laid siege to Ramah, 
which is only five miles from Jerusalem. Having effected its capture, he 
fortified and garrisoned the place as a menace to Asa, and as a defiance to that 
power which Asa acknowledged and worshipped. 

To circumvent Baasha without going to war with him, as it was not proper 
that the Hebrews should fight among themselves, Asa sent ambassadors to the 
king of Damascus—who was an ally of Baasha—with a vast treasure of gold 
and silver to purchase his friendship, and to induce him to fight Baasha. The 
king of Damascus was mercenary enough to accept the reward, upon the con¬ 
ditions imposed by Asa, and he took his army and laid siege to several cities 
which Baasha had left poorly protected, and captured some that were of the 
greatest importance to the king of Israel. This attack from a new enemy 
caused Baasha to abandon Ramah and return to Tirzah, where he soon after¬ 
ward died. His son Elah succeeded him, but after reign of two years 
was treacherously assassinated by Zimri, a commander of one-half the king’s 
army. 

Zimri then seized the throne and put to death every one of Baasha’s house¬ 
hold, just as Baasha had those of the house of Jeroboam. Zimri, however, 

was not permitted to rule unmolested. A large portion of the army, while 

laying siege to Gibbethon, would not acknowledge Zimri, and proclaimed Omri 

their king. As soon as he had been thus declared, he drew off his army from 
Gibbethon and went to Tirzah for the purpose of seizing Zimri, who, however, 
anticipated his coming, and fled into a secret room of his palace. He had 
hoped that some of his guards would defend him, but, finding that no one 
espoused his cause, he set fire to the palace and miserably perished in the 
flames. 

Omri was no more righteous than had been Jeroboam, nor more fortunate 
than Elah or Zimri, for he in turn was assassinated by one of his own house¬ 
hold. The crown, however, was permitted to descend to his posterity, he 
being succeeded by his son Ahab. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


273 


Asa continued to rule the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin for a period 
sr forty-une years, dining which time his kingdom was greatly strengthened, 
and his people remained in increasing prosperity. His death was the occasion 
of intense sorrow throughout all Judah, and he was buried in Jerusalem with 
all the pomp and funeral rites that were shown by the Israelites at the burial 
of David. Asa was succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat, who was born to him 
by his wite Azubah. Whether he had any other wives or not the Bible does 
not tell us, but we may very justly infer, from the success of his reign and 
die high favor by which he was held by God that he was never married to 
any other woman. 

ahab’s wicked reign. 

The kings succeeding to the throne of the ten tribes learned no wisdom 
foom the crimes and punishments of their predecessors, but continued in the 
same follies. Ahab was more wicked, if possible, than Jeroboam, Zimri or 
Omri, eschewing all good and following all manner of wickedness. He mar¬ 
ried shortly after coming to the throne, but instead of taking a Jewish woman, 
according to the written law of Moses, he wedded a daughter of Ethbaal, king 
af the Tyrians and Sidonians, who were idolaters. This woman’s name was 
Jezebel, a proud and infamously wicked creature, who brought to her husband 
for his adoption the practices of her idolatrous people. Cue of her first acts, 
after becoming queen, was to build a temple for the god Belus, around which 
she had a beautiful garden made. She also appointed a large number of 
priests and false prophets, and otherwise sought to impress the people with 
the divine nature of this idol. In all these things she was assisted by 
Ahab, who was pleased at this means for manifesting the wickedness in his 
heart. 

Samaria was Ahab’s seat of government, and it was here that the altars 
for idolatry were erected ; but besides these altars he dedicated a grove to the 
revolting orgies of Ashtaroth, and established a college for his false prophets 
in the grove where four hundred were kept under instruction, besides four 
hundred and fifty other prophetical priests who predicted for the king. All 
of these were fed by Jezebel, who held them in such reverential regard that 
she ordered her officers to put to death all the true prophets of God. This 
order was the cause of great sorrow, and in the end the destruction of this 
dreadful woman. 

Obadiah was the governor of Ahab’s house, but, though surrounded by 
the most evil of influences, he still retained a godly spirit and was true to the 
laws of Moses and of Joshua. When, therefore, Jezebel’s order was issued, 
Obadiah sought out many of the true prophets and apprised them of their 
danger; he also hid one hundred in a cave and supplied them with food, trust¬ 
ing to the Lord for their and his own protection. This was the darkest hour 


274 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


that had yet fallen on Israel, 
when we are told that there 
were not above seven thousand who acknowledged 
Jehovah, all the others of this mighty nation and 
ten tribes having given themselves up to the 
worship of idols and iniquities of every kind. 

THE MIRACLES OF ELIJAH. 

The day of retribution was now near l 
hand, for God could no longer suffer Ahab 
to continue in his corrupting vices. He 
accordingly sent a great prophet, named Elijah, 
a Tishbite, to the king, to tell him that his iniqui¬ 
ties should be punished by a famine that would oppress 
all the land, for no rain should fall for three or more years, 
or until the king became humbled and left off his wicked 
ways. This prophecy made Ahab very angry, and he would 
have killed Elijah had the prophet not obeyed God’s instruc¬ 
tions to flee into the wilderness and there remain hidden by 
a brook. While Elijah was thus in hiding God sent ravens 
to feed him both morning and evening. He remained beside 
the brook for several months, and until, by reason of the 
failure of rain, it dried up, when he was told by the Lord to 
go to a city named Zarephath, where he would meet a widow 
woman that would furnish him with food. 

As Elijah was approaching the gate of Zarephath he met 
a woman gathering sticks, and accosting her, begged a cup of 
water and a piece of bread, to which request she replied that 
all the food remaining in her house was a handful of meal 
and a little oil, which she was on the point of preparing for 
herself and son, believing that she must starve when this 
gone. Elijah thereupon bade her be of good cheer and 
to bake the meal, of which she should give him a small cake 
I assuring her that God would not allow her store to decrease 
during the famine. The woman now did as the prophet had 
requested, and when she had baked the bread and given a 
part to Elijah and made another cake for herself, she saw 
that there still remained as much meal and oil as before, nor 
was the store in any wise diminished during the remaining years of famine. 
When Elijah had remained with the widow for a long while, thus sustained 
by God’s providence, the woman’s son fell ill, and soon afterward died. She 
thereupon fell to lamenting, and giving expression to her fears that the death 
of her only child was sent as a punishment upon her for harboring. a prophet 












ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


275 


whose life the king had condemned. Elijah now asked her to give the body 
into his charge, and taking it up to his room in the house, he prayed God to 
restore the child, and to take away the evil from the good woman who had 
fostered His servant, and in all things had been so upright and charitable. The 
Lord answered Elijah’s prayer by renewing the child’s life and giving him back 
to his bereaved mother. 



ELIJAH MANIFESTS HIS POWER 
BEFORE AHAB. 

When the famine had lasted 
three years and the people of 
all Israel were dying of star¬ 
vation, God sent Elijah up to 
Ahab to manifest his power, and 
wean the people from their 
idolatry. While on his way to 
Samaria the prophet met Oba- 
diah, whom he ordered to go 
and tell Ahab of his presence; 
but Obadiah refused at first to 
carry such a message, because, 
he declared, that Ahab had 
searched his kingdom for all 
true prophets that he might 
slay them ; besides, if he should 

DEATH OF THE WIDOW’S ONEY CHIED. ^ ^ Qf ^ prophet > s 

presence and the king should not be able to find him, he 
himself would be put to death as a messenger of false news. 
After some persuasion, however, Obadiah informed Ahab of 
Elijah’s desire to have an audience with him, and when the 
prophet came into the king’s presence he told him that the 
Lord would now show to him the impotence of the idols of 
Baal and the power of the true God. He asked the king 
therefore, to call all his people and his prophets together ai 
Mount Carmel, where God would manifest to him the power he had 
declared. Ahab did as Elijah had requested, and assembled a vast 
multitude of his subjects on the mount, besides the four hundred 
and fifty prophets of Baal, who had come to exhibit the wonders which they 
believed their god to be capable of performing. 

When the vast concourse of people were brought together, Elijah addressed 
them and asked how long they would serve false gods, that could do nothing 
for them, and reject the living God to whom they owed everything. He said, 
if Jehovah be the true God then they should worship Him alone, but if Baal be 
God then it were meet that they should obey him, but that he would this day 












276 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



show to them who was the God of gods. So 
saying, Elijah ordered that two bullocks be 
slain, one to be laid upon the altar of Baal, 
and the other laid upon the altar which he 
had built to God. When this was done he 
called upon the four hundred and fifty pro¬ 
phets of Baal to pray to their god to send fire 
to burn up their offering, as a sign of his 
power and acceptance of the sacrifice. The 
prophets thereupon fell to praying until the day was 
well spent, but though they cried in a very loud voice 
and performed many curious ceremonies, their sacrifice 
remained unconsumed, and no answer came to them from 
their idol. Elijah now mocked them with such suggestions 
as, “ Cry louder, perhaps Baal cannot hear, or is asleep, or 
his spirit may be absent on a journey.” 

When the prophets of Baal were unable to arouse their 
god. and were in a shameful condition of mind because of 
their failure before the people, Elijah asked that a bullock 
be placed upon the altar of wood which he had erected. 
He also requested that twelve barrels of water be brought 
and poured upon the wood until the trench that was dug 
around it should be filled. When all this was done Elijah 
bowed himself in prayer to God, whom he petitioned for 
a manifestation of His holy power, that all the people might 
1 know who was the living and true God, that they might de¬ 

stroy their idols and return to the worship of Jehovah, who had brought them 
out of bondage and established them in the land promised to Moses, Abraham 
and Jacob. While he was thus praying a fire came out of heaven and 
descended upon the altar, which it burned up, together with the water 
that was in the trenches'; seeing which wondrous thing the people fell upon 
their knees, crying, “The Lord, He is God! The . 4 i j C7^\ 

Lord, He is God!” When he saw all the people 1 -_Jh ,A V &%$&>) 

bowing in adoration of the true God, he commanded 
them to seize all the false prophets and bring them 
to the brook Kishon, where, according to what God 

had told him to do, he put them all to the sword. 

RAIN IS SENT, BUT ELIJAH IS PERSECUTED BY JEZEBEL. 

When the sacrifices had been made Elijah told 
Ahab that rain would soon be sent upon the land 
again, and the famine would speedily abate; so Ahab 


'Elijah 

THEM.- 







ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


277 


retired to the side of Mount Carmel while Elijah went on top and prayed to 
God that rain might fall and nourish the parched earth, now so long barren. 

While he prayed he sent his servant to a higher point of the mountain, to 

inform him if any clouds were visible in the sky. The servant returned telling 
him that the sky was like brass and no cloud visible. Elijah sent him up again, 
and six times did the servant return with the same answer, but the seventh 
time of his going up he told the prophet that he saw a cloud rising out of the 
sea, but it appeared no larger than a man’s hand. Elijah, however, knew by 
this sign that the rain was near at hand, so he told Ahab to make ready his 
chariot and return quickly to Samaria, for that a heavy rain would soon fall 
over all the land. Ahab started at once for the city, accompanied by Elijah, 
who ran before the king’s chariot to the gate of the city. 
As they came within the place a terrible wind storm came 
up which filled the sky with dark clouds that hung like an 

inky pall over the whole land, and soon the rain began to 

fall until it swept down in torrents, as if God had resolved 
again to destroy the earth. But when all the country was 
refreshed the rain abated, the sun broke forth again, and 
the people rejoiced that they had been thus delivered from a 
Jfamine that had oppressed them for three and one-half years. 
When Jezebel was told of the things which Elijah had 
done, and how he had caused the death of her prophets, she 
sent officers of her court in pursuit, with instructions to kill 
him. But Elijah was forewarned of the conspiracy against his 
life, and fled to Beersheba, which was on the boundary of Judah. 
He remained here only a short time when he learned that there 
was no greater safety for him among the people of Beersheba 
than among those of Jezreel, so he fled to the desert. His 
wanderings through the waste lands of Judah were accompanied 
by so much distress and fear of starvation that he prayed for 
death, since being pursued on every hand by enemies he could 
obtain neither rest nor peace. Worried thus and exhausted by 
hunger, he fell asleep under a large tree whose friendly branches 
were his only covering; he was awakened after some hours 
of rest, and found set before him a vessel of water and a 
bowl of food, with which he satisfied his hunger and thirst, 
and then arose and went to Horeb. Here he found a cave 
in which he made his abode, because it was a place seldom 
visited by any one, and therefore offered to him a safe 
retreat. 

One day, while lying within the depths of the cave, 

_ _ ’he beard a voice asking why he had chosen this solitude 

for his habitation: to which he replied, not knowing to 


' 5i‘ 































278 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


whom the voice belonged, that it was because his life was sought by the 
wicked Jezebel. Another voice now told him to come out of the cave on the 
next day and it would instruct him what to do, for God would take care of 
His servants. Elijah came out, as he had been bidden, and as he approached 

the light he saw 
a brightness like 
that of a great 
fire, while the 
earth shook be¬ 
neath his feet 
and a voice was 
again heard, 
comm anding 
him to return 
home, and or¬ 
dain Jehu to be 
king over his 
own people, and 
Hazel of Damas¬ 
cus to be over 
the Syrians, to 
whom should be 
given an order 
to slay the im¬ 
pious multitude; 
but he was also 
told to appoint 
Elisha, of the 
city of Abel, a 
prophet in his 
stead, for the 
Lord was aboui 
to do a wonder¬ 
ful thing to him. 
When Elijah 
heard these in¬ 
structions he 
returned to Gil¬ 
ead, and soon 

after found Elisha plowing, and other laborers in the field driving twelve yoke 
of oxen. Immediately he cast his mantle upon Elisha as a token that he had 
been appointed a prophet of God, and the latter began forthwith to prophesy, 
and taking leave of his parents became a follower of Elijah. 



ELIJAH PERSECUTED BY JEZEBEL. 






































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


27 ( J 



“VINEYARD 


AHAB HAS NABOTH STONED AND TAKES HIS VINEYARD. 

Shortly after Elijah’s return to his country Ahab and Jezebel perpetrated 
a crime which brought upon them the vengeance of God—though not imme¬ 
diately—and a punishment which brought an end to their iniquities. 

There was a man named Naboth who had a vineyard that adjoined one 
of the king’s fields, and was very near the royal residence. Ahab was anxious 
to possess this piece of ground so as to enlarge his gardens, but when he went 
to purchase it Naboth refused to sell it for any sum of money, or to exchange 
it for any other parcels which the king offered, valuing the vineyard thus 

highly because it was 
an inheritance from his 
father. Ahab’s disap¬ 
pointment was such that 
he fell into a melancholy 
mood, and refused food 
for some time. Seeing 
him thus depressed Jezebel asked the cause, and learning 
that it was because of Naboth’s refusal to sell the vine¬ 
yard, she encouraged him not to be troubled over so small 
a matter, and that she would yet obtain for him the coveted 
ground. Accordingly, she sent letters to all the judges among the Jezreel- 
ites, in Ahab’s name, commanding them to fast and afterward to assemble 
in council and bring Naboth before them, upon the charge of having blas¬ 
phemed God and the king, and to have three witness to prove Naboth’s 
transgressions. She also ordered that upon his being found guilty he should 
be stoned to death, and that his vineyard should be given to the king as a 
forfeit. By this infamous order Naboth was taken and stoned to death and 
Ahab fell into possession of the ground; but he was not permitted to enjoy 
his new property, for God sent Elijah to reproach him for his crime, and to 
prophesy that in the very place where Naboth’s blood had been licked bv dogs 
both his own blood and that of his wife should be shed, and the body of the 
latter should be eaten also by dogs. 

When Ahab heard this prediction he was exceedingly sorry for what he 
had done, and putting on sackcloth he refrained from food and prayed earnestly 
to God for forgiveness. The humility which Ahab exhibited was so great 
that God sent Elijah to tell him that He would not destroy his family at once, 
as He had intended, but would not withhold his wrath from Ahab’s son. 

In all the things which Ahab did he was held less responsible because 
they were prompted rather by his wicked wife than by his own propensities, 
for Jezebel was so bold, and of such a strong mind, that she exercised the most 
potent influence upon Ahab and was, indeed, the supreme ruler. 









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BENHADAD BESIEGES SAMARIA, BUT IS BEATEN BY AHAB. 

The king of Syria at this time was Benhadad, of Damascus, a proud and 
insolent person, who was so ambitious to extend his dominion that he engaged 
thirty-two mercenary kings from beyond the Euphrates and made an expedition 
against Ahab, with the intention of wresting the kingdom of Israel from him 
and adding it to his own. He soon invested the city of Samaria, and then 
sent ambassadors to Ahab to inform him if he would surrender all his riches, 
together with all his wives and children, that the siege would be raised and the 



NABOTH BEFORE KING AHAB. 


city spared. Ahab was in such great fear of Benhadad, on account of the 
enormous army that he had thrown around Samaria, that he returned a most 
abject answer, saying all that he possessed would be freely given if Benhadad 
would but spare the place. This servility of Ahab inspired Benhadad to 
enlarge his requests ; so he dispatched his ambassadors a second time, to tell 
Ahab to deliver' to the servants, whom he would send, all the valuable things 
that were in the city, and that he should permit them to search the palace 
and all the houses of his friends and kindred and to take what they pleased. 

Ahab now assembled his people together and told them that he was will¬ 
ing to surrender to Benhadad all his own possessions and also his wives and 
children for the safety of the city, but that the Syrian king had now demanded 
that 'he be permitted to search all houses for treasure and to take every- 






























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\ 



thing wliieli might please him, so he asked the people for their advice as to 
what he should do. With one accord they recommended resistance, and advised 
him to return an answer that his demands were rejected, which Ahab accord¬ 
ingly did. 

When Benhadad received the king’s answer he sent his ambassadors a 
third time with such terrible threats that he supposed Ahab would be more 
humble than before; but in this he was disappointed, and the siege was 
renewed with greater energy and in many different ways, until Ahab was upon 
the point of dispairing. But when his fears were greatest a prophet came to 
h i m and de¬ 
clared that if 
he would but 
give the leader¬ 
ship to the sons 
of the princes 
in Samaria he 
should gain a 
victory over the 
enemy. This 
advice encour¬ 
aged Ahab, so 
that he sent for 
the men desig- 
nated, who 
numbered two 
hundred and 
thirty-two per¬ 
sons, to go to 
the Syrians 
when they were 

found feasting, SYRIANS scaling the walls of samaria. 

trusting to God 

for the success of their undertaking, not knowing himself how they were going 
to make the attack. The princes’ sons went out of the gates of Samaria at 
night and came upon the Syrians while they were too drunk to offer resistance, 
and falling on them suddenly killed a great number and put the others to 
flight. Seeing the enemy in retreat Ahab now followed after them with liis 
soldiers and continued the slaughter for a long while, capturing everything 
in the Syrian camp and taking the king’s chariots and a vast amount of gold 
and silver, with which he returned to the city. 

In the following spring Benhadad raised another army and went again 
against Ahab, but with no better success than before. The two armies met in 
a^great plain near the city of Aphek, where they remained inactive, watching 







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each other for seven days. At the end of seven days Ahab began the battle, 
and after some sharp fighting routed Benhadad and slew one hundred thousand 
of his men. The others fled to Aphek for protection but the walls of this 
city fell upon them, killing twenty-seven thousand more. Benhadad himself, 
however, succeeded in escaping by taking refuge in a cave, where he remained 
for several days, and until hunger drove him forth. Learning that Ahab was 
a merciful and humane man, and finding his retreat cut off from all sides, 
Benhadad at length clothed himself in sackcloth and putting a rope about his 
neck as a sign of his helplessness, he went to the king of Israel and made a 
supplication for mercy. Ahab received him graciously, and not only promised 
to spare his life but bade him to come up to his chariot and kissed him affec¬ 
tionately; nor did he cease with these kindnesses but promised to restore to 
him his cities and his rule over Damascus. 

A certain prophet, named Micaiah, learning of Ahab’s generous action, 
made use of an artifice to come before the king; and when he had gained his 
presence delivered himself of a prophecy to the effect that God, being dis¬ 
pleased with Ahab for having so mercifully pardoned and covenanted with the 
blasphemer Benhadad, would requite his act by delivering him into the hands 
of other enemies, by whom he should be killed. Ahab was much distressed 
at this prophecy, though he ordered that the prophet be cast into prison and 
there kept until he should see proper to liberate him. 

JEHOSHAPHAT AND THE PROGRESS OF HIS KINGDOM. 

Jehoshaphat, the king of Jerusalem, was a wise and righteous ruler, 
unlike his predecessors in all things, and his kingdom grew amazingly in con¬ 
sequence. One of his first acts was to put his country in a state of perfect 
defense, which he accomplished by raising a very great army, consisting of 
three hundred thousand men of the tribe of Judah, who were provided with 
armor, and over whom Adnah was appointed chief; he had, besides, two hun¬ 
dred thousand archers commanded by Jehu, and one hundred and eighty 
thousand foot soldiers, well armed, and commanded by Jehozabad. This great 
army was kept constantly ready for the king’s service. But these did not 
comprise all his fighting force, for he built walls about all his cities and gar¬ 
risoned them with large bodies of men, so that he must have had, altogether, 
one million well-drilled soldiers. His power, as well as his wisdom, gained for 
him the favor of all neighboring kings, who made him such liberal gifts, in 
addition to his own possessions, that he became one of the richest and most 
exalted rulers that ever governed any part of Israel. 

In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat called together the rulers of 
the country and commanded them to teach all the people in the several cities 
over which they ruled the laws of Moses, and to incite them to diligence in 
the worship of God. This produced a most favorable effect, for it served to 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


283 


cement the Hebrews in a common fellowship which largely increased their 
power, for there were now no factions or disturbing elements in the kingdom. 

When Jehoshaphat had reigned several years, he chose for his son 
Jehoram a wife from one of Ahab’s daughters named Athaliah, by which he 
hoped to promote a friendship with Ahab as king of the ten tribes, and it is 
possible that he also looked forward to the reunion of all the twelve tribes 
into one nation and under one king. 

Some time after Jehoram’s marriage Jehoshaphat paid a friendly visit to 
Ahab, at Samaria, who received him with many evidences of affection, and 
caused great feasts to be 
held in his honor. During 
this visit Ahab besought 
the assistance of Jehosha¬ 
phat in a war against the 
king of Syria, which Ahab 
was at the time contem¬ 
plating, in order to recover 
the city of Ramoth, in 
Gilead, which was held by 
the Syrian king. It is 
probable, also, that Ahab, 
being troubled by Micaiah’s 
prophecy, had made this 
a pretense to renew the 
war with Benhadad and ex¬ 
ecute upon him the pun¬ 
ishment which he now 
believed he merited as a 
blasphemer, though three 
years had elapsed since he 
gave his pardon to the 

ry • 1 • EUTAH FED BY RAVENS. 

Syrian king. 

To his request Jehoshaphat returned his promises of a^d, but only upon 
au understanding that,' while fighting a common enemy, the armies of Ahab 
and Jehoshaphat should remain distinct and commanded by their own kings. 

When Ahab had made everything ready for beginning the war, he called 
together his four hundred prophets and asked of them if he should gain a 
victory over Benhadad; they, being anxious to please the king, answered him 
favorably, but Jehoshaphat, understanding by their speech that they were false 
prophets, asked Ahab if there were not in his kingdom some true prophet 
belonging to God who might give him surer information of how the battle 
would result. Ahab answered that there was one, indeed, but that he was a 
man to be despised because he always prophesied evil, who had always fore- 








284 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


told that he should be overcome by the king of Syria, for which reason he 
had cast the prophet into prison. This admission of Ahab’s only caused 
' Jehoshaphat to be more greatly concerned, and he ordered that Micaiah be 
sent for. When the true prophet appeared before the two kings and was com¬ 
manded to speak, he was at first loath to do so, but being pressed to tell what 
should come to pass, he told Ahab that his troops would be dispersed, though 
they should return in safety, but that he would be overcome and slain. 

Ahab was much impressed by the prediction of Micaiah, and would no 
doubt have abstained from war had not Zedekiah, one of the false prophets, 
reassured him by charging him to give no heed to the words of Micaiah, who 
was not to be believed, for he always spoke falsely. Moreover, to better con¬ 
vince the king, Zedekiah struck Micaiah violently, at the same time saying: “ If 
this be a true prophet, let him hurt my hand as Jadon caused the hand of Jeroboam 
to wither.” When Ahab saw with what impunity the false prophet treated 
Micaiah he no longer hesitated, but led his army forth. However, with still some 
forebodings that evil might come upon him as predicted, Ahab put off his royal 
robes and clothed himself in the garments of a common soldier, wearing armor, 
and bade Jehoshaphat to wear his habit and stand before the army, that he 
might appear as king of the ten tribes. Jehoshaphat cheerfully complied with 
Ahab’s request, for beside being a brave man, his courage was doubly fortified by 
reason of the assurances of God. 

When Ahab and Jehoshaphat drew up their armies before Ramoth, 
Benhadad sallied out and met them, but first gave instructions to his soldiers 
to slay no one but the king of Israel. The Syrians therefore fell upon 
Jehoshaphat, whom they at first judged to be Ahab because of the clothes he 
wore, but perceiving their mistake they fell back. The fighting continued all 
the day, but without any casualties, for the Syrians contented themselves with 
holding the Israelites in check, giving no blows, but striving all the while to 
find Ahab. Late in the evening a young nobleman belonging to Benhadad’s 
army, and whose name was Naaman, becoming irritated with impatience 
because his commander forebore charging the enemy, drew his bow and let 
fly an arrow, little regarding its flight, and without any idea of the fatal 
messenger it would prove to be. God evidently directed the arrow, for it 
struck Ahab between the plates of his armor and penetrated his lungs. The 
wounded king, anxious for the honor of his army, bade his chariot driver to 
take him quickly off the field, and not to let the disaster that had befallen 
him become known to any one, for fear that it would cause his army to retreat. 
Ahab endured great pain until sunset, when death came to his relief. At the 
same time the Syrians withdrew; for they did not want to engage in a pitched 
battle, being doubtful of their power to defeat the Israelites, but when the 
news of Ahab’s death was received they immediately retired within the walls 
of Ramoth. 

The Israelites took Ahab’s body back to Samaria, and buried it there with 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


285 


honors appropriate to the exalted position he had held. The chariot in which 
he had been conveyed was covered with blood, which was eagerly licked up by 
dogs, as it was being washed at the fountain of Jezreel, thus fulfilling Elijah’? 
prophecy, and also that of Micaiah, who foretold that the king should die at 
Ramoth. 

GOD PERFORMS A MIRACLE IN BEHALF OF JEHOSHAPHAT. 

As Jehoshaphat was returning to Jerusalem, from his expedition against 
Benhadad, he was met by the prophet Jehu, who rebuked him soundly for 
aiding so wicked a man as Ahab, but said God had delivered him from the 
enemy because of his generally righteous conduct. Jehoshaphat was convinced 
of the truth of Jehu’s words, and betook himself to thanksgiving and the offer¬ 
ing of sacrifices as an atonement; he also exhorted his people to observe strictly 
all the laws of Moses, and appointed judges and priests from among the Levites, 
who were instructed to teach the Israelites to obey God, and to award sentences 
according to the most exact justice. These wise acts greatly pleased the people, 
for they perceived in them the goodness of Jehoshaphat, and that God was 
with him. 

Scarcely had the king regulated his affairs, which had become somewhat 
disordered during his absence from Jerusalem, when a large army, composed 
of Moabites, Ammonites and Arabians, made an invasion into Judah, and 
encamped at Engedi, nearly forty miles from Jerusalem, having come to gather, 
by force if necessary, a precious balsam called Balm of Gilead, which was 
brought out of Arabia by the Queen of Sheba as a present to Solomon, and 
which, being planted, had flourished greatly in the region of Engedi. 

When Jehoshaphat heard of the invaders he called his people to a congre¬ 
gation in the Temple, and there prayed to God for the power to overcome his 
enemies, to which prayer all the people added their entreaties. While they 
were thus crying, a prophet named Jahaziel came into the midst of the assem¬ 
bly and assured Jehoshaphat that God heard his supplications and had promised 
to fight his battle for him. The prophet further instructed the king to take 
his forces on the following day and go toward Engedi, for he should find the 
enemy at a place called The Eminence, which was between Jerusalem and 
Engedi, but having brought his army thither, he should stand still and wait to 
see what God would do. 

Jehoshaphat observed all that Jahaziel had told him, and as soon as day¬ 
light appeared he marched out of Jerusalem headed by the Levites, who went 
before singing hymns and playing upon musical instruments. When they came 
in sight of the invaders, Jehoshaphat commanded them to halt and observe 
what should come to pass, for he believed, as the prophet had told him, that 
some miracle was about to be performed. Nor was he disappointed, for God 
created a confusion among the Ammonites and Moabites, which caused them 
to fall upon each other in a desperate conflict that did not terminate until the 
whole had been slain, and the valley was filled with dead men. For this 


286 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


happy deliverance Jehoshaphat gave thanks to God, and then sent his soldiers 
to take all that was left in the enemy’s camp and the spoils that they might 
find upon the dead bodies. The search for valuables continued for three days, 
so great was the number slain, and the spoils recovered were enough to load 
all those of his army. The valley where God had thus fought the Moabites 
and Ammonites was therefore called The Valley of Blessings. 

When Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem he offered up sacrifices and kept 
a festival of thanks for many days, nor did he afterward forget God, but 
remained a righteous man to his death. His glory greatly increased, for he 
was feared by all neighboring kings ; and establishing a league of friendship 
with Ahaziah, Ahab’s son and successor, the two built a considerable fleet of 
ships which they sent to ports on the Mediterranean and Red Sea for various 
articles, hoping to establish a commerce with other countries. This effort 
largely increased his power among his own and neighboring people, but the 
undertaking was not successful in immediate results, for most of the ships were 
destroyed because they had not been properly constructed. 

Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he ascended the throne, and his 
rule continued for twenty-five years, when he died, leaving his subjects at 
peace with all the world and more prosperous and contented than they had 
ever been under any previous ruler. His place of sepulture was among the 
kings who preceded him, in the royal tomb at Jerusalem. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



ahaziah’s short reign and death. 


2 Kings. 


HAZIAH, though having Jehoshaphat as an example and 
ally, had inherited all the wickednesses of his father, 
Ahab, and the iniquities of .his mother, Jezebel. 
Scarcely had he gained the throne before the worship 
of Baal was instituted anew, presumably through the 
influence of Jezebel, though it is hardly probable 
that idolatry had ceased before Ahab’s death. It had 
certainly greatly diminished, however, and was not 
publicly observed, until re-established by the sanc¬ 
tion, if not open avowal, of Ahaziah. His wicked¬ 
ness provoked the just anger of God, who speedily 
sent afflictions upon him. His troubles began by the refusal of 
the Moabites to continue the payment of the tribute that had 
been levied upon them by Ahab, and when he attempted to force 
the collection they rebelled and brought a war upon the country. 
Ahaziah, however, was prevented by an accident from leading 
his army against the rebels, for at the beginning of hostilities, 
while he was descending a stairway in his house, he stumbled 
and fell, and received mortal injuries. While lying in bed from 
his hurt, he sene messengers to the god of Flies, the divinity 
which he worshipped and which was set up in Ekron, to inquire if he should 
recover. The Bible calls this god Baal-zebub, but Josephus says it was the god 
flies, which Ahaziah worshipped under the belief that it had the power to drive 
away the flies which were so troublesome at the sacrifices. 

God sent Elijah to meet the messengers, and to tell them that the peotie 

(287) 
































28§ 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 




of Israel had a God of 
their own, therefore they 
sinned in going to a 
foreign god with their 
inquiries*, but that they might return home at once, for Aha- 
^ ziah should not escape the judgment which had been brought 
upon him. The messengers came back to Samaria at once,, 
and when they gained the king’s presence he asked how they, 
had returned so quickly; in response to which they told him i 
JiSSU of having met an old man who forbade them to go any further, 

* ^ but to return with the word that their king should not recover. 
This prediction worried Ahaziah, and the more because he knew 
by the description given of the prophet by the messengers that 
it was Elijah. 

THE MESSENGERS DESTROYED BY FIRE. 

When the king had heard all that had been 
reported him, though his concern was great, he 
thought to punish the prophet for making such a / 
prediction, as though such a course might avert his 
fate. He accordingly sent a captain with fifty men 
to arrest Elijah and bring him to the city. The cap¬ 
tain went out with his company and found Elijah 
sitting on top of a hill girt about with a girdle 
of leather. He accosted the prophet harshly and 
commanded him to come at once to the king, 
threatening him with force if he should refuse. 

Elijah thereupon not only refused, but told 
the captain that he would show him, by a 
miracle, whether or not he was a true pro¬ 
phet. So saying Elijah prayed that a fire 
might come out of heaven and destroy the 
captain and his men. His prayer was speedily answered, for a 
whirlwind of flame descended from out the clouds and consumed 
the men. The disaster which had befallen the messengers was 
told to Ahaziah, who, with increased anger, sent fifty others to 
accomplish the prophet’s arrest, but, these, too, were destroyed in 
the same manner. The calamities, which would have readily 
convinced a reasonable man, had no other effect upoh Ahaziah 
than to increase his wrath and determination, so he dispatched 
a third company of fifty men. The captain of this last body 
was more discreet than those who had gone before, for when he 
found Elijah, instead of speaking in a peremptory and threatening- 



























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


289 


manner, he accosted him civilly, and told the prophet that he had not 
come of his own accord, but because he had been commanded by the king, 
and desired that he would have mercy upon himself and men and come will¬ 
ingly to Ahaziah. To this civil and courteous request Elijah returned a kind 
answer, and went with the captain to the king; but when he had come into 
the royal presence he repeated the prophecy, that, because Ahaziah had 
rejected the true God and had given himself over to the worship of idols, he 
should not recover from his injuries, but would speedily die. This prophecy 
was fulfilled almost the instant that Elijah had left off speaking. 

Ahaziah’s reign 
lasted only two years 
when, having died 
without issue, his 
brother Jehoram suc¬ 
ceeded to the throne. 

ELIJAH IS TAKEN UP 

TO HEAVEN. 

The last act of 
Elijah was to pro¬ 
phesy against Jeho- 
ram, who, for follow¬ 
ing in the footsteps of 
Ahab and Ahaziah, 
the prophet told 
should be brought 
to destruction. His 
mission on earth was 
now accomplished, 
and he received from 
God the intelligence EEI J AH CARRIED TO HEAVEN IN A CHARIOT OE FIRE ‘ 

that he would soon be called to that glorified condition which surpasses 
all earthly exaltation; nor was the grave to triumph over him at last, for 
it was ordained that he should pass into heaven without entering through 
the doors of a sepulchre. Elijah was much given to contemplation, and 

desired to be alone that he might hold communion with Jehovah, who was 

always with him. Elisha, however, had been his companion and servant since 
the Divine power had descended upon him in the field that he was plow¬ 
ing; but now that lie was about to be called hence, Elijah desired to be alone 
again, so he told Elisha to remain at Gilgal, as he wished to go up to Bethel. 
But Elisha was also forewarned of Elijah’s end, and refused to remain 
behind, but followed him to Bethel. At this place the two were met by 

several other prophets, who said to Elisha, u Knowest thou that Jehovah 

r 9 










290 


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^*nd-tKV>^Ve n L 
< 



will take away thy master from thy head to-day ? ” to which 
he replied, “ I do know it; hold your peace.” Elijah now 
told Elisha that he was going up to Jericho, and again asked 
his servant to remain behind; but, as before, Elisha persisted 
in following, and when they came to Jericho the same inquiry 
was addressed to Elisha by the prophets there that was made 
at Bethel. Upon tarrying here a short time Elijah went on 
to Jordan, with Elisha following as before ; but the two were 
now watched by fifty other prophets who had been apprised 
by Divine intuition of Elijah’s end. As the two arrived at 
the 4 river’s brink Elijah took off his leather girdle, and 
■ striking the water, the stream divided so that a wall stood 

•j“~ on either side, thus permitting them to walk across in the 

dry bed. When they had gone over Elijah asked his servant 
*** what gift he desired should be bestowed upon him, as the 
time was now near when they should be separated in this 
life. Elisha eagerly begged that a double portion of his master’s righteousness 
and power might be granted him. To this Elijah replied that while his 
request was a bold one, yet it should be granted if he were permitted by God 
to see him taken away; otherwise not. While they were thus conversing a 

fiery chariot, drawn by horses of flame, came down from the sky and took 

the good prophet Elijah up to heaven before the eyes of Elisha, 
but as he went up Elijah cast off his mantle, which falling to 
the ground, was picked up by Elisha, for it was a sign that 
his power and spirit had been given to his servant. Elisha 
now went back to the Jordan, and striking the water with the 
mantle was rejoiced to see that the gift he had asked for had 
been bestowed. The river parted again and permitted him to 
recross on dry land. When Elisha told the fifty prophets of 
what had befallen his master they doubted his word and sent 
in search of him fifty of the most active men in Jericho; but 
after prosecuting the search for three days they returned and 
reported their inability to discover any 
trace of Elijah, whereupon Elisha was 
accepted as his legitimate successor. But 
to further prove to his brethren the Divine 
power which had been given him, he cast 
some salt into a bitter 
spring that threw out 
its acrid water from the ^ 


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base of a hill near Jeri-^Ug^J — 
cho, and instantlv thegifri^ 
spring became pure and 




Xu 

















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


291 


wholesome, and so remains to this day, refreshing a considerable territory that 
was before barren. 

Elisha went from Jericho to Bethel by the same route over which he had 
followed Elijah, but upon returning to the town some children, as the Bible 
tells us, came out and mocked him by such expressions as, “ Go up, thou 
bald-head.” This so angered the prophet that he prayed God to avenge his 
insults, whereupon two she-bears issued out of a neighboring wood and tore 
forty-two of the children. That the rendering into our language of the descrip¬ 
tion of this incident is too literal, is so apparent as to scarcely need mention. 
The monstrosity of such an act as that of sending bears to destroy lisping 
little children for so small an offense as this harmless raillery can scarcely be 
measured by the judgment of men, and to impute it to the Holy Spirit is an 
iniquity that is unpardonable. It was at Bethel that Jeroboam set up golden 
heifers for the people to worship, and this idolatry 
was perpetuated through the reigns of Ahab and 
Ahaziah. It is therefore most probable that when 
Elisha came by way of the golden images he rebuked 
the people for their sinfulness, and was answered by 
the children of Belial with mockings, as it was their 
practice to do, as we have already seen. These chil¬ 
dren of Belial were the recreant Israelites who had 
abandoned the true God and joined themselves to 
idols, and their punishment, by being torn by bears, 
was a natural visitation of the Divine wrath. Any 
other interpretation is an injustice both to God and to Elisha. 



JEHORAM JOINS JEHOSHAPHAT AGAINST THE MOABITES. 

Upon the death of Ahaziah, Jehoram, his brother, assumed the rulership 
and immediately turned his attention to the Moabites, to compel them to con¬ 
tinue paying the annual tribute of one hundred thousand lambs and as many 
rams; but he did not have the courage to attack the rebels with his own 
army, and so applied to Jehoshaphat for help. This pious ruler readily prof¬ 
fered his assistance, and as the two marched toward Moab they were joined by 
the king of Edom, who ruled over a dependency of Judah. The three kings, 
at the head of their respective armies, marched for seven days in the direction 
of Moab, but their progress was very slow, and on account of a scarcity of 
water in the wilderness through which they passed their sufferings were great. 

The complaints and misgivings of the armies induced Jehoshapat to inquire 
if there was a prophet of God among them, and learning that Elisha had 
accompanied the expedition, besought him to foretell what should befall them. 

Jehoram had persisted in the idolatry of his predecessors, and on account 
of his wickedness Elisha refused to prophecy until the king had promised to 
yield himself to God; whereupon the prophet commanded the armies to set 


■292 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



-about immediately to digging trenches over all the plain, assuring Jehoshaphat 
?that a rain should soon come to fill these ditches, and that a great victory 
would be won over Mesha, king of the Moabites. The army set resolutely to 
work in the night digging trenches, as Elisha had commanded, and when 
morning broke they were filled with water by a rain that had fallen just before 
’dawn. The Israelites had retired to their camp, when the Moabites appeared, 
and, seeing the ditches of water red with the sun’s reflected rays, at once 
concluded that it was blood that had been spilled by the confederated armies 

fighting among themselves. Without 
considering further, the Moabites 
rushed in disorder to the camp 
which lay before them, in 
their desire to take such 
spoils as might be found, 
but they were taken 
completely by surprise, 
for the three armies 
now left their tents 
and met the Moabites 
with such suddenness 
that they were scat¬ 
tered like so many 
sheep, and retreated 
without a show of re¬ 
sistance. The Moab¬ 
ites were pursued and 
slaughtered with impun¬ 
ity, their cities were burned, 
fields destroyed, and the whole 
country devastated until their last 
place of refuge was in Kir-haraseth, the 
last city left to them. This place was 
besieged, and would no doubt have been 
taken also, but for the action of Mesha, 

THE GROTTO OF EUSHA IN THE WILDERNESS. • J i • 

who, mounting the walls, raised his son 
-and heir in alms, and in the face of the besiegers offered him as a sacrifice 
to the god Moloch for the safety of the city. A singular thing followed. 
Instead of this sacrilege further offending the pious Jehoshaphat, or raising the 
wrath of Elisha, who was presumably still with the army, its effect was imme¬ 
diately what the idolatrous Moab king predicted, for the siege was at once raised 
and the confederated armies returned to their respective countries. 

The record of Jehoram’s reign is chiefly made up with the deeds of 
Elisha, whose power to work' miracles was greater than that of any other 
prophet, and second only to that of Christ himself. 




ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


293 


Soon after his return from the war against Mesha he was met by a poor 
woman, who begged him to pity her distress. He asked the cause of her 
present trouble, to which she replied that her husband had contracted; a debt 
and soon afterward died without being able to pay it; that she had tried in 
vain to discharge the obligation herself, and now the creditor was threatening 
to take away her two sons and make bondsmen of them, thus leaving her 
wholly without means of support. Elisha saw how great was the poor woman’s 
sorrow, and feeling compassion for her, seeing that she possessed only a small 
pot of oil, bade her go to the neighbors and borrow from them all their empty 
vessels, and to have her sons bring them into the house and shut the door. 
When this had been done, he instructed her to pour into each vessel a little 
of the oil which she had left, and to then watch the result. In a little while, 
and as she looked at them, all the vessels had become filled with pure oil, 
which Elisha now ordered her to sell and pay the man whom her husband 
had owed, and to buy food for herself and children. 

A while after performing this miracle Elisha was sojourning in the city of 
Shunem, and one day while in the street, a certain rich woman meeting him, 
and knowing that he was prophet, invited him to stop with her and partake 
of her hospitality, which invitation he gladly accepted, for the lot of a prophet 
was a hard one, their dependence being generally upon the bounty of those 
with whom they chanced to come in contact. The woman was so pleased with 
Elisha that, after learning that he frequently passed that way, she proposed to 
her husband that they prepare a special chamber in their house for this man 
of God, to which he assented, and a room was fitted up with a bed, stool and 
candlestick, so that the prophet had a comfortable lodging. 

Some time after Elisha came by Shunem, accompanied by his servant Gehazi, 
and put up with the good woman, whose hospitality continued to grow warmer. 
As a reward for this kindness Elisha told the woman, who had remained 
childless, that she should have a son, which greatly pleased her, for barrenness 
was a reproach among the Hebrews. 

According to Elisha’s prophecy a son was born to the woman, in whom 
she had great joy, for her life was wrapped up in him. But when the son 
was almost grown he fell suddenly ill one day while in the field among his 
father’s reapers. He was carried to his mother and sat in her lap un"il noon, 
when he died. The anguished woman took the body and laid it upon Elisha’s 
bed, and shutting the door, ran off to find him, her heart being filled with the 
hope that he might restore her lost one again. Elisha, while sitting on Mount 
Carmel, saw the woman approaching on an ass, and sent Gehazi to meet her 
and inquire the cause of her coming. She refused to talk with the servant, 
however, but came directly into Elisha’s presence and told him of the sorrow 
that had befallen her. Upon learning these evil tidings, Elisha bade Gehazi 
take his staff and run quickly to the woman’s house and lay it upon the 
child. 


294 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


But the woman would not turn back without Elisha himself should 
come, so the two went on together. As they neared the house Gehazi came 
out and told Elisha that he had laid his staff upon the child, as directed, but 
that he had not awakened. Thereupon Elisha went into the house and lay 
himself upon the body, which forthwith grew warm, and the youth soon rose 
up in life and was given in health to his mother, whose thankfulness was 
expressed by bowing herself to the earth and kissing his feet. 

After this miracle Elisha went to Gilgal to visit some of the prophets and 
their families that lived there. Becoming hungry, he ordered his servant to 
put a great pot on the fire and go into the field and gather some lentils or 
peas, and boil them for the company to eat. The servant gathered the peas, 
as directed, and he also brought some poisonous berries which he took to be 
good. When the peas and berries were sufficiently boiled the company sat down 
to eat, but soon discovered the deadly danger that was in the pottage set before 

them. Elisha now commanded that a little 
meal be brought, which he threw into the 
pot and then bade all before him to eat with¬ 
out fear, for the poison had been removed. 
The men ate accordingly without receiving 
any harm. 

After performing this miracle Elisha went 
to a gathering of the prophets at another 
place, and the time being come to eat it was 
discovered that all the food available was 
twenty loaves of bread and a few ears of 
corn. With the assurance born of his divine 
character, however, he ordered these to be 
distributed, and when the loaves were broken 
, there was enough food at hand to feed more than one hundred persons. 

Elisha’s next wondrous work was the healing of Naaman of leprosy. This 
man was a captain in Benhadad’s Syrian host, and because of his great valor, 
and victories won over the Israelites, was most highly esteemed by the king. 
In one of the battles which he had fought against Israel he captured a little 
Hebrew girl which he employed as a waiting-maid to his wife. One day this 
little girl told her mistress that if Naaman would go to the prophet Elisha he 
would be healed of his affliction. Thus encouraged, Naaman came to Jehoram 
with a letter from Benhadad, requesting him to cure the captain of his disease, 
but Jehoram did not understand the message, believing that it was an excuse 
to make war against him. Elisha, however, soon heard of the message and 
sent for Naaman to come to him; and when the captain arrived before the 
prophet’s house Elisha sent his servant out to tell the leper to bathe seven 
times in the Jordan. 

This greatly offended Naaman, for he expected Elisha to come out himself 












ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


295 


and do a miracle by his own hands, and he was, therefore, on the point of 
returning again to his own country. But some of those w T ho were his attend¬ 
ants persuaded him to do as Elisha had bidden, and when he had dipped the 
seven times, immediately his flesh became clean and pure. 

When he beheld himself restored Naaman returned to Elisha’s house, and 
calling the prophet out, praised him and said, “ Behold, now I know that there 
is no other God in all the earth, but the God of Israel.” Then he begged 
Elisha to accept a present, but the prophet refused, desiring no recompense for 
the work accomplished through the Lord’s will. Then Naaman asked that he 
might be permitted to take as much dirt from the land as two mules could 



TRADITIONAL BATHING PLACE OF NAAMAN. 


carry, for he wished to build an altar of the sacred earth upon which to make 
his offerings thereafter to the true God. 

After Naaman had gone away, Gehazi, who was a selfish man, thinking to 
take advantage of the captain’s offer of a present, ran after him, and when he 
had come near he called to Naaman, saying that since he departed two sons of 
prophets had come to Elisha destitute, and his master had therefore sent him 
to ask if he would not give them each a talent of silver and two changes of 
raiment. 

Naaman was too thankful to refuse so modest a request from the pro¬ 
phet, and at once ordered two talents of silver to be placed in two bags, and 
two changes of raiment brought forth, which he gave to two of his servants 


























296 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


to carry back for Geliazi. When they arrived at Elisha’s house Gehazi took 
the silver and clothes and hid them, thinking to appropriate them to his own 
use when a suitable time should come. The Lord, however, acquainted Elisha 
with what his servant had done, and when Gehazi came into his presence the 
prophet inquired of him where he had been. Hoping to deceive him, Gehazi 
answered that he had teen nowhere. Then Elisha covered him with shame 



VISION OF THE FIERY CHARIOTS. 


and confusion by saying, “ Went not mine heart with thee, when the man 
{Naaman) turned again from his chariot to meet thee ? Is it time to receive 
money and garments ? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave 

unto thee and unto thy seed forever. And he went out from his presence a 
leper as white as snow.” 

Elisha had founded a school for prophets at the place where the curse on 
Gehazi was given and the attendance became such that more room was required 










ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


297 


or else a more retired 
spot became necessary, 
for we are told that these 
pupils, called “ sons of 
prophets,” came to him 
to say that the place in 



Gzyrr- TKcTamine , „ 

--i--IWI LL&tL 1//DEP 


tte 


which they were dwelling was too small for them, and desired of 
him permission to make a new dwelling house on the banks of 
the Jordan. This request was granted and the school was removed 
to a chosen spot on the river’s bank. Here the sons of prophets 
fell to work cutting down trees, but while thus engaged one of the 
workers chanced to let his axe fall from his hand into a deep 
place in the river. He was inconsolable at the loss, because axes 
were precious tools in those days; besides, the one thus lost had 
been borrowed. When Elisha learned of the accident he went to 
the man, and inquiring the spot where the axe had fallen, he cut 
a stick and threw it into the water, whereupon the axe rose and 
swam upon the surface until it was taken in the 
man’s hand, and recovered. 

Some time after this event Benhadad declared 
war against Jehoram and sent a large army of Syrians 
to take him captive, but Elisha forewarned the king 
of Benhadad’s designs, so that he was able to evade 
arrest. This failure to capture Jehoram greatly an¬ 
gered Benhadad, who believed that some of his own 
servants had discovered his secrets to Israel’s king, 
therefore, sending for several of his trusted men, he 
asked who of them had given Jehoram knowledge of his pur¬ 
poses. To this one of the men made reply that it was not they 
who had done this, but Elisha, the prophet. At this Benhadad 
sent to find where Elisha was dwelling, and by this means learn¬ 
ing that he was in Dothan, went up with all his army in the 
night and laid a watch upon the city, first surrounding it so that 
no man could escape. At this his servant was greatly alarmed, 
and asked Elisha what they should do to be delivered from the 
Syrians. He counselled him to be of good courage, saying, 
u Those that be with us are more than they that be with them,” 
and then fell upon his knees and prayed that God might show 

to his servant the mighty 



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host which guarded him. 
Then the young man 
looked up and saw the 
mountain which stood 





























298 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


upon their right covered with horsemen in chariots of fire, and others sur¬ 
rounding the person of his holy master, whereat he perceived that Jehovah 
had come to protect him. 

When the Syrians drew near to enter the city, their sight was confused 
so that they did not recognize Elisha, who told them that the prophet whom 
they sought was not in Dothan, but that he would lead them to the place 
where he might be found. The army accordingly followed him without know¬ 
ing whither they were going, or being able to perceive their real surroundings, 
until they were led into the city of Samaria and into the power of the Israel¬ 
ites. Elisha now restored their sight and they were made to discover how they 
had been led by the prophet whom they were seeking. Jehoram now asked 
Elisha if he should destroy the Syrians, but the prophet forbade him, saying, 
u Wouldst thou smite them, whom thou hast taken captive, with thy sword, 
and with thy bow? Set bread and water before them that they may eat and 
drink, and go to their master.” And thus were the Syrians permitted to return 
to their country without suffering the loss of one of their number, a mercy 
which they ill requited, as we shall soon see. 

THE SIEGE OF SAMARIA AND A MIRACULOUS TERMINATION OF THE FAMINE. 

Benhadad not long thereafter undertook another war against Jehoram, 
whose kindness should have secured his friendship, but he was a cruel man 
and was led by his greed and ambition to fight against Israel, hoping to pos¬ 
sess the country and the rich spoils it afforded. Therefore raising a great 
army he laid siege to Samaria and kept the people within the walls so long 
that a* great famine ensued, food becoming at length so scarce that an ass’s 
head sold for four pieces of silver, and even cannibalism was resorted to. As 
Jehoram was passing along the wall still encouraging his soldiers to hold out 
against the enemy, a woman came crying to him with the complaint that she 
had made a compact with another woman on the preceding day that they should 
sacrifice each a child to serve them for food, and that accordingly she had 
boiled her son and eaten him yesterday, but now to-day the other woman had 
hidden her son and refused to sacrifice him as she had promised. 

The horror of his situation was now fully revealed to Jehoram, who put 
on sackcloth and rent his clothes with grief and despondency. But believing 
that his desperate strait was due to Elisha, who, he thought, withheld the relief 
which he was able to give, sent an executioner to cut off the prophet’s head. 
But before the headsman reached the house of Elisha, Jehoram repented his 
rash order and ran himself to prevent the execution. Elisha was sitting in a 
room counselling with the elders when God revealed to him Jehoram’s purpose, 
and turning he said to those about him that a messenger had been sent to 
take his head, but ordered them to hold the man in the door, for the king 
would run after him to prevent the execution, which came to pass as he had 
spoken. The king ran with all haste and reached Elisha’s house while the 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


299 


messenger was attempting an entrance, and gaining the prophet’s presence he 
humbled himself and asked what he should do. 

Elisha had compassion upon the king and his sorely oppressed subjects, 
and declared to him that on the morrow such an abundance of food would be 
provided that a measure of fine flour would be sold for a shekel and two measures 
of barley for a like small sum. One of the king’s lords made light of the 
prophecy saying, “ If the Lord made windows in heaven might this thing be;” but 
Elisha assured him he should see it with his own eyes, but that on account 
of his mocking he would not be permitted to break his fast. 

At this time there were six lepers sitting without the gates of Samaria, 
who, because of their affliction, were indifferent as to the manner of death 
which they might meet, and being pressed for hunger determined to go to the 
Syrian camp. It was death by starvation to remain beside the gate, and if the 
Syrians should deny their request for food and kill them, even this alternative 
would be better than the former. So, early in the morning they went out 
to the enemy’s camp, but as they drew near they could discover no man, 
which was a thing so surpassing strange that they stopped to consider the 
cause. Then they went on again and found the Syrian camp entirely deserted, 
with all the arms, provision and treasure left behind, as if they had been left 
on account of precipitate flight. And so it proved, for God had wrought 
another miracle to save the Israelites, in fulfilment of Elisha’s prophecy. “ For 
the Lord had made the host of Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise 
of horses, even the noise of a great host; and they said one to another, Lo, 
the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings 
of the Egyptians to come upon us. Wherefore they arose and fled in the 
twilight and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp 
as it was, and fled for their life.” 

The six lepers went from tent to tent taking as much provisions as they 
could and such an amount of gold and silver as they could carry, and then 
went back to Samaria to spread the joyful news. When Jehoram heard what 
the lepers had said, he suspected that the Syrians had drawn off and 'laid 
themselves in ambush, to entice the people out of the city. But he followed 
the advice of one of his servants and sent five horsemen to discover if the 
enemy was hid near by; these went out as far as the Jordan, and saw the 
road scattered with garments and vessels, by which they knew that the Syrians 
had retreated and gone back to their own country. The Israelites now issued 
out of the city and found such a quantity of provisions in the abandoned 
camp that flour and barley were sold for the prices that Elisha had predicted; 
but the mocking lord was not permitted to enjoy any of this abundance, for as 
he stood as a guard at the gate, the multitude came out in such crowds and 
confusion that he was trampled to death. 

Elisha, it would appear, never wandered far from the district in which his 
first miracles were performed, and had become known to all the people therein, 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



respected by them for liis uprightness and regarded as a man of divine charac¬ 
ter. On one of his visits to the Shunamite woman, whose son, it will be 
remembered, he restored to life, he told her that a famine would come upon 
the land in a short while, and that it would not cease for seven years. He 
therefore advised her to go to some other country and remain there until the 
land prospered again. The woman accepted his advice and went away, leaving 
all her possessions without any one to care for them during her absence, by 

reason of which others 
who remained in the 
stricken district took 
charge of the property 
and when the woman 
returned, after the sev¬ 
en years had elapsed,, 
refused to surrender 
it to her. It so hap¬ 
pened that on the day 
that Gehazi was tell¬ 
ing the king, at his 
request, of the won¬ 
derful things Elisha 
had done, this same 
woman came to him 
with her complaint 
that she had been dis¬ 
possessed of her prop¬ 
erty during her ab¬ 
sence from Judah, and 
that those who wrong¬ 
fully held possession 
refused to yield it up. 
Gehazi was a most im¬ 
portant witness in her 
behalf, for he now 

HAZAEL BRINGING PRESENTS TO GAIN ELISHA’S FAVOR. testified tO the thillgS 

which Elisha had 

done for her and also of the truth of her complaint. Jehoram accordingly 
appointed an officer to remove the trespassers and to restore to her all the 
fields, and the fruits thereof since the day of her departure, which was promptly 
done. 

When the famine was over, Benhadad fell sick, and being afraid that he 
would die, sent an officer of his court named Hazael with a rich present to 
Elisha to inquire of the prophet if he would recover. Hazael set out with 









ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


'SOI 


forty camels loaded with every good thing of Damascus, to seek the prophet, 
and when he had found him, made him a present of the articles he brought, 
and besought Elisha to foretell the issue of Benhadad’s illness. The prophet 
did not wish to answer the inquiry, but being urged said, somewhat evasively, 
“ Go, say unto him, thou mayest certainly recover; howbeit, the Lord hath 
shewed me that he shall surely die.” At this Hazael was confused, for he 
dreaded to carry back such a message, but as he looked somewhat sorrowfully 
Elisha began to weep, and upon being asked the cause, he replied that it was 
because of the afflictions that he, Hazael, would inflict upon Israel, for Elisha 
foresaw that this man would become king over Syria. 

When Hazael returned to Benhadad he told the king that he would surely 
recover, but on the morrow the wicked messenger^ prompted by the ambition 
which Elisha’s words had created in him, took a thick cloth, and saturating it 
with water held it over Benhadad’s face until he was suffocated. After commit¬ 
ting this crime Hazael proclaimed himself king, and was accepted by the people 
as their ruler. 

JEHU IS ANOINTED KING OVER JUDAH. 

The latter end of Jehoram’s reign was marked by acts of wickedness which 
brought trouble thick upon him. The Edomites revolted against him and set 
up a new king, but Jehoram went to Zair with his army and there fell upon the 
rebels with such suddenness that they were unprepared for the attack, and fled 
without offering any resistance; the Edomites rallied, however, afterward, and 
were joined by the people of Libnah, which gave them sufficient power to main¬ 
tain their independence. Jehoram soon after died, leaving his kingdom in a 
disturbed and miserable condition. Lie was succeeded by his son Ahaziah, who, 
after reigning one year in Jerusalem, joined forces with Joram, son of Ahab, 
in a war against Hazael. Such confusion of names arises here by reason of 
the fact that Jehoram and Joram are the same name, but one of these was the 
son of Jehoshaphat, while the other was the son of Ahab, and both ruled con¬ 
temporaneously over tribes of Israel. 

In a battle with the Syrians at Ramoth, Joram was wounded, and he went 
back to Jezreel to be treated for his hurt. During the period of his inability 
he was visited by Ahaziah, thus leaving both kingdoms without a ruler. 
Elisha embraced this opportunity to dispossess the wicked Ahaziah, whose acts, 
had all been impious. He 
accordingly sent one of 
his messengers with a box 
of oil to Ramoth-gilead 
to anoint Jehu, the son of 
Jehoshaphat, to be king 
over Judah. The young 
man executed his com¬ 
mission as he had been 










302 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


directed, and when Jehu was anointed the messenger bade him to punish the house 
of Ahab and execute vengeance upon the head of Jezebel for ordering the prophets 
slain. So saying he opened the door and fled, for fear that some of the friends 
of Ahaziah might apprehend him. 

Jehu came out from the chamber in which he had been anointed and 
announced to the people that he had been called to rule Israel, whereupon 
all who heard him took off their garments and cast them under his feet as a 
sign of their loyalty, and then blew trumpets to announce the proclamation. 
Jehu at once set about the destruction of Ahab’s house by rasing an army 

and going to Jezreel. As he 
came in sight of the city a 
watchman on the walls espied 
him and reported it to Joram, 
who sent out a horseman to in¬ 
quire of Jehu if his mission 
was that of peace. When, the 
messenger came up with Jehu 
and made his inquiry, he was 
coarsely answered and bidden 
to go behind. When the mes¬ 
senger failed to return a second 
was sent out, but he too was 
ordered to the rear, and a third 
likewise. By his furious riding 
Joram discovered that the leader 
of the approaching army was 
Jehu, and he made ready to 
meet him. 

The chariots were hurriedly 
ordered out, in one of which 
Joram was placed and Ahaziah 
rode in another. The two met 
Jehu in Naboth, where Ahab 
had caused the owner of a vine¬ 
yard he coveted to be stoned, and asked if he came upon a mission of peace. 
To which Jehu replied, “What peace, so long as the iniquities of thy mother 
Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?” At this answer Joram turned and 
fled, crying to Ahaziah that they were about to be made the victims of a 
treachery. As they retreated, Jehu pulled his bow and shot an arrow through 
Joram’s back, so that it penetrated his heart. The body was then taken by 
a captain in Jehu’s army and cast into the field of Naboth. Ahaziah sought 
to escape by way of ‘the garden-house, but he was so badly wounded by an 
arrow that he died on the following day at Megiddo. 







ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


303 


THE TERRIBLE DEATH OF JEZEBEL. 

There was none to dispute the entrance of Jehu into Jezreel, and he made 
search quickly for Ahab’s infamous widow, the terrible Jezebel, who had been 
suffered so long to survive her iniquities, and to sow the earth with a seed 
of human thistles that had almost choked the growth of justice. The cunning 
woman tried to avert her just fate by disguising her appearance. She painted 
her face and put on a tawdry head-dress, like a serving-woman, and then gazed 
out of an upper window as a quiet spectator of what was going on below; 
but her discretion was confounded by God who caused her to inquire of Jehu 
as he rode beneath, “Had Zimri peace who slew his master?” Whereat Jehu 



looked up and asked, “Who is on my side? Who?” At the first glance he 
perceived that it was Jezebel who had spoken, and seeing three eunuchs standing 
beside her he bade them throw her down, which they immediately did, for they 
saw that Jehu was one in authority, and that he now had possession of the 
rcity. Jezebel’s body fell upon the stone pavement below, and was so mangled 
that her blood was sprinkled upon the wall, and the horses trod her under 
foot. Here the body was permitted to remain for some hours and until Jehu 
had feasted, when he sent some of his men out to bury it, for, though an 
iniquitous woman, he desired that she be given burial as a king’s daughter. 






































304 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


But when those thus sent came to pick up the body they found that it had 
been eaten by dogs until only the skull, feet and hands remained, thus literally 
fulfilling the prophecy of Elisha. 

Jehu had made an excellent beginning in destroying the house and pos¬ 
terity of Ahab, but there were still seventy sons of the wicked king living, and 
to these Jehu dispatched letters, and also to the people of Samaria, challenging 
them to set up one of the seventy as king. But they were afraid, and sent 
back word that they would be his servants and in all things obey him as their 
rightful king. Then Jehu wrote a second letter, wherein he commanded the 
people to manifest their loyalty by sending to him on the morrow the heads of 
all the seventy sons. Accordingly, the seventy were slain and their heads put 
into baskets nnd sent to Jehu at Jezreel, where he set them up in two rows 
before the gates as a warning, aftei; which he ordered to be slain all the great 
men, kinsfolk and priests that had served in the house of Ahab. After this 
Jehu went up to Samaria, but while on his way he met forty-two of Ahaziah’s 
brethren at a shearing house, as they were travelling to Jezreel to salute Joram 
and Jezebel, not knowing what fate had overtaken them. These Jehu ordered 
his men to take dive and to slay them at the shearing pit, which was promptly 
done. 

DESTRUCTION OF; THE WORSHIPPERS OF BAAL. 

After slaying Ahazidi’s brothers, Jehu resumed his journey and met 
Jehonadab, who was coiniilg to meet him. Accepting his hand as a token of 
friendship, Jehu brought ihim into the chariot and together they rode to 
Samaria. Reaching the capital, he issued a proclamation ordering all the 
prophets and servants of Baal to meet him, to offer up a sacrifice to their 
god. Pie also threatened to punish with death all those who refused to obey 
the summons, pretending that his desire was to make a glorious feast in 
honor of the idol of the people. In response to this order all the priests, 
prophets and worshippers of Baal came to Samaria, being so vast in numbers 
that the house of Baal was filled to overflowing. When these idolaters had. 
assembled he ordered them to be clothed with vestments which were used in 
the idolatrous service. His next order was issued to Jehonadab, instructing 
him to have the worshippers observe strictly that none of the servants , of God 
were among them. When the service had been made ready Jehu appointed 
eighty of his men as executioners. These he stationed at the door of the 
temple with instructions to begin the slaughter at a signal, and threatened 
that if any of those of Baal should escape, to punish with death those who 
permitted it to be so. Therefore, when the burnt-offerings had been made 
Jehu gave the signal, and his guards rushed in upon the worshippers with 
their swords and slew every one, so that the temple was filled with dead 
bodies, and not one escaped. When the slaughter was complete his soldiers 
were ordered to break all the images of Baal, and afterwards to destroy the 
temple itself, so that no remnant of the worshippers of the idol might remain 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


305 


In all Israel. The golden calves at Bethel and Dan were also destroyed, 
though they did not compose any part of the worship of Baal, but all kinds 
of idolatry were uprooted by an heroic remedy that turned the nation once 
more toward God. 

Singular, almost beyond understanding, Jehu left off his zeal for Jehovah 
after destroying idolatry and fell into all the evils ways of Jehoram, which 
plunged Israel into sin again. This was followed by a war in which Hazael 
overcame the Israelites and laid all of western Palestine under tribute, so 
that at his death Jehu left the land in a more miserable condition-idolatry 



SLAUGHTER OF THE PRIESTS OF BAAL. 


excepted—than he found it on usurping the throne. He died at Samaria and 
was buried there with the other kings of Israel. He reigned for twenty-eight 
years and was succeeded by his son, Jehoahaz, and his posterity recovered 
Israel, as will be seen. 

The reign of Jehoahaz was unimportant beyond the interest which may 
attach to his wicked acts and the failure of his army in the field against 
Hazael, who prosecuted the war against Israel after Jehu’s death. He was 
beaten in every battle, and was at last reduced to a kind of vassalage, being 
20 




































306 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


left only ten chariots and as many thousand footmen. He, too, was buried in 
Samaria, in the sepulchre with his father, and was succeeded by his son Joash, 
or Jehoash. 

THE YOUNGEST KING OF ISRAEL. 

Upon the death of Jehoahaz, Israel would have been left entirely without 
a lineal branch of the house of David had it not been for the daughter of 

r^| Joram, who saved the 


infant Joash, son of 
Ahaziah, by keeping 
him in hiding for a 
period of six years, 
during which time a 
very wicked woman, 
Athaliah, ruled. 
Joash was finally 
proclaimed king, 
when but seven years 
of age, by the high- 
priest, Jehoida. Thus 
we find, for the sec¬ 
ond time, two kings 
of the same name, 
one ruling Israel and 
the other Judah, so 
that we are liable to 
get them confused; 
but Joash, the son of 
Jehoahaz, was more 
wicked than his fath¬ 
er, and his reign was 
of short duration, 
while Joash the sou 
of Ahaziah, proved 
himself a wise ruler, 
and with his acts we 
will therefore be most 
concerned. 

. Joash was crowned 
without the knowl- 



CROWNING OF THE INFANT JOASH. 

“ Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason ! Treason ! The piiest said, Slay her not 
in the house of the L,ord.” 2 Chron. 13, 14. 


edge of Athaliah, who came into the Temple while Jehoida was anointing the 
young king. She raised the cry of treason, hoping to arouse the loyalty of 
her subjects, but she was intensely hated, and at a command of the priest she 
was taken out by the pillars of the Temple and there slain. Joash set about 































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


307 


building up the waste wrought by Benhadad and Hazael. He was as resolute 
as Jehu had been in prohibiting the worship of Baal, but fell into the ways 
of Jeroboam and permitted sacrifices to the golden calf, which it seems had been 
set up again at Bethel. He visited the aged prophet Elisha and was by him 
warmly received, though at this time he had grown out of his youth and become 



“ so they laid hands on her ; and when she was come to the entering of the horse-gate by the king’s house, they slew her there.” 

2 Chron. xxiii. 15. 

a warrior. In response to his request for a prophecy concerning his affairs with 
the Syrians, Joash was given a sign of the victories he should obtain. Elisha 
bade him draw his bow before a window, and laying his hands upon the arms 
of the king, told him to shoot. The other arrows in his quiver the king was 
commanded to draw and throw upon the ground. Joash, however, only threw 













































































308 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


down three arrows, whereat Elisha was vexed and told him that now he should 
gain only three victories, whereas, had he thrown them all down, it would 
have been given him to destroy the Syrians, root and branch. After this 
Elisha died, and was buried in a sepulchre hewn out of the rock, near 
Jerusalem. 

A DEAD BODY IS BROUGHT TO LIFE BY TOUCHING THE BONES OF ELISHA. 

Joash made war against the Syrians and, as Elisha had prophesied, beat 
them in three great battles, but their power was not broken, and they after¬ 
ward oppressed Israel sorely, but not until Joash had departed from the good 
work he had eagerly begun of repairing the Temple, and was no longer advised 
by the high-priest Jehoida, by whose counsel he had been long governed. 

\ he Moabites invaded the country and laid waste a considerable portion; 
it was during this invasion that a singular miracle was wrought, the object 
of which it has not been given us to know. A party of Moabites, while carry¬ 
ing the dead body of one of their comrades for burial, sighted a company of 
men whom they took to be enemies, and to relieve themselves of the body 
they thrust it into a sepulchre which chanced to be near them, and would 
have retreated. However, this sepulchre was tliat in which Elisha had been 
laid, and when the body of their comrade touched the bones of the prophet he 
was restored to life and stood upon his feet. 

Hazael, king of Syria, defeated Joash in many enagagements, and placed 
him in sore straits, but the fortunes of battle turned again in his favor, and before 
his death he had recovered all the cities that had been wrested from his father. 

The two kings, Joash of Judah, and Joash of Israel, also fought against 
each other, and the one of Israel attacked Jerusalem with such success that he 
broke down six hundred feet of the wall of the city, and carried away all the 
gold, silver and vessels found in the Temple, and brought them to Samaria. 
He also fought against Amaziah, the successor of his namesake, but was beaten 
on every side and finally fled to Millo badly wounded. While lying in bed, 
helpless from his hurts, two of his servants set upon him with swords and 
destroyed him, in the forty-seventh year of his age. His burial place was also 
Samaria. 

Amaziah succeeded his father, Joash, as king of Judah, ascending the 
throne in the twenty-fifth year of his age. He ruled with the wisdom of David, 
and won many great victories. One of his first acts was to organize an army 
of three hundred thousand men, to which he added one hundred thousand 
picked soldiers of Israel, whom he hired for one hundred and fifty thousand 
dollars’ worth of silver, to go with him against the Edomites. When his 
expedition started, however, he was commanded by a prophet to dismiss his 
mercenaries, whose loyalty could not be depended upon. These men of Israel, 
out of revenge for their dismissal, plundered many cities of Judah, but Amaziah 
did not turn back to punish them, but continued on to the Valley of Salt, 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


309 


where he engaged an 
army of the Edomites 
and slaughtered ten 
thousand of their sol¬ 
diers, and destroyed as 
many more by driving 
them over the rocks of 
Petra, the capital of 
Idumea. He also cap¬ 
tured the city and 
changed its name to 
that of Joktheel, which, 
in the Hebrew, signi¬ 
fies Possession of God. 

In the midst of his 
great successes Ama- 
ziah turned from God 
and became idolatrous, 
setting up images at 
Mount Seir, to which 
he made sacrifices. 

When reproved by 
one of his prophets he 
rebuked him bitterly 
for daring to advise 
him, whereupon the 
prophet foretold him 
that he would be de¬ 
stroyed for his iniquity. 

The period of his 
decline now began, for 
he was soon after beaten 
by his enemies and a 
conspiracy was formed 
against him in his own 
house, which he sought 
to escape by fleeing to 
Lachish, but he was 
here overtaken and 
killed. Azariah be¬ 
came his successor, and 
though only sixteen 
years of age when he 




310 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


began to rule, he displayed a wisdom beyond his years. Instead of engaging 
in devastating wars he confined himself to increasing the glory of his kingdom 
in peaceful ways. He built Elath and restored it to Judah, and set his people 
in industrial ways. His reign lasted fifty-two years, but in the latter end he 
was stricken with leprosy, and had to give the government over to the charge 
of his son, Jotham, who exalted the kingdom. 

JEROBOAM’S PROSPEROUS REIGN. 

Jeroboam, the second, succeeded Joash, his father, as the ruler of Israel, 
and reigned for forty-one years at Samaria. He was fourth in descent from 
Jehu, and proved himself to be the ablest king Israel had yet possessed. When 
he assumed authority the country was scarcely more than a dependency, so 
greatly reduced was it by the conquests of the Syrians. But he was a man 
'of great courage, and set resolutely about the restoration of his dominions, 
being indeed a saviour for Israel. He went to war with the Syrians, who were 
also being pressed at the same time by their enemies from the east. This 
gave Jeroboam a great advantage, which he employed with such success that 
he recovered to Israel all that district which lay east of the Jordan, and cap¬ 
tured Ammon and Moab. Afterward he attacked Damascus, and though beaten 
before its walls, he laid the surrounding territory under tribute. His death 
occurred about 750 B. C., but under what circumstances is not recorded. 

Zachariah succeeded Jeroboam, but after a rule of only six months he was 
treacherously slain by Shallum, who in turn was assassinated in the first 
month of his reign by Menahem. This cruel man also carried a force of con¬ 
spirators into Tiphsah, where he murdered the inhabitants and continued his 
bloody course up the coast to Tirzah, sparing neither women, children, nor the 
aged, and, having forced a submission from the people, he ascended the throne 
and ruled ten years in Samaria. Pul, king of Syria, brought a great army 
and besieged Samaria, but was persuaded by a present of nearly two million 
dollars’ worth of silver to spare the place and become an ally. This amount 
Menahem raised by making a levy on all the rich men of his kingdom, but 
he did not live long after this alliance with Pul. His son Pekahiah succeeded 
him, and reigned for two years, when Remaliah, a captain in the king’s army, 
brought his company to the palace and killed not only Pekahiah, but also his 
counsellors and fifty Gileadites, who were visiting him. Remaliah then seized 
the throne, but it is not recorded how long he reigned. He was succeeded by 
his son Pekah, who retained the rulership for twenty years. 

THE ASSYRIAN INVASION. 

During the reign of Pekah, Israel was invaded by the great Assyrian king,. 
Tiglath-pileser, who came with such a mighty force that he captured several 
of the most important cities in Pekah’s kingdom, and took possession of all 
the land of Naphtali, and carried his captives to Assyria, where they were 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


311 



made slaves. Pekah, in turn, made an alliance with Rezin, of Syria, and tried 
to recover his losses by a war against Jotham, of Judah, but he was also beaten 
by that king, and came back to Samaria, to perish soon after by the hands of 
Hoshea, who ruled in his stead. 

Affairs in Judah had not been more prosperous after Jotham’s death than 
those of Israel after the reign of Joash. Ahaz succeeded his father, Jotham, 
but did not profit by the good example of his predecessor. He was twenty 
years old at the beginning of his reign, and ruled at Jerusalem for sixteen 
years. He was an idolater 
from the beginning, and began 
his administration by the per¬ 
formance of heathen rites, 
and made his sacrifices “ on 
the hills and under every 
green tree,” instead of at the 
Temple. 

Ahaz was besieged at Jeru¬ 
salem in the third year of 
his reign by Rezin and Pekah, 
but the fortifications were too 
strong for them to scale, and 
the two armies drew off 
Rezin now turned his atten¬ 
tion to Elatli, and after cap¬ 
turing the city he drove out 
the Jews and re-peopled it 
with Syrians. The occupa¬ 
tion of a rich district of his 
dominions by Syrians grieved 
Ahaz greatly, and to recover 
possession of Elath he sent 
to Tiglath-pileser for help. 

This assistance it was not ex¬ 
pected would be given out of 
friendship, so Ahaz sent his 
messengers loaded with all 
the gold, silver and other 
treasures that were in the Temple, accompanying these rich presents with a 
letter, in which he begged the Assyrian monarch to come and deliver him 
out of the hands of the Syrians. Tiglath-pileser accepted the reward offered, 
and sent his army against Rezin, whom he killed, and then captured 
Damascus, carrying the people away captives to Kir. 


SCRIBES AND INTER PETERS OF THE EAW. 




















312 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



{§) 

While at Damascus 
Ahaz saw an altar which 
so pleased his fancy that he 
sent a design of it to his priest, Urijah, at Jerusalem, 
with instructions to erect one exactly like it. The 
work was done so expeditiously that upon his return 
he found the altar ready, and he immediately made 
sacrifice of burnt-offering upon it. 

Nor did he cease his sacrilege with this one iniqui¬ 
tous act, but sent to the Temple of the Lord, and had 
brought the brazen altar, which he now placed in an 
inferior position to his own, intending to use it as an 
oracle to inquire by. 

He then commanded that all the morning and evening 
sacrifices of burnt-offering, of drink-offering and meat-offering be 
made upon the altar he had erected. But he had not even yet 
completed his sacrilege, for he went again to the Temple and 
cut off the borders of the basins and lavers, “ and took down 
the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put 
it on a pavement of stones.” 

Besides this, he caused images to be built and set up in 
many places about Jerusalem for the people to worship, and 
even sacrificed children to the idol Moloch. 

Yet for all these iniquitous practices God did not cut off 
Ahaz immediately, but extended His mercies for the sake of 
His promises to David. However, he was not suffered to pros¬ 
per, for even the victories gained by the assistance of Tiglath- 
pileser availed him nothing, since all the spoils and 
captured possessions were taken by the Assyrian con¬ 


queror, so that by reason of the 
payment of such a quantity of 
riches to Tiglath-pileser for his 
help, he was in reality left 
poorer than when he undertook 
the war against Rezin and 
Pekah. It also appears that he 
lost the confidence and respect 
of his own subjects, for though, 
in 2 Kings xvi., it is recorded 
that at his death he u was buried 














ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


313 


with his fathers in the City of David,” 2 Chron. xxviii. 27 tells us that 
“Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in 
Jerusalem, but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of 
Israel.” 

Since all the previous kings were laid in a royal sepulchre provided 
especially for them, we must conclude that there was a good reason for not 
giving the body of Ahaz the same burial accorded to his predecessors. 























CHAPTER XXII. 


The STORY OF JONAH. 



Jonah . 


( OD sent Jonah, a prophet who is little mentioned 
in the Bible, to Nineveh on a purpose not 
definitely understood, but presumably to influence 
the king of Assyria from undertaking an expe¬ 
dition against Israel. This was during the reign 
of Jeroboam II., about B. C. 860. The records 
make it appear that his mission was to warn the 
king that if he did not repent of his sins and 
turn to God he should perish, but the results 
of his preaching and the condition of affairs in 
Israel at the time render it improbable that this 
was the literal object of his visit. At the par¬ 
ticular time when he was called of God to pro¬ 
ceed to Nineveh the Assyrian Empire was at the 
zenith of its power and was overrunning Syria. 
Israel was also at war with Syria, and, as already related, had recovered from 
that country all of Palestine east of the Jordan. This success would naturally 

nnnLVS f al ° Usly ° f AsSym ’ whidl was contending with Syria, not only to 
punish that nation for some grievance, but for new possessions as well, for all 
wars m that age had their chief object in spoliation. It is therefore even more 
than probable that Jonah’s real mission was to dissuade the Assyrian king from 

strenS? °1 that P 0 * 1011 recovered from Assyria, which interpretation is 

strengthened by the entire book of Jonah. 1 

(3H) 




























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


315 


F*rptn%SP'nH 



We are told, in the 
opening chapter, that “ the 
word of the Lord came 
^ unto Jonah, the son of 

^ Amittai, saying, Arise, go 

to Nineveh, the great city, and cry against 
for their wickedness (designs) is come up 


- „ 

before me.” 

For some reason Jonah was averse to going to Nine¬ 
veh, and instead of obeying the instructions which God 
had given him, he went to Joppa and engaged passage on 
a vessel going to Tarshish. The Lord was offended at 
his disobedience, and as a punishment sent a great storm, 
which caused the ship to become unmanageable and threat¬ 
ened it with destruction. To save the vessel from founder¬ 
ing, the sailors were ordered to throw overboaid all the 
freight; but this failed to diminish the danger, for the wild 
waves dashed furiously over the bark and were filling it 
with water, which the sailors could not bale out fast enough 
to give them any hope. of keeping the vessel much longer 
afloat. In this dire extremity the vessel’s captain found 
Jonah asleep in the boat and, amazed at his apparent 
indifference to the danger, called on him to pray that they 
might be saved. Whether Jonah humbled himself before 
God we know not, but in his shame for having disobeyed 
the command given him to go to Nineveh, it is proba¬ 
ble that he could not summon courage to offer a 
petition even for his own preservation. In any 

event God prompted a belief among the sailors 
that the storm was the result of His anger for 
a sin committed by some one on board, so they 
“* cast lots to determine upon whom the evil 
rested, and it fell upon Jonah. The sailors then asked him to what coun¬ 
try he belonged and also what sin he had committed, to which he replied that 
he was a Hebrew and feared “the God of heaven, which hath made the sea 
and dry land.” At this the sailors were afraid, and asked him why he had 
fled from the presence of the Lord, and what they might do to him that the 
sea should be calmed. And he answered, “ Take me up and cast me , forth 
into the sea: so shall the sea be calm unto you; for I know that for my sake 
this great tempest is upon you.” 

The sailors were reluctant to throw him overboard, even when Jonah told 
them that he merited this punishment, and that only by thus sacrificing him 











316 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


would the storm subside. They rowed hard to gain the shore, out finding 
their energies expended and their labor vain, they called to God not to lay 
upon them innocent blood, and to pardon the act by which they only hoped to 
save their own lives; so they threw the prophet into the sea, whereupon the 
storm immediately ceased. 

Though God had resolved to punish Jonah, He did not intend to destroy 
him, and therefore prepared a miraculous means for saving his life. As Jonah 
fell into the sea a great fish swallowed him, of what species we are not 
informed, nor is it important to know, since with God all things are possible ; 
and whether the fish were a whale, shark, or now extinct creature, is wholly 
without consequence. 



Jonah remained in the fish’s belly for three days, during which time he 
prayed God to forgive his transgression, acknowledging the justice of his pun- 
ishment, and giving praise for the mercies and blessings shown him. At the 
end of three days Jonah was vomited up by the fish upon dry land, and was 
again commanded to go to Nineveh. 

NINEVEH IS CONVERTED AND JONAH IS DISPLEASED. 

T1 * 1S tl ? e J ona k obe y ed the instructions God had given and went to 
Nineveh, and on the way apprised those whom he met that within forty days 
t e city should be overthrown. When he came within the gates he preached 














ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


317 


to the people and to the king, exhorting them not to offend God but to leave 
off their evil designs, for surely the Lord had said He would destroy the place 
and all that was in it. His exhortations and prophecy greatly distressed the 
king, who now put on sackcloth and ordered all his subjects to observe a 
fast and to praise God. So pious did the people appear that “ God repented 

of the evil that He had said that He would do unto them ; and he did it not.” 

The refusal of God to destroy Nineveh, as Jonah had prophesied, greatly 
angered the prophet, who considered that the people would now hold him in 
disrespect for having falsely predicted the city’s destruction, and in his melan¬ 
choly he called on God to take his life, since his disappointment was more 
than he could bear. He went out of the city and on the east side made a 
seat, where he rested until he could see what should be 
done to the city. God, observing him thus shelterless, 
caused a gourd to spring up out of the ground, and to 
spread its thick vine over him for a shelter from the sun, 

and to protect him from the dews at night. At this 

Jonah was greatly pleased, but on the second night a 
worm gnawed the vine so that it withered, and when day 
had dawned God caused a hot east wind to spring up 
which parched the earth, while the sun now beat down 
on Jonah’s unprotected head until he fainted from the 
heat, and again wished that he was dead 

u And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be 
angry for the gourd ? and he said, I do well to be angry, 
even unto death. Then saith the Lord, Thou hast had 
pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, 
neither madest it to grow; which came up in a night 
and perished in a night. And should not I spare Nine¬ 
veh, that great city, wherein are more than six-score 
thousand persons that cannot discern between their right 
hand and their left hand, and also much cattle?” 


THE CAPTIVITY OF ISRAEL. 

In the twelfth year of the reign of Ahaz over Judah, 

H o s h e a, the son of 






Uti 


I 



£veryon£ 

FROM 




r® 


Elah, ascended the 
throne of Israel in Sa¬ 
maria, having assassi¬ 
nated Pekah to gain 
this dignity. Under 
him the ruin which set 
in with the rule of 
Jehoram, became com- 
































318 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


plete. In morals he was hardly so good as the wicked kings who preceded 
him, while his abilities were of the most meagre character. He reinstituted 
the worship of Baal and of other gods; and the horrid sacrifices of chil¬ 
dren, who were given to be burned in the arms of Moloch, became a daily 
observance with the people. He also made groves and set up images therein 
as Ahab had done, and bowed before a host of wooden gods, besides renewing 
practices, first made common in the worship of Ashtaroth, too revolting to be 
chronicled. Under him, indeed, the people sunk into the lowest depths of 
depravity and infamy. His punishment was long deferred, but it was sent 



JONAH WARNING THE PEOPEE OF NINEVEH. 


upon him at last. In the ninth and last year of his reign, Shalmaneser, king 
of Assyria, and successor of Tiglath-pileser, became offended with him because 
he had sent rich presents to So, king of Egypt, but had withheld such evi¬ 
dences of regard and friendship from himself. Concluding that Israel was seek¬ 
ing a league with Egypt, Shalmaneser entered Israel at the head of a large 
army and laid siege to Samaria. The city held out for a period of three years 
but succumbed at last, and the Assyrians took Hoshea and all the subjects 
that were in Israel and carried them away captives to the cities of Halah and 
Habor. These places, however, could not contain them all, so that many of 
the captives were sold into bondage to the Medes. 




























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


319 


The depopulation of Samaria and other cities of Israel was followed by a 
vast immigration of Assyrians from the cities of Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, 
and Sepharvaim, who quickly repeopled the towns, so that all of northern Pales¬ 
tine fell into possession of Israel’s enemies. Thus terminated the kingdom of 
Israel, having endured two hundred and fifty-five years under nineteen kings 
and nine dynasties. 

HEZEKIAH, THE SECOND DAVID. 

Hezekiah, the son and successor of Ahaz, was twenty-five years of age 
when he ascended the throne, his accession being in the third year of the reign 
of Hoshea. He began immediately to undo the evil institutions of his father, 
one of his first acts being the reopening of the Temple and restitution of the 
things that had been taken from it. He also appointed priests of the Levites 
to cleanse the House of the Lord and to renew the sacrifices therein. This 
work of cleansing occupied sixteen days, at the end of which time Hezekiah 
called the rulers together, and taking seven each of bullocks, rams, goats and 
lambs he went into the Temple to dedicate it anew and offer them up as a 
sacrifice for the sins of his people. This sacrifice was made a feast of rejoicing, 
at which the priests played on cymbals, harps and trumpets, while the people 
sang songs of praise. There were also brought during the feast, as contribu¬ 
tions from the people, seventy oxen, a hundred rams and two hundred lambs, 
all of which were offered up by the priests. 

Hezekiah’s next act was to renew the Feast of the Passover, which had 
not been observed since the days of Solomon, and at this feast he made a 
covenant with God and sent letters to all of the ten tribes asking them to 
come and celebrate with him. His hope evidently was to unite Israel and 
Judah, though the Bible narrative tells us that all those of the ten tribes had 
been carried away captive by the Assyrian conqueror, as already described. It 
is possible, indeed probable, that there were still remnants left in the far south 
that had escaped captivity, to whom Hezekiah sent his invitation. If, as the 
records state, all of Israel had been carried to Babylon, Hezekiah’s letters may 
have been addressed to the Assyrians who had been brought to repeople the 
cities of Israel. This version is not improbable, because we are told that the 
Assyrian immigrants were punished for their idolatry in Samaria and other 
places in Israel by lions that were sent to destroy them, but upon learning 
that this visitation was on account of their idolatry they sent to the Assyrian 
king for a prophet of Israel to come and teach them how to worship the true 
God. Such a teacher was sent, who, though not able to wean them from their 
own gods, effected a great reformation that resulted in the people becoming 
renowned for their charity. Ever afterward they were called the Samari¬ 
tans. One of Christ’s most beautiful parables illustrates the kindness of these 
people. 

Though the transplanted Assyrians, who now occupied Israel, were inclined 
to generosity and goodness, they refused to participate in the Passover, and even 


*».rr 



DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB’S ARMY 













































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


321 


sent back a scornful reply. A few, who were probably Israelites, accepted the 
invitation, and all of Judah came to the feast. At this feast those who parti¬ 
cipated renewed their vows, and as an earnest of their intention to serve God, 
gathered all the images they could find, also the altar of Ahaz, and threw them 
into the Kedron. 

MIRACULOUS DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB’S ARMY. 

There was peace and plenty in all Judah for the first fourteen years of 
Hezekiali’s reign, at the end of which time a great force of Assyrians, under 
King Sennacherib, invaded the country and set siege to all the walled cities and 
took them one after another until only Jerusalem was left. His immense army 
and invariable victories destroyed the courage of Hezekiah, who sent ambassa¬ 
dors to Sennacherib at Lachish, to inquire what tribute he would accept to with- 
draw his forces from Judah. The Assyrian monarch replied that he would give 
the country peace and retire to his own land upon payment of a sum equal to 
five hundred thousand dollars, which was cheerfully paid. But upon receiving 
the money Sennacherib’s cupidity was only increased, and he sent his army, 
under three of his best generals, to besiege Jerusalem. 

When the Assyrians had surrounded the city they sent letters to Hezekiah, 
asking why he refused to open the gates to receive the army, at the same time 
admonishing him that if he continued to oppose them they would enter by force 
and treat him as an enemy. They further demanded a payment similar to that 
which Hezekiah had made to Sennacherib, as the price of their withdrawal. 
As the king of Judah had exhausted his treasures in paying the tribute to 
Sennacherib, it was impossible to comply with this second demand, and despair¬ 
ing of his ability to defend the city, he clothed himself in sackcloth, and going 
into the Temple prayed to God for deliverance from his enemies. He also sent 
priests to Isaiah, asking that prophet to pray for Judah, and to help him save 
the country from the destruction that threatened. Isaiah ordered the priests to 
return forthwith to Hezekiah and to tell him not to be afraid of the boastful 
words of the Assyrians, for God would cause them to abandon the siege, and 
that Sennacherib would speedily return to his own country, where he would die 
by the sword of one of his people. 

When Hezekiah heard the prophecy of Isaiah he was no longer concerned 
for his safety, knowing now that God had heard his prayers. On the same 
night the Lord sent a plague among the Assyrians, by which one hundred and 
eighty-five thousand were destroyed. In the morning the remnant fled out of 
Judah and to their own country. Sennacherib returned to Nineveh, where he 
soon after perished by the sword of his two sons while worshipping in the idol- 
house of Nisroch. 

hezekiah approaches death, but is miraculously cured. 

Shortly after the deliverance of Judah from Sennacherib, Isaiah went to 
Hezekiah and bade him prepare for death, since God had given him to know 
21 


322 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 






that his end was near at 
hand. At this time the 
king was confined to his 
bed by a carbuncle that 
gave him great pain, so 
that the words of the pro¬ 
phet seemed to foretell the 





llg?J x 

58135 " ^nlrLiiiiiriiiiiiiilfeVvv\ \ 

. 

result of his affliction. When Hezekiah heard what was 
said he turned his face to the wall and wept bitterly, not 
because of his fear of death, but because he regretted 
that he was to be called in the midst of his labors of 
rebuilding the Temple and bringing Judah to righteous¬ 
ness. The zeal and virtue thus exhibited by Hezekiah 
moved God to spare his life, and Isaiah was sent back 
to tell the king that his prayer for a prolongation of his 
years had been heard, and that in three days he should 
be healed and his life spared for fifteen more years. 
Then Isaiah made a poultice of figs and bound it upon 
the boil, as the Lord directed, and in three days his 
recovery was complete. But Hezekiah desired the pro¬ 
phet to show him by'some sign that his days should be 
extended for the time promised, whereupon Isaiah made 
the sum to move forward ten degrees, telling him that 
this should be the sign. Still Hezekiah was not satisfied,, 
for he said to the prophet, “ It is a light thing for the 
shadow to go down ten degrees, nay, but let the shadow 
return back ten degrees.” This sign was also given him, 
and he was then convinced that the promise would be 
fulfilled. 

The king of Babylon, hearing of what had been done 
for Hezekiah, sent letters and a rich present to him by 
his ambassadors, under pretense of encouraging his friendship, but in reality 
to discover the wealth and condition of Judah, and whether it was an inviting 
field for invasion. Hezekiah received the ambassadors with great cordiality, 
and in a spirit of vanity and self-glorification he exhibited to them all his 
immense riches that had accumulated under the system of tithes which he 
established after holding the Feast of the Passover, and “there was nothing in 
his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.” 

Isaiah was grea< 'y displeased at the vanity and imprudence of Hezekiah, and 
coming to him, asked who were the visitors and what he had done. To this the 
king replied truthfully, telling him that the ambassadors were come from Babylon,, 
and that he had showed them every rich and valuable thing in his kingdom.. 















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


323 


Then spoke the prophet to Hezekiah, “ Hear the word of the Lord. 
Behold, the days come that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers 
have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon; nothing 
shall be left, saith the Lord.” He also prophesied that some of his posterity 
would become servants in the palace of Babylonian kings. 

Hezekiah was very much cast down by the prophecy of Isaiah, knowing 
that all would come to pass, for he had received many evidences of the Divine 
power of the prophet. Acknowledging, therefore, that what God had willed 
could not be set aside, he prayed that these evils should not befall Judah 
during his life, but that peace might be given him to the end of his days. 
Hezekiah devoted his latter years to the improvement of Jerusalem, his prin¬ 
cipal work being the building of an immense pool and conduit by which fresh 
water was supplied to the city. He died at the age of fifty-four, having 
reigned twenty-nine years, and was buried in Jerusalem. Hezekiah was child¬ 
less a greater portion of his life, but when past forty years of age he married 
a woman named Hephzibah, by whom he had one son, Manasseh, who suc¬ 
ceeded his father as ruler of Judah when but twelve years of age. 

THE CAPTURE AND RESTORATION OF MANASSEH. 

Manasseh fell into the hands of evil counsel, and before he had become 
of age the people, whom Hezekiah had done so much for by way of reforma¬ 
tion, had relapsed into idolatry and had profaned the Temple by setting therein 
wooden images, to which they paid their daily devotions. Manasseh carried 
his iniquities yet further, for he killed all the righteous men in his country, 
and was as zealous in destroying every trace of true worship and substi¬ 
tuting idolatry as his father had been in purifying the kingdom. Men were 
sent to remonstrate with him and to prophesy the miseries that he would 
bring upon himself and people if he continued in his iniquities, but this advice 
was not heeded, and God sent the kings of Babylon and Chaldea to punish 
him. These kings overran all Judah, laying waste its cities, killing the people, 
destroying the fields, and at last captured Manasseh himself and carried him 
away to Babylon bound in chains. 

How long he remained in Babylon, or how he spent the time is not 
recorded, but Josephus tells us that he repented heartily of his sins and lifted 
up his prayers to the living God, who at length caused him to be restored to 
his -kingdom. Upon Manasseh’s return, he tried to repair some of the great 
injury he had done by destroying idols wherever they could be found, and by 
devoting himself to a religious life. He did not neglect Jerusalem, however, 
for he repaired the old walls and added a new one, and fortified them with 
many lofty towers. The latter years of his life were spent in such piety 
that “ he was a pattern for imitation.” He died at the age of sixty-seven, 
and was buried in a sepulchre in his own garden. 




(324) 


MANASSEH SLAUGHTERING THE RIGHTEOUS. 







ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


526 


AMON IS MURDERED AND JOSIAH BECOMES KING. 

Amon became the successor of Manasseh, who was his father, but after 
reigning two years he was treacherously slain in his palace by his own ser¬ 
vants, who, in turn, were killed by an incensed multitude, that afterward gave 
the throne to Amon’s son, Josiah, who was only eight years of age. In early 
youth he manifested a kind and loving disposition and when twelve years old 
he began to devote himself to religion and the expulsion of idolatry from his 
kingdom. In many respects he was like David, and in piety and zeal for the 
establishing of the true worship of God he even excelled his great-grandfather, 
Hezekiah. Josephus attributes to him a wisdom far beyond what might be 
expected of one so young; for, in addition to his devotion to the service of 
God, he exhibited a rare judgment in the' administration of the affairs of his 
kingdom. He cut down, and utterly destroyed, the groves that were devoted to 
strange gods, overthrew all their altars, broke images wherever he could find 
them, and then turned his attention to repairing the Temple, that had been 
desecrated by Manasseh. For this purpose he solicited donations of gold and 
silver from all his subjects who were able to contribute, by which means he 
secured a very large treasure, and appointed four curators to take charge of 
the Temple and its repairs. 

When the rebuilding was completed it was found that there was a large 
surplus of gold and silver left over, and this he gave in charge of Eliakim, the 
high-priest, with instructions to have the overplus used in casting cups, dishes, 
etc., for service in the Temple. While bringing out the treasures from the 
place where they were stored Eliakim found the holy books of Moses, which" 
he brought and read to the king. When he had heard the law thus read 
Josiah rent his garments, for he perceived how frequently his forefathers had 
disobeyed the commands, and that the punishment for disobedience was disin¬ 
heritance. He therefore called Eliakim, and Shaphan, a scribe, and sent them 
to a prophetess named Huldah, with a request that she pray to God to make 
him so righteous that he # might not be in danger of being cast out of the 
country for the transgressions of his predecessors. The prophetess, however, 
could afford him no consolation, for she replied that God’s decrees were irrevo¬ 
cable, and that sentence had already been given against the people; they would 
therefore be deprived of their present happiness and be taken captive as had 
already been prophesied; she told the messengers to say to Josiah that though 
God had given this decree against Judah, that because of his righteousness He 
would delay these calamities, but that after the king’s death all the miseries 
promised would be sent upon the people. 

JOSIAH EXECUTES VENGEANCE UPON THE FALSE PROPHETS. 

When Josiah had received the reply of Huldah, he called together at Jeru¬ 
salem all the priests and Levites, and people of every age, and had his scribes 
read to them all the books of Moses which set forth their duty to God. After 


326 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


the reading was concluded, he stood upon a pulpit and preached to his sub¬ 
jects the first sermon ever delivered. This discourse so pleased the people 
that upon his request they all made a covenant by oath to worship only God, 
and keep the laws of Moses. Josiah did not cease his labor of converting the 
country with these exhibitions of his piety, but he also ordered to be destroyed 
every vessel that had been used in the service of idols, and slew all the priests 
that were not of the family of Aaron, or such as those who were not appointed 
from among the Levites, as Moses had designated. He next ordered that all 
those buildings be destroyed that had been erected by Jeroboam wherein were 
set up golden calves for the people to worship, and upon the altars before 
these images he instructed his priests to collect the bones of Jeroboam’s false 
prophets and burn them. Thus was the prediction, uttered by Jadon three hun¬ 
dred and sixty-one years before, literally fulfilled. 

When the work of purification was complete, and not an idol or idolater 
was in all the land, Josiah called the people together again at Jerusalem and 
celebrated the feast of unleavened bread and of the Passover. On this occasion, 
which was the greatest since the day of Samuel, there were sacrificed thirty- 
seven thousand lambs and three thousand five hundred oxen. 

JOSIAH IS SLAIN IN BATTLE. 

Judah had undisturbed peace and prosperity for a period of thirty years 
under Josiah’s wise rulership, all neighboring kings holding him in high regard, 
while within the kingdom there were no feuds or jealousies, the people being 
devotedly attached to him. His death was due to the maintenance of a principle 
whicn is now accepted by all the nations of the earth, viz.: a denial of the 
right of one nation to march its army across the territory of another without 
first gaining permission to do so; a violation of this principle is considered as 
equivalent to an invasion. 

Necho, king of Egypt, raised an immense army for the purpose of invading 
Assyria, which had, only a short time before, been conquered by the Medes 
and Babylonians. To reach the Assyrians it was necessary for Necho to 
march across Palestine, which he undertook to do without so much as asking 
permission of Josiah. His passage, however, was disputed by such an army as 
Josiah was able hastily to summon. Necho sent a message to the king ot 
Judah, upon finding himself opposed, to the effect that he had no designs upon 
any portion of Palestine, and hoped that Josiah would not provoke a quarrel 
with him by obstructing his march. Josiah was not to be intimidated, however, 
and set about posting his army. As he was driving from one wing of his army 
to another, giving orders, the Egyptians came up and discharged their arrows, 
one of which struck Josiah mortally. When their king fell the retreat was 
sounded by the Hebrews, who fled back to Jerusalem, carrying Josiah with them. 
He died a few days after, at the age of thirty-nine years, and was buried in the 
royal sepulchres, amid the universal mourning of his people. Jeremiah was for 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


327 


eighteen years contemporary with Josiah, residing in Jerusalem, and gives us to 
know how beloved was the king by a lamentation which the prophet composed, 
and which is recorded in 2 Chronicles xxxv. 

Josiah was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz,, at the age of twenty-three years. 
He was a coarse, brutish man, whose impious reign was cut short by Necho, 
under a strategy. As the Egyptian king was returning from his war in 
Assyria, he sent for Jehoahaz to visit him at Hamath, which was in Syria, 
under pretense of a desire to honor him. But when Jehoahaz came to Necho 
he was put in irons and taken to Egypt, where he died, having reigned less 
than four years. The kingdom passed from Jehoahaz to his half-brother, 
Eliakim, whose name was then changed to Jehoiakim. This king ruled as a 
vassal of the Egyptians, to whom he was compelled to pay a tribute, laid (as 
taxes upon the land) of nearly $200,000 annually. 

THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 

Jehoiakim was no better than Jehoahaz, for he set up idols, and, in addi¬ 
tion to leading the people into idolatry again, was merciless in his disposition 
and an oppres¬ 
sor of his sub¬ 
jects. In the 
fourth year of 
Jehoiakim’s 
reign Nebuchad- 
nezzar became 
king of Baby¬ 
lon, and no soon¬ 
er had he gained 
the throne than 
he set about 
driving Necho 
out of Syria, 
which country 
the Egyptian 
king had con¬ 
quered. In a 
battle which 
soon after took 

place, Necho lost many ten thousands of his men, and was driven out of Syria, 
so that Nebuchadnezzar passed the Euphrates and made himself master of all 
the country as far as Pelusium, excepting Judah. By his conquests three years 
later, however, he demanded tribute from Jehoiakim, which that king was 
forced to pay to preserve his kingdom. This tribute he paid two years, but 
on the third year Jehoiakim sought to take advantage of a war which had 



JEHOIAKIM BURNING THE PROPHECIES OF JEREMIAH. 










































328 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


now broken out between Nebuchadnezzar and the king of Egypt, and believ¬ 
ing that his enemy was too weak to enforce the tribute while fighting a 
powerful king, refused to continue the payments. His hopes, however, were 
upon a poor foundation, for Nebuchadnezzar soon routed the Egyptians, and 
now turned upon Judah his great and apparently invincible army. Jeremiah 
had daily prophesied concerning the destruction that would be brought upon 
Judah, but yet the king took no heed to his words and continued in his 
abominable ways. He had also foretold how Judah would rely upon Egypt 
in an evil hour, and that for this reliance Jerusalem would be captured and 
the king conquered. His prophecies, so far from warning the people, excited 
their anger and enmity. He was at length seized and brought before Jehoi- 
akim for sentence. A majority of the judges and the king himself were in 
favor of killing him, but the elders refused to give their consent to so harsh 
a sentence, and succeeded in saving his life by admonishing the king that 
many other prophets had foretold the same things now prophesied by Jeremiah, 
and therefore it was wrong to punish him for the sins that others had com¬ 
mitted. By these arguments Jehoiakim was persuaded to release the prophet, 
but a short while after, while the people were celebrating a fast in their Tem- 
ple, Jeremiah read all his prophecies from a book in which they had been 
written down by a scribe named Baruch. When the rulers heard of this act 
they seized the book and carried it to the king, but suffered Jeremiah and 
Baruch to escape. Jehoiakim, however, sent for one of his sons, named Jehudi, 
to read the book. As the prince proceeded, the king cut off from the manu¬ 
script pieces as they were read and threw them into the fire until all the 
written prophecies were consumed. God now instructed Jeremiah to write anew 
his prophecies, to which were added that of the destruction of Judah, and with 
these the prophet vainly besought the people to turn from their wicked ways 
before it was too late. 

The final catastrophe, as predicted by Jeremiah, came upon Jehoiakim in 
the seventh year of his reign. Nebuchadnezzar stirred up against him the 
Ammonites, Moabites and Syrians, who now overran Palestine and demanded 
the surrender of Jerusalem. Jehoiakim made no resistance, thinking if he 
admitted the enemy into the city that they would commit no depredations and 
would spare the lives of its inhabitants, but in this he was deceived, for 
Nebuchadnezzar slew a majority of the people, including many of the elders 
and people of dignity and position; he also killed Jehoiakim and ordered his 
body to be thrown before the walls, as unworthy of burial, and after commit¬ 
ting other acts of wantonness seized three thousand of the principal persons 
of wealth of the city and carried them away as captives to Babylon. Among 
these captives was the prophet Ezekiel, who was a very young man at the 
time, and of whom we will read much hereafter. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


329 



THE BRIEF AND SAD RULE OF JEHOIACHIN. 

Upon the death of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar permitted his son and right¬ 
ful heir, named Jehoiachin, to ascend the throne, but this unfortunate prince 
had ruled only three months when Nebuchadnezzar, repenting that he had 
given the kingdom to one who must bear him a grudge for killing his father, 
sent his army and be¬ 
sieged Jehoiachin in Jer¬ 
usalem. Knowing that 
he could not hold out 
long against the vastly 
superior numbers which 
Nebuchadnezzar had 
thrown around the city, 
and understanding the 
motive which had 

prompted the Babylonian king to make war, he surren¬ 
dered the city, first exacting a promise that he and his 
people would be suffered to depart without molestation. 

This promise was broken on the moment that Jerusalem 
fell into his power for Nebuchadnezzar ordered his 
officers to take the king and all his family captives, and 
bring them bound as slaves to him; he also commanded 
that the people, both old and young, be similarly taken, 
of which there were bound with thongs ten thousand 
eight hundred and thirty-two, and brought to him to serve 
in bondage. The kingdom was then given to Zedekiah, 
who was the uncle of the deposed king, hut not until 
he had taken an oath of perpetual loyalty to Babylon 
and to abstain from any league of friendship with the 
Egyptians. 

Zedekiah was twenty-one years of age when he 
assumed the nominal rulership of Judah. He is repre¬ 
sented as a man devoid of the principles of justice and 
a depraved disposition. His impiety produced alarm, for 
even those who were but little better in their morals than 
he foresaw that his end must be a bad one, while the 
condition of the people under such a ruler was greatly 
debased. Jeremiah was much distressed at the .wicked¬ 
ness of the young king, and besought him to abandon his evil ways, and above 
all to refuse to give credit to the false prophets who wrongfully advised him 
that neither Egypt nor Babylon would make war against him. 

Zedekiah was at first disposed to believe the words of Jeremiah, and 
promised to do as he was bidden, but when again in the company of his 



























330 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


friends, who were enemies of Jeremiah, he preferred their counsel. About this 
time Ezekiel sent a prophecy to Zedekiah foretelling the calamities that would 
come upon him, in which respect his predictions were identical with those of 
Jeremiah, excepting that the former declared Zedekiah should be taken capti\e, 
but that he would never see Babylon, while the latter prophesied that the king 
would be carried to Babylon in chains. On account of this disagreement in the 
two prophecies, Zedekiah declared that neither spoke the truth, and, therefore, 
continued his evil ways. 

After a rule of eight years, Zedekiah revolted from Babylon and estab¬ 
lished a league with the Egyptians for the purpose of invading Syria. As 
soon as this intention became known to Nebuchadnezzar he entered Judah at 



THE KING ORDERING THE ARREST OE JEREMIAH. 

the head of a great army, and after capturing many smaller towns started to 
besiege Jerusalem. The king of Egypt came to Zedekiah’s relief, however, and 
engaged the king of Babylon in a battle, but with the most disastrous results 
to himself; for Nebuchadnezzar easily defeated him and drove him out of the 
country with immense loss. But this engagement saved Zedekiah and Jerusa¬ 
lem for a time, and was taken advantage of by the false prophets to foretell 
that the king of Babylon would not make war against Judah again, but would 
soon return the captives taken away at the time that Jerusalem surrendered. 
Jeremiah, however, prophesied to the contrary; declaring that Nebuchadnezzar 
would again besiege Jerusalem, and would destroy many of the people by 






















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


331 


famine and spoil 
every thing in the 



°f • * * 

" %Mi N city ’ and then car " 
ry away the in¬ 
habitants that had 


survived into captivity, where they should serve for a 
period of seventy years. 

DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND CAPTIVITY OF JUDAH. 

The prophecies of Jeremiah were accepted by many of the people as a 
revelation of God, but the chief rulers charged him with unjustly alarming the 
country, and when he was on his way to Anathoth they seized him and cast 
him into a dungeon, the bottom of which was mire. Here he was kept for 
a time, but finally delivered, though not until he had been subjected to other 
torments. Though brought up out of the mire by an order from the king, he 
was not permitted to go free, but was detained in prison and fed on bread and 
water, to await Zedekiah’s pleasure. 

In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah and 
laid siege to Jerusalem, before which he built forts and set up battering rams 
and engines for throwing arrows and great stones. He remained before Jeru¬ 
salem, hedging in all the inhabitants for eighteen months, at the end of which 
time a famine broke out in the city, followed by a plague that destroyed 
thousands of people. From his prison quarters Jeremiah cried out and sought 
to prevail with the king and his counsellors to open the gates and admit the 
enemy, for by so doing the people would be spared, but if they refused then 
the king of Babylon would capture Jerusalem at last and put every one therein 
to the sword. 

The elders continued to advise Zedekiah against the warnings of Jeremiah, 
which they characterized as the vaporings of a madman, but the king, while 
afraid to openly reject the elders’ advice, secretly sent for Jeremiah and asked 
him to foretell what circumstances would transpire, assuring him that he might 
speak freely without danger to his life. Jeremiah, thus assured, told the king 
again of what calamities would befall him if he held out and refused to sur¬ 
render the city. Zedekiah was so impressed by Jeremiah’s words that he desired 
to follow the prophet’s advice, but was restrained by the fear that such a course, 
being so bitterly opposed by the people, would invite destruction at the hands 
of his subjects; but he was just enough to give Jeremiah his freedom. 

Everything came to pass as the prophet had foretold. The Babylonians 
captured Jerusalem at last, and committed it to pillage and the flames 
Nebuzaradan, Nebuchadnezzar’s principal general, first pillaged the Temple, 
from which he carried away all the gold and silver, the large laver which 
Solomon had dedicated, the brazen pillars of Boaz and Jachin, and their beauti- 














332 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 





ful chapiters, and the golden tables and candlesticks, the whole composing a 
treasury of riches of almost inestimable value. Having secured these treasures 
he set fire to the Temple and royal palace 
and reduced them to ashes. When this de¬ 
struction was complete, the Babylonians con¬ 
tinued their depredations upon other build¬ 
ings of the city, and seized all the people, 
among whom were the high-priest and rulers, 
several hundred in number. These latter 
were taken in chains to Riblah, where Ne¬ 
buchadnezzar had his palace, and there pub¬ 
licly beheaded, but the common people were 
spared to become slaves to the Syrians, as 
Jeremiah had foretold. 

Zedekiah contrived to make his escape 
from Jerusalem, with his family and intimate 
friends, by passing through a ditch, but he 
was overtaken and captured near Jericho, and 
was taken to Riblah with the other pris¬ 
oners. When carried into the presence of 
Nebuchadnezzar he was bitterly reproached 
by the Babylonian king for his ingratitude, 
and for the crime of having broken the com¬ 
pact which he had made to remain loyal to 
Babylon, and as a punishment for his treason 
Nebuchadnezzar ordered that his eyes be 
burned out and all his sons and kinsmen 
slain. The blind and captive Zedekiah was 
then taken to Babylon, where he was kept in 
prison until his death, at which he was buried 
by Nebuchadnezzar with the magnificent hon¬ 
ors accorded a favored king. 

The destruction of Jerusalem and cap¬ 
tivity of Judah occurred four hundred and 
seventy years, six months and ten days after 
the building and dedication of the Temple, 
and one thousand and sixty-two years, six 
months and ten days after the hegira from 
Egypt. Josephus also estimates that from 
the time of the Deluge to the destruction of 
the Temple was one thousand, nine hundred 
and fifty-seven years, six months and ten days, and from the time of Adam,, 
three thousand, five hundred and thirteen years, six months and ten days. 























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 333 

A remnant of Judah, the poorest in the land, was suffered to remain in 
their country to be wine-growers and husbandmen. Over these Nebuchadnezzar 
appointed Gedaliah to be ruler, but he served only a short time when Ishmael, 
of the seed royal, brought a party of ten adherents into Judah, and being 
invited to dine with Gedaliah, seized the occasion to ply the king with wine 
until he was drunk to unconsciousness, and then treacherously murdered him, 
together with all the Jews in the city. 


THE JEWS CARRIED AWAY INTO CAPTIVITY BY THE BABYLONIANS. 

“And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon, where they were servants to him and his sons '’ 

2 Chron. xxxvi. 20. 

Two days after the murder of Gedaliah eighty mourners came to do honor 
to the remains of their king, but seventy of these were also mercilessly 
massacred by Ishmael and their bodies hidden in a pit. Ten only were spared 
because of their pitiable supplications for mercy. Ishmael then took the 
people of Mizpali, where his murders had been committed, and carried them 
off as captives toward Ammon, but he was pursued by a Jewish captain named 
Johanan, who overtook him at Gibeon and released his captives. Johanan went 



P 


fcjigg 


HfSl 

/u— 












334 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


to Bethlehem, where he inquired of Jeremiah what Jehovah desired him to do. 
Ishmael had fled southward, intending to reach Egypt in order to escape 
a punishment from Nebuchadnezzar for murdering Gedaliah, and thither 
Johanan also went, but Jeremiah warned him against going to Egypt, but 
promised him God’s protection if he would remain in Judah. His warning 

was accompanied by a prophecy to 
the effect that if he went to 
Egypt he would be afflicted with 
pestilence and famine, and in the 
end Nebuchadnezzar would find 
and punish him. So far from 
being advised by ' the prophet, 
Johanan seized him and the 
scribe Baruch, and carried them 
with him to Egypt, and also the 
small remnant of Jews that had 
shown their loyalty to Gedaliah. 
A few Jews had preceded these to 
Egypt and formed communities in 
Migdol, Noph, Pathros and Tah- 
panhes, where they fell into idola- 
try. Jeremiah threatened these 
with the vengeance of God and of 
Nebuchadnezzar, which prophecy 
was soon afterward fulfilled. Ne¬ 
buchadnezzar made an expedition 
southward, but under what pre¬ 
tense is not recorded. He be¬ 
sieged Tyre, which capitulated 
after an heroic resistance of thir¬ 
teen years, after which the victor¬ 
ious king led his army into Egypt, 
and deposing Apries, the Egyptian 
king, set up a vassal in the person 
of Aniasis, thus making himself virtually ruler of the then known world. 
God had made Nebuchadnezzar an instrument for the final fall and complete 
punishment of the Israelites for their idolatry and manifold transgressions, 
-and the fulfilment of the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The king took 
away all the Jews out of Egypt and carried them captives to Babylon, thus 
leaving Judah a waste, which it continued to be for a period of seventy years. 



DANIEE REFUSING THE KING’S MEAT. 














Then uias the Secret revealed 





CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE JEWS BECOME ORACLES IN BABYLON. 

Daniel ’ 

IBLE records, as before explained, are not a consecu¬ 
tive history of the Jews, and the books of the 
Bible, therefore, cannot be followed, one after an¬ 
other, else the reader would become confused by 
the repetition he would find. 2 Kings is followed 
by Chronicles, and then by the books of Ezra, 
Nehemiah, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, 
Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel. The most of 
these are the repeated record of Kings, and others 
the writings of Solomon. We must therefore pass 
over these to Daniel. This latter book gives a 
partial history of the Jews in their Babylonish cap¬ 
tivity, though it carries us back almost to the begin¬ 
ning of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, thus ante-dating 
some of the records already given nearly thirty years. The consecutive narra¬ 
tive follows with Ezra, after Daniel, which describes the return of the Israel¬ 
ites out of their seventy years of bondage in Babylon. 

The Babylonians quickly discovered the good parts and learning of their 
Jewish captives, and were not long in improving their condition, as the Egyp¬ 
tians had done before them. Although we are told that Nebuchadnezzar put 
to death all the sons and kinsmen of Zedekiah, there is a manifest err^r 
either in the Scriptural account or the record as given by Josephus, for it is 
expressly stated by Josephus that Nebuchadnezzar “ took some of the most 
noble of the Jews that were children , and the kinsmen of Zedekiah , their king, 

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and delivered them into the hands of tutors,” to be instructed in all the learn¬ 
ing of the Chaldeans. The Bible says : “ And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, 
the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of 
Israel and of the king's seed and of the princes ,” to be likewise instructed. The 
probabilities are favorable to the supposition that only a portion of Zedekiah’s 
house was destroyed by jthe order of Nebuchadnezzar, a supposition rendered 
more probable by the fact that it was a practice common to all Jewish kings 
to be married to many wives, and by them to raise up a considerable number 
of children. 

In any event, the king of Babylon gave orders that the comeliest, and 
those giving the best promise of easy training, be taken from among the house 
of Zedekiah and put to school to be instructed in the wisdom, cunning, knowl¬ 
edge and science of the Chaldeans, who were reckoned as a learned people. 
Nebuchadnezzar also made provision for the care of these Jewish pupils by fur¬ 
nishing them with provisions and wine from his own table for a period of three 
years, at the end of which time they were expected to be worthy to “stand 
before the king,” or to answer such questions as the king might wish to put 
to them. Among the number first chosen were four sons of Zedekiah, named 
respectively Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The names of these 
were changed, however, upon entering the school to the following: Daniel was 
called Belteshazzar; Hananiah, Shadrach; Mishael, Meshach; and Azariah, 
Abednego. Daniel, however, preserved his original name, for in the records of 
his life he is called by no other. 

In the beginning of their instruction Daniel made a request of Ashpenaz 
that, instead of giving himself and brethren the rich meats and other foods 
from the king’s table, his diet might be only pulse (which was a pottage 
made of meal), and dates. Ashpenaz was willing to please them, but he 
admonished them that such food would not serve as a sufficient nourishment 
and that their bodies would grow thin, which would make the king inquire 
why they had been improperly fed. To this Daniel replied that his purpose 
was to avoid a rich diet because it would make him effeminate and prevent the 
rapid acquisition of knowledge, a matter which proved that he was already well 
instructed in the effects of food upon the brain. Ashpenaz was thus persuaded 
to let Daniel and his brothers make a trial of ten days to discover what effect 
so sparse a diet would have, but at the end of that time he was surprised to 
see them, instead of growing thinner, much plumper, as if they had lived 
luxuriously. 

The four made such rapid progress in their studies that at the end of three 
years there were none in all Babylon accounted so learned as they, for besides 
the wisdom they had gained at school, God had given to them the ability to* 
interpret dreams, by which they became as oracles to all the people. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


3o7 


DANIEL INTERPRETS NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM. 

Two years after Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Egypt he had a dream 
which gave him great concern, for he believed that it was a portent of something 
which would befall himself or kingdom ; but upon rising in the morning he was 
unable to recall to mind more than the impression it had produced. It was the 
custom in Assyria, as well as in Israel, Egypt, and other countries of the time, 
for kings to maintain magicians, soothsayers and prophets, in whose powers tc 
foretell events and interpret dreams the most implicit confidence was placed. 



DANIEL INTERPRETING NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM. 

Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that 
will make known unto the king the interpretation.’’— Dan. ii. 25. 

Therefore, when Nebuchadnezzar desired an interpretation of the vision which he 
had beheld in his sleep, he sent for several of the Chaldean prophets, of whom 
he requested an explanation of his dream. They pretended to a wisdom fai 
beyond that which they really possessed, and told the king if he would relate 
to them the particulars of his dream that they would give him a true interpre¬ 
tation thereof. This made Nebuchadnezzar very angry, for he said if they really 


2 2 














































































338 


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were able to forecast the future they could also tell him what he had dreamed,, 
without the necessity of any explanation from him of what his dream had been. 
When he found that they could afford him no satisfaction he ordered that all 
the so-called wise men be put to death as impostors. When Daniel heard of 
this harsh command of Nebuchadnezzar, and had learned the cause, he went* to 


Arioch, captain of the king’s guards, and besought him to prevail on the king 
to defer the execution of the men against whom his order was directed, for a 
single night, promising, if he would do so, to make an inquiry of God, through 
prayer, for an interpretation of the dream. 

Nebuchadnezzar, having heard what Daniel had promised, commanded his 
guards not to molest the magicians until he should renew his order, for he 
hoped that he might obtain, through the wise young Hebrew, a description 

and explanation of 
the dream that was so 
vexing him. Daniel 
and his three broth¬ 
ers now retired to 
their own house and 
spent the night in 
an earnest entreaty to 
God that He might 
reveal to them what 
the king had dreamed 
I and the interpretation 
thereof, which request 
God condescended to 
grant out of pity for 
those against whom 
Nebuchadnezzar’s 
anger was directed, 
and because of the piety of Daniel and his three righteous brothers. On the 
following day, at his request, Daniel was brought before the king, by Arioch, 
and to him the young prophet spoke in a spirit of great humility, declaring 
that he did not pretend to greater wisdom than the other Chaldeans, nor to 
the possession of any knowledge beyond that which God chose to reveal 
to him. He then told the king how he had prayed for that understanding 
which would enable him to discover his dream and to give an interpretation 
of it, at the same time rebuking him for his cruel order, and for requiring of 
his wise men that which God alone was able to perform. He then made his 
revelation to the king as follows: 



THE CITY OF BABYLON. 


‘ ‘ Wherefore, as thou in thy sleep wast solicitous concerning those that should succeed thee 
in the government of the whole world, God was desirous to show thee all those that should 
reign after thee, and to that end exhibited to thee the following dream:—Thou seemedst to see a 










ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


339 


great image standing before thee, the head of which proved to be gold, the shoulders and 
arms of silver, and the belly and the thighs of brass, but the legs and feet of iron ; after 
which thou sawest a stone broken off from a mountain, which fell upon the image and threw 
it down, and brake it to pieces, and did not permit any part of it to remain whole ; but the gold, 
the silver, the brass, and the iron became smaller than meal, which, upon the blast of a vio¬ 
lent wind, was by force carried away, and scattered abroad; but the stone did increase to such, 
a degree that the whole earth beneath it seemed to be filled therewith. This is the dream 
which thou sawest, and its interpretation is as follows :—The head of gold denotes thee, and 
the kings of Babylon that have been before thee; but the two hands and arms signify this, 
that your government shall be dissolved by two kings; but another king that shall come from 
the west, armed with brass, shall destroy that government; and another government, that 
shall be like unto iron, shall put an end to the power of the former, and shall have dominion 
over all the earth, of the nature of iron, which is stronger than that of gold, of silver, and 
of brass.” 

PREDICTIONS OF THE COMING OF CHRIST. 

Continuing his interpretation and prophecy, Daniel said: “And in the days 
of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never 
be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall 
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without 
hands, and that it brake to pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and 
the gold, the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass 
hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” 

When Nebuchadnezzar had received this revelation he bowed down before 
Daniel in an attitude of worship, and commanded the people to make sacri¬ 
fices to him as God. More than this, he imposed the name of his own god, 

Balthasar, upon him, and made him ruler over all Babylon, and appointed Sha- 
drach, Meshach, and Abednego governors of the provinces of Babylon. 

Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed with the divine nature of Daniel that 
he desired to make a manifestation of his faith and belief in the true God, 
and at the same time elevate Daniel to a position in the hearts of his people 
only one degree less than that of God himself; so he ordered made a gigantic 
image of gold, ninety feet in height and of a breadth of nine feet, which was 
set up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon, and upon its dedica¬ 
tion he commanded that at the sound of a chorus of musical instruments, 

every person in all his dominions should bow down and worship it, threatening 
those who refused with the terrible penalty of being cast into a fiery furnace. 

From the reading and connection we can hardly escape the belief that this 
image was designed to represent Daniel, and its worship was therefore the 
worship of Daniel, as the king had done at the time his dream was interpreted. 

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, though no doubt anxious to honor 
their brother Daniel, or to do the king’s bidding when it did not conflict with 

their duty to God, refused to pay homage to the image, and being accused and 

brought before Nebuchadnezzar, they told him that not even the fear of a fiery 
furnace would compel them to bow down to idols in disobedience to God’s law. 
This resistance to his commands so angered the king that he at once gave 
orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it had ever been before, and 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



to bind the three offenders in their coats and cast them into the flames. T. he 
heat was so intense that those who executed the king’s order were destroyed 

r so near the mouth of the furnace, but Sha- 
shach and Abednego no sooner fell into the 
han they stood up and walked about in the 
harmed, for God had, even here, given 
protection. Nebuchadnezzar, covered with 
confusion and astonishment when told of the 
miracle, looked into the furnace and there 
beheld the three Hebrews and the vision 
of a fourth man, who bore the sign of the 
Son of God; so he called them by name and 
begged them to come to him, and thus sat¬ 
isfying himself of the miraculous protection 
which had been afforded them, he turned to 
worship God. He also issued a decree that 
any one who should thereafter speak disre¬ 
spectfully of the God of Shadrach, Meshach 
and Abednego should be cut into pieces and 
their houses laid waste, and promoted the 
three righteous Hebrews to positions of 
greater trust in his empire. 


NEBUCHADNEZZAR BECOMES INSANE FOR 


SEVEN YEARS. 


THE GOLDEN STATUE OF DANIEL. 


* Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose 
Height was three-score cubits.”—D an. iii. i. 


A short time after the marvellous inci¬ 
dent just described Nebuchadnezzar saw in 
his sleep another vision, and sent again to 
the soothsayers for an interpretation, but, 
though this time he repeated to them his 
dream, none of them were able to tell to 
him its portent, so he called for Daniel, who 
came promptly and inquired of the king 
what his dream was, to which Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar answered: 

‘ ‘ I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the 
earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree 
grew and was strong, and the height thereof reached 
unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of 
all the earth. The leaves thereof were fair, and the 
fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all ; the 
beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the 
fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and 
all flesh was fed of it. I saw, and behold a watcher 
and an holy one came down from heaven. He cried 
aloud, and said thus: ‘ Hew down the tree and cut 


















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


341 


off the branches, shake off the leaves and scatter the fruit; let the beasts get away from 

under it, and the fowls from its branches. Nevertheless, leave the stump of the roots in 

the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and let 

it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of 

the earth. Bet his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; 
and let seven times pass over him. This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the 
demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know that the Most 
High, ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up 
over it the basest of men.’ 

“This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now then, O Belteshazzar (Baltasar 
of Josephus), declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom 
are not able to make known unto me the interpretation; but thou art able; for the spirit of the 
holy gods is in thee.’’ 



Upon hearing the king’s dream Daniel stood for an hour without speak¬ 
ing, manifesting by his countenance that he was sorely troubled because he 
knew that the 
vision was of 
bad import, 
and he feared 
to explain its 
meaning lest 
he should 
give offense to 
the king. 

Up o n being 
assured by 
Nebuchadnez¬ 
zar that he 
might speak 
plainly and 
without fear, 

Daniel told 
him that the 
tree in its 
greatness rep¬ 
resented his 


kingdom in its 


DANlEly INTERPRETING THE KING’S DREAM. 


extent and 

power, but the Holy One sent to hew down the tree had an evil significance, for 
it implied that he should be driven from among men and be made to dwell with 
the beasts of the field, and to feed upon grass with oxen for a period of seven 
years. The stump of the tree that was ordered to be left indicated that his 
kingdom should not be taken away from him, but that he should return to 
rule Babylon at the end of the time appointed by God for his ostracism from 
among men. Daniel also exhorted him to leave off his sins, and to begin at 
once a course of righteousness by showing mercy to the poor. 


















































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We are not told in what particular Nebuchadnezzar was sinful, but it is 
probable that his great dominion and enormous wealth had inclined his heart 
constantly to vanity and self-glorification, amounting to a worship of power 
and riches, and that God had, therefore, taken His own mysterious way to 
humble him. This supposition is further strengthened by the events that 
succeeded, for a twelvemonth after the interpretation of his dream, while walk¬ 
ing in his palace, giving voice to his own praises by declaring that it was 
himself alone that had built Babylon and extended its powers for his own 
honor and glory, a voice from heaven cried out to him: “ O King Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar, to thee it is spoken; the kingdom is departed from thee.” In the 
same moment he was stricken with insanity and went out into the fields, as 



COURT OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S PALACE. 


Daniel had foretold, and became like a beast, and there lived “ till his hairs 
were grown like eagle’s feathers and his nails like bird’s claws.” At the end 
of seven years, however, the king’s reason returned, and at the same time his 
counsellors and officers who had administered the government in his absence 
sought him and brought him back to the throne again. He, therefore, 
acknowledged God and sang to Him praises such as these: u Now I, Nebu¬ 
chadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are 
truth and His ways judgment; and those who walk in pride He is able to abase.” 

Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylonia for forty-three years, during which time 
he not only conquered Judah, bnt Egypt as well, and made himself master of 
the world. Under him the Assyrian Empire grew in wealth as no other 
nation, perhaps, has since done. Babylon, which was built upon the spot where 
the tower of Babel was erected, from whence sprung its name, was resplendent 






















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


343 


with every thing that human ingenuity could devise. Its hanging gardens and 
terraced slopes, as well as its magnificent palaces, great aqueducts and golden 
statuary, have perpetuated its fame and made the name imperishable in history. 
The time or manner of Nebuchadnezzar’s death is not recorded, but it is prob¬ 
able that he died about 560 B. C. 

Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son, Evil-merodach, who ruled 
eighteen years. The succession thereafter, as given by Smith, in his “ History 


of the Bible,” is as follows: 

B. C. YEARS. 

559. Neriglissar, sister’s husband to Evil-merodach, a usurper; perhaps the same as 
Nergalsharezer, the Rab-mag ( Chief of the Magi?) Jer. xxxix. 3, 13, (but ac¬ 
cording to Josephus, 40 years),.. 3 

556. Laborosoarchod, his son, killed by a conspiracy, and the family of Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar restored,.0% 

555. Nabonadius or Nabonedus ( Nabu-nit ), the Labynetus II. of Herodotus, probably 

the son or grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, and the last king of Babylon, . . . 17 

539. (About.) Belshazzar ( Bil-shar-uzur ), son of Nabonadius, becomes his associate in 

the kingdom, and governor of Babylon,. 2 

538. Babylon taken by Cyrus, and governed by his grandfather (?) Astyages, Darius 

the Mede,. 2 

536. Death of Darius—Cyrus reigns alone—Restoration of the Jews. 

529. Death of Cyrus, after a reign of nine years from the taking of Babylon, ... 9 


The book of Daniel, however, makes no mention of the rulers of Babylon 
between the death of Nebuchadnezzar and the accession of Belshazzar, but 
proceeds directly from the record of Nebuchadnezzar’s praise of God to a 
description of Belshazzar’s feast and the fall of Babylon. The reader will not fail 
to note the singular coincidence of names in that of Daniel, called Balthasar, 
and that of Belshazzar, which is only another name for Balthasar, both being 
derived from the Assyrian god Bel. In this we observe another striking evidence 
of the reasonable supposition already noted, that Daniel had been regarded by 
Nebuchadnezzar as a man scarcely inferior to God, and that he sought to raise 
him to a position almost equal with God. 

BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST. 

Little is written about Belshazzar’s reign beyond the fact that during his 
rulership Babylon was besieged by Cyrus, king of Persia, and Darius, king of 
Media, who had formed an alliance for the destruction of the kingdom. During 
this great siege, memorable in history, a marvellous event occurred which brings 
Daniel again into prominent notice as a reader of God’s signs. The king made 
a great feast in his sumptuous palace, which was attended by all the lords and 
ladies of the mighty empire. There was a mad revelry of music, songs , and 
riotous carnival, such as an abundance of wine could only cause, during which 
the king commanded that all the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnez¬ 
zar had captured out of the Temple in Jerusalem be brought in for the service 
of himself, wives, concubines and princes. The revelry now became greater, and 
in this hour of debauchery praises were sung to the gods of gold, silver, iron, 
brass, wood, and stone. The delirium of drink and passion was suddenly 






344 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


arrested by the appearance of a hand which moved over against the wail 
behind the rich candelabra, and in view of the assemblage wrote upon the 
plaster three ominous words, “ Meue, mene, tekel, upharsiu. When the king 
saw this strange thing he was so frightened that his knees knocked together 
and his countenance became like that of a dead man. He called loudly for the 
astrologers, soothsayers and wise Chaldeans ; to any one of whom who would 
interpret the meaning of the sign he promised the appointment of third ruler 
in his kingdom. When all these wise men admitted that they could not 
interpret the sign, Belshazzar became more gloomy than before and his depres- 



CAPTURE OF BABYEON BY CYRUS. 


sion was pitiable to see. The queen, seeing him in this condition, bade him 
take new courage, for though his favorite soothsayers could give him no 
information she assured him that there was one man in his kingdom upon 
whom the Spirit of God rested, for he had manifested his power in the frequent 
interpretations of dreams and the solving of hard questions. Snch a man she 
declared was Daniel, and advised the king to send for him. Eager to discover 
what fate had been thus signified, Belshazzar sent for Daniel, and upon his 
coming into the king’s presence, he was offered many rich gifts of reward for 
an interpretation of the sign. These offers, however, Daniel rejected, but he 











ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


345 


told the king that he would undertake to explain to him the handwriting on 
the wall, though he desired first to remind him of his wickedness in profaning 
the vessels captured from the Temple at Jerusalem, and of the punishment that 
had been sent upon Nebuchadnezzar for the pride and self-glory he had 
exhibited. These sins the king had also committed, and now God had declared 
the penalty which he must suffer. “ This,” said Daniel, u is the interpretation 
of the thing: Mene , God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it. Tekel\ 
Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Peres , (or Upharsin). 
Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 

In accordance with his promise, the king clothed Daniel in a scarlet robe 
and put a chain of gold about his neck, and also made him the third ruler in 
his kingdom. A fulfilment of Daniel’s interpretation came speedily, for on the 
following night Darius and Cyrus entered the city by drawing off the Euphrates 
into an artificial channel and passing in by way of the dry bed. They put the 
inhabitants to the sword, and killed Belshazzar, by which the last posterity of 
Nebuchadnezzar was destroyed. 

DANIEL IS CAST INTO A DEN OF LIONS. 

Daniel was not only spared from slaughter, but Darius carried him to Media, 
and on account of his wisdom appointed him chief of three presidents over the 
three hundred and sixty provinces into which his kingdom was divided. The 
great esteem and honor in which Darius held Daniel aroused intense jealousy 
among the princes and those who had been candidates for the king’s favors, 
and they sought every means to destroy him. They found him so upright in 
all things that it was impossible to bring any charge against him, but observing 
that he was given to prayers three times each day, they went to the king and 
persuaded him to concur with the governors in a proclamation allowing the 
people “a relaxation for thirty days, that no one might offer a petition or 
prayer, either to himself or to the gods, but that he who should transgress 
this decree shall be cast into a den of lions and there perish.” By this order 
we are given to understand that in the kingdom of Darius every one was free to 
practise any kind of religion, or to pray to any god he might choose to wor¬ 
ship, so that there was perfect religious tolerance. But on feast and fast days, 
appointed usually by the governors of the provinces, and sometimes by the 
king when the observance was to be general, it was common to put some 
restrictions upon the people. In this instance every one was commanded to 
abstain from all prayers or worship for a period of thirty days. 

Darius had no suspicions of the conspiracy of Daniel’s enemies, and accord¬ 
ingly promulgated the order to enforce abstinence from prayers for the time 
specified. Since Daniel was devoted to God’s service he gave no heed to the 
order, but continued his prayers publicly as before, whereupon his enemies 
charged him before the king and demanded an enforcement of the punishment 
threatened for disobedience. At this Darius was very sorry, for he loved Daniel 



(346) 


DANIEL IN THE LIONS* DEN. 























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


347 


above any other man in all his kingdom, having found him steadfast in duty, 
honorable in all things, and one endowed with such wisdom and piety as could 
not be found elsewhere ; but the people were resolved upon his punishment, and 
the king could not find any satisfying pretext for remitting the penalty. He 
spoke kindly to Daniel, however, and begged him not to be cast down, since 
God would surely be with him and protect him. So Daniel was cast into a den 
wherein were kept many lions that were ill fed, so that they might the more 
surely and ravenously destroy such offenders as might be cast to them. The 
king placed his royal seal on the rock that closed the mouth of the den, and 
then went away and spent the night in weeping, taking neither food nor sleep, 
and in the morning, when it was yet scarcely day, with anxious heart he ran 
to the cave to discover if his good and beloved servant were alive. He found 
that the seal had not been broken, which increased his anxiety, but hastily 
rolling the stone away, he cried out aloud, “ Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the 
living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from 
the lions!” To which the king heard this joyous and triumphant answer: 
u My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have 
not hurt me: forasmuch as before Him innocency was found in me; and also 
before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.” 

At this Darius rejoiced in a full measure of gladness, and he helped 
Daniel out of the den and brought him to the palace. Having understood now 
the conspiracy that sought to destroy his favored officer and servant, he ordered 
that all those who had accused Daniel, together with their wives and children, 
be cast into the lions’ den, where they were set upon by the ravenous beasts 
and torn to pieces almost upon the instant. 

DANIEL’S PRAYER POR THE RESTORATION OF JERUSALEM. 

Although Daniel had been promoted by Darius to the highest office within 
his gift, and was regarded with the most affectionate appreciation and devoted 
attachment by the king, yet he longed for the restoration of Israel and the 
rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple that had been dedicated by Solomon. 
He had not himself seen Judah in her pride, but he had read the prophecies 
of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and knew that the seventy years of desolation were 
now nearly accomplished, so he betook himself to praying for the forgiveness 
of his people, ^who had transgressed the laws of Moses, and to petioning God 
to restore Jerusalem and the sanctuary, wherein the people might renew their 
worship in their own land that was given them as an inheritance. 

Morning, noon and evening was Daniel wont to pray, nor did the deferred 
mercy of God, from day to day, in anywise diminish his faith or abate his 
fervor. At length, while engaged in his devotions one evening, the angel 
Gabriel flew down from the throne of mercy, and presented himself before 
Daniel, bearing the glad tidings that his prayers had been heard and would 
soon be answered. But the angel spoke to him also as a prophet, foretelling 


348 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


things which should occur many years after. He promised that after seventy 
weeks the period of Judah’s punishment would be completed and the people 
would be suffered to return to their desolate country and rebuild Jerusalem; 
that for seventy times that length of time, or nearly one hundred years, Judah 
should be blessed with undisturbed prosperity, after which there would come 
wars and dissensions. These wars, however, the angel assured Daniel, would 

not result in disaster to Judah, for God had determined that the people should 

be spared and the nation finished by the birth and glorious ministrations of 
the Messiah. But to this pleasant prediction he added the sorrowful prophecy 
of Christ’s death and the second destruction of Jerusalem. 

After his interview with Gabriel, Daniel beheld another vision, in the person 
of the blessed Messiah, whom he thus describes: “ And in the four and 

twentieth day of the first month, as I was beside the great river, which is 

Hiddekel (the Tigris) ; then I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold, a 

certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz : 
His body was like beryl, and His face as the appearance of lightning, and 
His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like in color to polished 
brass, and the voice of His words like the voice of a multitude, and I Daniel 
alone saw the vision; for the men that were with me saw not the vision ; but 
a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.” 

Daniel was at first overcome with fear, but the Lord spoke to him such 
words of encouragement that he was strengthened, and prepared to hear the 
prophecy that was to be given. Thereupon the Messiah told him that in the 
years to come a league would be made between four kings who would over¬ 
throw Persia and destroy Babylon; that the country would also be invaded by 
the Romans, who would tyrannize over the people, but that Israel would be 
delivered from their hands by Michael, though it was not given to Daniel to 
know when these things should come to pass, his instructions being only to 
write them down and thus transmit the prophecy to his posterity. 

Concerning Daniel’s death we know nothing, for he is not mentioned in 
sacred history after the record of his vision of the Messiah. 






CHAPTER XXIV. 


RETURN OF THE JEWS FROM CAPTIVITY. 


Ezra . 



SHE prophecies of Jeremiah are more definite than those 
of any other prophet, as is their fulfilment also. 
The captivity of Judah and destruction of Jerusalem 
came to pass exactly as he had foretold. It might 
have been possible for a shrewd observer of events, 
and especially for one who knew so 
thoroughly the weaknesses of the Jews 
and the strength and disposition of their 
neighbors, as did Jeremiah, to fore¬ 
shadow the downfall of Judah; but to this prophecy he added another, the 
fulfilment of which could best conclusively prove that he spoke as the oracle 
of God. Nearly one hundred years before the occurrence, he foretold that 
Judah would be held in captivity for a period of seventy years, at the end of 
which time the Jews would be restored by a king named Cyrus, who would 
also assist them in the rebuilding of Jerusalem and of the Temple. The same 
prophecy was given by Isaiah nearly forty years earlier, though not so expli¬ 
citly. How perfectly this prediction was verified we shall soon see. As already 
recorded in Daniel, Belshazzar, who held the Jews captive, was overthrown by 
Cyrus and Darius, both of whom appreciated the wisdom of their captives even 
more than did Nebuchadnezzar. Gradually their liberties, or privileges, were 
increased, until before their manumission the Jews held many of the most 
important positions in the Median and Persian governments. At all times their 
religion was in no wise interfered with, so that, being under restraint only as 
regards their disposition for conquest and internal dissension, their morals 
became vastly improved and their worship and manner of living more in accord- 

r 349) 

































350 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


ance with the laws of Moses. This result of this was that Cyrus and Darius 
were both led to embrace, iu a measure at least, the worship of God, and to 
select Jews for their counsellors. All this prepared the way for a fulfilment of 

Jeremiah’s prophecy. . 

In the first year of the reign of Cyrus in Babylon (about B. U 530), 
that king issued a proclamation for the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem, 
apparently, from the language used, in compliance with the prayers and request 
of Daniel. In this proclamation Cyrus acknowledges the God of Israel as the 
true God, and therefore invited the people of God throughout all his dominions 
to assist in the work by contributing money or other possessions. The Jews 
responded to this order with great enthusiasm, for, though they now had nearly 
all the liberty they desired and were prosperous in the new land, still their 
thoughts recurred to Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon, about which 
they read much and were constantly reminded in all their religious observances. 
The work of raising funds and apportioning the labor was intrusted to those 
of the house of Benjamin and Judah, assisted by the Levites, as enumerated by 
Ezra. But Cyrus showed his zeal by restoring all the vessels which Nebu¬ 
chadnezzar had carried away from the Temple and giving them into the care 
of a prince of Judah named Zernbbabel to be taken back to Jerusalem.. Besides 
these gifts many other equally rich ones were contributed by neighboring 
countries then at peace with Cyrus, so that when all the donations were col¬ 
lected together, the whole represented nearly, if not quite, as much wealth as 
Solomon had at his command when he undertook the building. 

The day of restoration was now at hand, and with the blessings of Cyrus 
the Hebrews started for the desolate wilderness of Judah to erect upon the 
ruin of their homes and cities a new empire and a Temple to be dedicated 
to God. 

According to the account of Ezra there returned by the first caravan forty- 
nine thousand seven hundred and twenty-seven persons, who took with them 
six thousand seven hundred and twenty asses,, seven hundred and thirty-six 
horses, four hundred and thirty-five camels, and two hundred and forty-five 
mules. This number did not include all the Jews that then lived in the land 
of their captivity, for many had become attached to Persia by possessions 
which they had acquired there and were therefore unable to return without 
sacrificing their property. Many went back to the rebuilt Jerusalem years 
after, while enough remained permanently in the country to form what was 
called the “ dispersion,” about which we shall read further when we come to 
the book of Esther. 

The fifty thousand—a few less—first visited several of their desolate cities, 
but in the seventh month they assembled at the ruins of Jerusalem, and after 
observing the Feast of Tabernacles set about rebuilding the Temple. They 
followed the plan of Solomon in nearly every particular, though the work was 
carried on much more expeditiously than at the first building. In the second 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


351 


month the foundation was laid amid a solemn service and praise to Jehovah, 
the sons of Asaph repeating the chorus of David, “ Because He is good, for 
His mercy endureth forever.” The noise made by the shouters for joy was 
equalled by the lamentations of the old men who had beheld the first Temple 
and its destruction. 

THE BUILDING IS HINDERED BY ARTAXERXES. 

When the old adversaries of Judah heard what was being done at Jerusa¬ 
lem they sent up and asked permission to assist in the building of the Temple, 

for, said they 
“We seek your 
God as you do, 
and we do sac¬ 
rifice unto Him 
since the days 
of Esarhaddon, 
king of Assur, 
which brought 
us up hither.” 
These people 
were the Sa¬ 
maritans, who 
had supplanted 
the Jews as al¬ 
ready explain¬ 
ed. Though 
they were a 
hospitable and 

generally a just people, they were given to 
idolatry and still entertained a prejudice against 
► the Jews, which feeling was so heartily reciprocated 
that a Jew would perish of thirst before he would 
receive water from the hand of a Samaritan. On 
account of the prejudices, and perhaps also because 
they desired that the honor of rebuilding the Temple 
remain theirs exclusively, the Jews refused the 
assistance offered and returned a pert reply. 

A rejection of their kind offices so incensed the 
Samaritans, or Cutheans, as they were also called, 
that they offered every impediment in their power 
to the work, while Cyrus was unable to afford any relief to the Jews because 
of wars in which he was at the time engaged. At length, upon the death of 
Cyrus, the Samaritans sent letters to his successor, Artaxerxes, in which they 
represented the Jews as a people given to quarrelling and rebellion, and 



PALACE OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 












352 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


declared to him if he would search their history he would discover how many 
seditions they had made, and how unworthy they were to be trusted to com¬ 
plete a work that would result in encouraging them to rebel against Persia. 

Artaxerxes was influenced by these specious representations to order a 
suspension of work on the Temple, and for the next few months nothing was 
done toward the building of either Jerusalem or the Temple. Artaxerxes rule, 
however, lasted only seven months, when he was dethroned having been a 
usurper—by Darius II., son of Hydaspes, who came to the throne of Persia 
about B. C. 520. His sanction and assistance in the resumption of the work 
was procured by Zerubbabel, who, having been invited to a feast with the 
king, manifested such wisdom in making a reply to the question, “ Which is 
greatest, wine, kings, women, or truth ? ” that Darius promised to grant him 
any wish which he might make. Thereupon Zerubbabel desired him to aid in 
the building of the Temple, which desire the king not only granted, but also 
threatened any who should thereafter interfere with the work with the severest 
punishment. 

The work was now resumed under the encouragement of the prophets 
Haggai and Zechariah, and was finished in the sixth year of Darius reign 
(B. C. 515)) twenty-one years after the return of the Jews from Babylon. A 
feast of solemn dedication now followed, at which there were sacrificed one 
hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, “ and for a sin- 
offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes 
of Israel.” 

EZRA GOES TO JERUSALEM. 

The dedication of the Temple was an occasion of great rejoicing, but the 
people were not yet free from the harassments of their neighbors, nor did 
they obey the laws of Moses, as the manner of their deliverance should have 
prompted them to do. Among the special sins charged against them at this 
time was their taking wives from among strange nations, which offense was 
particularly forbidden by Moses. Learning of their transgressions, Ezra, who 
was a priest and teacher in Babylon, asked permission of Artaxerxes II., or 
rather of Xerxes, so well known in Grecian history, and who was king of 
Persia at the time, to go to Jerusalem, announcing his purpose to be to teach 
the Jews there their duty to God, and wherein they were disobeying the laws 
of Moses. Xerxes not only granted Ezra’s request, but loaded him with many 
presents of gold and silver to be taken with him to Jerusalem as offerings to 
God. These presents included money with which to buy bullocks, rams and 
goats for the sacrifices, and also precious vessels for use in the Temple, for 
Xerxes had now begun to fear God, and was glad to show his sympathy for 
restored and reunited Israel. 

As already stated, at the time of the return of the first caravan of fifty 
thousand Jews to Jerusalem, there were many who could not leave Babylon on 
account of their landed possessions, but now Xerxes provided a way for those 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


353 


who desired to return with Ezra, by granting them sufficient treasure to com 
pensate them for their Persian possessions, so that a large number of these 
Jews went with Ezra to Judah to assist him in upholding the laws of Moses. 
Their journey to Jerusalem occupied four months, but though their way was 
through a desert beset by robbers and dangerous enemies, they accomplished 
the trip in safety, and delivered all the treasure brought with them into the 
charge of the priests and Levites of the Temple. The success of their journey 
prompted them to offer up sacrifices to God of twelve bullocks, ninety-six rams, 
seventy-seven lambs and twelve goats, after which all that Xerxes had com¬ 
manded the people to do in honoring God was given to the governors, by letters 
which the king had entrusted to Ezra to deliver. 

Having thus prepared the way for his real mission and established him¬ 
self in the confidence of the people, Ezra ordered all Judah to assemble 
together at Jerusalem, which command being obeyed, he told them of their 
disobedience, and especially rebuked them for having married with women who 
belonged to the neighboring heathen nations. Shechaniah, one of the chief men 
in Israel, was the first to acknowledge the sins which Ezra had charged against 
his people, and first asking forgiveness for their transgressions, proposed that 
all those who had so married should renounce their heathen wives and also 
the offspring of such marriages. This proposition found favor with all the 
people, including the priests and Levites as well, and a time was accordingly 
appointed for the rulers to hear complaints and to dissolve these objectionable 
marriage bonds. From this we infer that where divorces were thus made it was 
according to some rule of justice by which the wives were awarded a portion 
of the property of their husbands, for we are told that it took three months for 
Ezra and the elders to instruct the people what they should do in putting 
away their wives. 

23 





CHAPTER XXV. 


THE STORY OF ESTHER. 



Esther . 


|hE story of Esther, and how she saved her people from massa¬ 
cre by her beauty and strategy, is laid in the reign of Aha- 
suerus, called also Cyrus, B. C. 510. The Biblical account 
of the circumstances, though formerly discredited by many 
learned Hebrew scholars, is now universally accepted as an 
historical fact, since the proofs adduced by Dean Prideaux 
and Dr. Lee were put in print, who place the event in the 
reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who was the son of 
Ahasuerus. The account as recorded by Josephus is some¬ 
what fuller than that contained in the Bible, and also reveals 
some motives which the Bible does not allude to. Dr. 
William Smith, one of the most profound of Bible scholars, 
gives the date of the incident at about 480 B. C., under the 
reign of Xerxes, Avhich is the Greek name for Ahasuerus, and cites several 
excellent reasons in support of his claim, on which account we have chosen to 
allow the book of Esther to follow that of Ezra, instead of preceding it, as we 
would if we accepted the Biblical chronology. 

In the third year of the reign of Ahasuerus, whose kingdom extended to 
Egypt and comprised one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, the king gave 
a grand feast in the banquet hall of his sumptuous palace, in the city of 
Shusan, to which he invited all the princes and governors of Persia, which 
lasted for one hundred and eighty days. At the conclusion of this feast he 
gave another in honor of neighboring nations, which was attended by the 
ambassadors thereof, as well also as many of the leading men of his own 
kingdom. The second feast lasted seven days, and was given in a tent com¬ 
posed of rich linens supported by gold and silver pillars, so ample that “ many 

U54) 











ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


355 


ten thousands ” 
might sit beneath 
it, while the cup 
service was of 
gold inlaid with 
precious stones. 
Wine was served 
in abundance in 
a laver into which 
the guests might 
dip their cups at 
pleasure, it being 
deemed offensive 
to have the ser- 
v a n t s offer the 
wine cups contin¬ 
ually, as was the 
practice among the 
Persians. 

At the same 
time of Ahasu- 
erus’s second feast 
his beautiful wife, 
Vashti, the queen, 
also gave a ban¬ 
quet in the palace 
to a large number 
of her distin- 
guished guests, no 
doubt the wives of 
those ambassadors 
whom the king 
was so royally en¬ 
tertaining. In the 
pride of his heart 
and the excite¬ 
ment produced by 
the large quanti¬ 
ties of wine he had 
drunk, Ahasuerus 
described the 
charms of his wife 
to his guests, and 
































( 356 ) 


AHASUERUS’S PALACE IN SHUSAN. 



























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


357 


at length sent messengers to bring her to him that he might show her beauty 
to those who were feasting with him, but on account of a practice among the 
Persians which forbids wives to be seen by strangers, she refused to answer 
his summons. Several times he sent his eunachs to her, exhorting and again 
commanding her to show herself to his company, but she as steadfastly refused. 

However potent her reasons for refusing to show herself before the king’s 
guests, they failed to satisfy him, and he became so irritated at her action 
that he asked of his counsellors how he could lawfully punish her. To this 
inquiry a man named Memucan responded by saying that the queen’s dis¬ 
obedience was not only an affront to the king, but to all Persians as well, 
since it was an example to all wives to have regard for their husband’s com¬ 
mands only when it appeared to them proper or their inclination prompted. 
The other advisers agreed with Memucan, and urged the king to punish her 
arrogance by divorcing her and selecting another queen in her stead. Though 
Ahasuerus did not deem so severe 
a measure in arty wise unjust, yet 
he entertained such a great love for 
Vasbti that it was a long time be¬ 
fore be could be persuaded to act 
upon the advice of his counsellors. 

When, finally, the king had 
determined to dethrone Vashti, he 
sent messengers to select arid bring 
to him a large number of the most 
beautiful virgins that could be found 
in his dominions. Among the num¬ 
ber who were thus chosen for the 
king to select a new queen from 
was an orphan Jewish girl named Esther, scarcely yet grown to womanhood, 
whose beauty surpassed even that which Vashti had possessed. Since the 
death of her parents she had been carefully brought up by her uncle, Mor- 
decai, who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, and was a principal man among 
the Jews in Persia. 

When her beauty had marked her out as the one who would most likely please 
the king best, she was committed to the temporary care of eunuchs, who provided 
her with rich raiments • and costly perfumes. There had been selected four 
hundred virgins, all of whom underwent a purification of six months, at the 
end of which time they were brought before the king, one at a time, until all 
were examined. But scarcely had Ahasuerus’s eyes fallen on Esther than he 
fell in love with her, and immediately proposed to make her his lawful wife ; 
nor did he find a momentary peace until she had become his queen. The 
marriage was celebrated by public feasting and merry-making throughout all 
Persia and Media for an entire month, and he sent a request to the other 






358 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


nations that they also should make some observance of this glad occasion. 
On the day after his marriage he set a diadem upon Esther s head and made 
her an equal ruler with him; but so engrossed was he with his love that he 
never thought to inquire what was her nationality, not the least suspecting 

that she was a Jewess. , , . , , 

At the time of his wedding Ahasuerus had his palace at Shushan, and 
thither did Mordecai move from Babylon in order to be near his royal niece, 
for he loved her as though she had been his own daughter, and desired there¬ 
fore to be constantly near, to comfort her with his advice. 

Some time after Mordecai’s removal to Shushan he discovered, through a 
servant named Barnabazus, a plot that two eunuchs had made to murder the 

king, and forthwith acquainted 
Ahasuerus, through Esther, 
with his peril, and also told 
him the names of the two con¬ 
spirators. The king was greatly 
troubled by Mordecai’s revela¬ 
tion, but he promptly ordered 
the two who had plotted against 
his life to be hanged, and with¬ 
out rewarding his informant, 
merely instructed the scribes to 
enter his name and deed upon 
the records, and bade Mordecai 
to remain in the palace as an 
l intimate friend. 

At this time there was an 
Amalekite named Haman, whom 
ahasuerus receiving Esther. Ahasuerus so highly esteemed 

_ he ordered all the people to pay him the most obsequious honors, 

_ as though he were a king himself. Haman lived also at the palace, 

and found his delight in having men bow down before him in attitude of 
reverence. All the people accorded him this honor except Mordecai, whu 
harboring an enmity against all Amalekites on account of their idoltary an 
the wars which the Israelites had with them in the establishing of Judaism, 
refused to pay him any regard whatever, on account of which Haman became 
furiously angry and resolved upon a terrible revenge, not only on Mordecai 
alone, but upon all the Jews that were then in Persia; for he harbored a 
malice against the nation because the Amalekites had been almost annihilated 
by the Jews, as described in previous chapters. Accordingly, he came to the 
king and accused them, saying: “There is a certain wicked nation, and it is 
dispersed over all the habitable earth that was under his dominion; a nation 
separate from others, unsociable, neither admitting the same sort of divine 















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


359 


worship that others do, nor using laws like to the laws of others ; at enmity 
with thy people, and with all men, both in their manners and practices. Now, 
if thou wilt be a benefactor to thy subjects, thou wilt give orders to destroy 
them utterly, and not leave the least remains of them, nor preserve any of them, 
either for slaves or for captives.” But that the king might not be embarrassed 
by the loss of the tributes which the Jews paid him, Haman promised to give 
him out of his own estate forty thousand talents whensoever he pleased; and he 
said he would pay this money very willingly that the kingdom might be freed 
from such a misfortune. I quote from Josephus the following: 

“When Haman had made this petition, the king both forgave him the money and granted 
him the men, to do what he would with them. So Haman, having gained what he desired, 
sent out immediately a decree, as from the king, to all nations, the contents whereof were these : 
—‘ Ahasuerus, the great king, to the rulers of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from 
India to Ethiopia, sends this writing : Whereas I have governed many nations, and obtained 
the dominion of all the habitable earth, according to my desire, and have not been obliged to 
do any thing that is insolent or cruel to my subjects by such my power, but have showii 
myself mild and gentle, by taking care of their peace and good order, and have sought how 
they might enjoy those blessings for all time to come ; and whereas I have been kindly informed 
by Haman, who, on account of his prudence and justice, is the first in my esteem, and in 
dignity, and only second to myself, for his fidelity and constant good-will to me, that there is 
an ill-natured nation intermixed with all mankind, that is averse to our laws, and not subject 
to kings, and of a different conduct of life from others, that hateth monarchy, and of a dis¬ 
position that is pernicious to our affairs ; I give order that these men, of whom Haman, our 
second father, hath informed us, be destroyed, with their wives and children, and that none 
of them be spared, and that none prefer pity to them before obedience to this decree ; and this 
I will to be executed on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month of this present year, that 
so when all that have enmity to us are destroyed, and this in one day, we may be allowed to 
lead the rest of our lives in peace thereafter.’ Now when this decree was brought to the 
cities, and to the country, all were ready for the destruction and entire abolishment of the 
Jews, against the day before mentioned; and they were very hasty about it at Shushan in 
particular. Accordingly, the king and Haman spent their time in feasting together with good 
cheer and wine ; but the city was in disorder. 

“Now, when Mordecai was informed of what was done, he rent his clothes, and put on 
sackcloth, and sprinkled ashes upon his head, and went about the city crying out that ‘ a 
nation which had been injurious to no man, was to be destroyed.’ And he went on saying 
thus as far as to the king’s palace, and there he stood, for it was not lawful for him to go 
into it in that habit. The same thing was done by all the Jews that were in the several 
cities wherein this decree was published, with lamentation and mourning, on account of the 
calamities denounced against them. But as soon as certain persons had told the queen that 
Mordecai stood before the court in a mourning habit, she was disturbed at this report, and 
sent out such as should change his garments; but when he could not be induced to put off 
his sackcloth, because the sad occasion that forced him to put it on was not yet ceased, she 
called the eunuch Acratheus, for he was then present, and sent him to Mordecai, in order to 
know of him what sad accident had befallen him, for which he was in mourning, and would 
not put off the habit he had put on, at her desire. Then did Mordecai inform the eunuch 
of the occasion of his mourning, and of the decree which was sent by the king into all the 
country, and of the promise of money whereby Haman bought the destruction of their nation. 
He also gave him a copy of what was proclaimed at Shushan, to be carried to Esther;, and 
he charged her to petition the king about this matter, and not to think it a dishonorable 
thing in her to put on an humble habit for the safety of her nation, wherein she might depre¬ 
cate the ruin of the Jews, who were in danger of it; for that Haman, whose dignity was only 
inferior to that of the king, had accused the Jews, and had irritated the king against them. 
When she was informed of this, she sent to Mordecai again, and told him that she was not 
called by the king, and that he who goes into him without being called, is to be slain, unless 
when he is willing to save any one, he holds out his golden sceptre to him ; but that to 
whomsoever he does so, although he go in without being called, that person is so far from 


360 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY, 


being slain, that he obtains pardon, and is entirely preserved. Now when the eunuch carried 
this message from Esther to Mordecai, he bade him also tell her that she must not only 
provide for her own safety, but for the common preservation of her nation for if she now 
neglected this opportunity, there would certainly arise help to them from God some other 
way: but she and her house would be destroyed by those whom she now despised. Hearing 
this, and following her own inclination as well, she sent back word by the same messenger, 
instructing him to call all the Jews in Shushan together and enjoin them to hold a fast 
and that she and her maidens would observe the same, and promised that during the last 
she would go before the king, even though it was against the law, and petition him to 
revoke Haman’s cruel order.” 


The law to which Esther refers was one peculiar to Ahasuerus’s reign, or 
at least there is no mention of its existence either before or after bim. The 



AHASUERUS CELEBRATING HIS MARRIAGE WITH ESTHER. 

“ And the king loved Esther, . . so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen. . . . Then the king made 

a great feast unto all his princes and servants.”— Esther xi. 17, 18. 


king was surrounded with a body-guard, armed with axes, who had orders to 
chop down any one who should dare to approach to the royal presence or ven¬ 
ture to make a request without first receiving the king’s sanction. The privi¬ 
lege of addressing the throne was indicated by the king extending his golden 
sceptre toward the person who might win his favor by appearances, but to 
attempt an audience was like tempting death, for the king’s moods were 
variable and his mercy equally so. 

Mordecai obeyed the instructions of Esther, and having assembled the Jews 





























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


361 


In a congregation, fasted for three days, and offered up earnest entreaties to 
God to deliver the Israelites from the calamity which was threatened. Esther 
also prayed with equal fervor, after the custom of the Persians, by clothing 
herself in mourning garments and casting herself upon the ground, and 
besought God to make her more beautiful in the eyes of the king that her 
words might be more persuasive in averting his anger. After thus praying 
for three days she put off her mourning clothes and dressed herself in the 
rich raiment she wore as a queen, and taking two of her maidens to support 
her, she went to the king more radiantly beautiful than she had ever appeared 
before. Possibly expecting to receive some pleasant salutation, she was there¬ 
fore the more surprised and affrighted when she saw his countenance lighted 
up with anger, as if he were disposed to order his guard to kill her in 
his presence. The poor queen, anxious for her own life, and equally concerned 
for the lives of her people, was 
so overcome with fear that her 
knees trembled until she fell 
sideways to the floor in a swoon 
as one dead. At this the king 
was terrified, and leaping from 
his throne he laid aside his 
royalty for the manhood that 
nature had aroused, and taking 
her in his arms called back 
with words of passionate endear¬ 
ment the life that had been 
almost destroyed by the spectre 
of fear. Holding her still in his 
embrace he bade her to dis¬ 
miss her alarm, for the law 
which denied subjects the right to come into his presence unbidden did not 
apply to the queen, whose power was equal to his own. He then put the 
sceptre into her hand as a sign of her equality in the rulership, and declared that 
whatever request she made should be granted, even to the half of his kingdom. 

When Esther had somewhat regained her composure she smiled sweetly 
upon the king and said that the only request she now had to make was that 
he and Haman should come and sup with her presently. When the king and 
Haman had come to feast with her and were drinking in her honor, Ahasuerus, 
who was anxious to discover what request the queen would make of him, 
besought her to withhold nothing from him and to ask freely what she desired. 
But Esther replied that she was not yet ready to make her desire known, but 
she promised that if, on the morrow, the king and Haman would again come 
and sup with her, she would tell him what was her petition. 

This second invitation elated Haman so much that he went home and 







362 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


among those whom he met he vaunted himself by declaring that he alone, 
besides the king, was honored by a request to eat with the queen, who thus 
had manifested her great esteem for him. Though delighted with this honor 
and preference, Haman was uneasy, being consumed with jealously against 
Mordecai, whom he daily saw enjoying the liberties of the king’s court, while 
the “proud Jew,” as he called him, refused to pay him any respect. He 
spoke to his wife, Zeresh. of how obnoxious Mordecai was to him, whereupon 
she advised him, according to Josephus: 

“ To give order that a gallows should be made fifty cubits high, and that in the morn¬ 
ing he should ask it of the king that Mordecai might be hanged thereon. So he com¬ 
mended her advice, and gave order to his servants to prepare the gallows, and co place it in 
the court, for the punishment of Mordecai thereon, which was accordingly prepared. But God 
laughed to scorn the wicked expectations of Haman; and as He knew what the event would 
be He was delighted at it, for that night He took away the king’s sleep: and as the king 

was not willing to lose the time of his 
lying awake, but to spend it in some¬ 
thing that might be of advantage to his 
kingdom, he commanded the scribe to 
bring him the chronicles of the former 
kings, and the records of his own ac¬ 
tions; and when he had brought them, 
and was reading them, one was found to^ 
have received a country on account of 
his excellent management on a certain 
occasion, and the name of the country 
was set down; another was found to 
have had a present made him on ac¬ 
count of his fidelity: then the scribe 
came to Bigthan and Teresh, the eunuchs 
that had made a conspiracy against the 
king, which Mordecai had discovered; 
and when the scribe said no more than 
that, and was going on to another history, 
the king stopped him, and inquired, 
‘whether it was not added that Mor 
decai had a reward given him ? ’ and 
when he said there was no such addi¬ 
tion, he bade him leave off; and he 
inquired of those that were appointed for 
that purpose, what hour of the night it 
was; and when he was informed that it was already day, he gave the order that, if they 
found any one of his friends already come, and standing before the court, they should tell 
him. Now, it happened that Haman was found there, for he was come sooner than ordinal 
to petition the king to have Mordecai put to death ; and when the servants said that Haman 
was before the court, he bade them call him in; and when he was come in, he said: ‘ Because 
I know that thou art my only fast friend, I desire thee to give me advice how I may honor 
one that I greatly love, and that after a manner suitable to my magnificence. * Now Haman 
reasoned with himself, that what opinion he should give it would be for himself, since it was 
he alone who was beloved by the king; so he gave that advice which he thought of all 
others the best; for he said: ‘If thou wouldst truly honor a man whom thou sayest thou 
dost love, give order that he may ride on horseback, with the same garment that thou wear- 
est, and with a gold chain about his neck, and let one of thy intimate friends go before him, 
and proclaim through the whole city, that whomsoever the king honoreth obtaineth this mark 
of his honor.’ This was the advice that Haman gave, out of a supposal that such reward 
would come to himself. Hereupon the king was pleased with the advice, and said: ‘ Go, 
thou, therefore, for thou hast the horse, the garment, and the chain, ask for Mordecai, the 



SCRIBES READING THE LAW TO AHASUERUS. 














ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


363 


Jew, and give him those things, and go before his horse and proclaim accordingly; for thou 
art,’ said he, ‘my intimate friend, and hast given me good advice; be thou then the min¬ 
ister of what thou hast advised me to. This shall be his reward from us for preserving my 
life.’ When he heard this order, which was entirely unexpected, he was confounded in his 
mind, and knew not what to do. However, he went out and led the horse, and took the 
purple garment, and the golden chain for the neck, and finding Mordecai before the court, 
clothed in sackcloth, he bade him put the garment off, and put the purple garment on; but 
Mordecai, not knowing the truth of the matter, but thinking that it was done in mockery, 
said: ‘O thou wretch, the vilest of all mankind, doest thou thus laugh at our calamities?’ 
But when he was satisfied that the king bestowed this honor upon him, for the deliverance 
he had procured him when he convicted the eunuchs who had conspired against him, he put 
on the purple garment which the king always wore, put the chain about his neck, and got 
on horseback, and went round the city, while Haman went before, and proclaimed: ‘This 
shall be the reward which the king will bestow on every one whom he loves, and esteems 
worthy of honor.’ And when they had gone round the city, Mordecai went into the king: 
but Haman went home, out of shame, and informed his wife and friends of what had hap¬ 
pened, and this with tears: who said, that he never would be able to be revenged of Mordecai, 
for that God was with him. 

“Now while these men were thus talking one to another, Esther’s eunuchs hastened 
Haman away to come to supper, but one of the eunuchs, named Sabuchadas saw the gallows 
that was fixed in Ham an’s house, and in¬ 
quired of one of his servants for what pur¬ 
pose they had prepared it. So he knew that 
it was for the queen’s uncle, because Haman 
was about to petition the king that he might 
be punished; but at present he held his 
peace. Now when the king, with Haman, 
was at the banquet, he desired the queen to 
tell him what gifts she desired to obtain, 
and assured her that she should have what¬ 
soever she had a mind to. She then lamented 
the danger her people were in; and said, that 
‘ she and her nation were given up to be de¬ 
stroyed, and that she, on that account, made 
this her petition : that she would not have 
troubled him if he had only given order 
that they should be sold into bitter servi¬ 
tude, for such a misfortune would not have 
been intolerable ; bnt she desired that they 
might be delivered from destruction.’ ’’ 

When the king had heard Es¬ 
ther’s complaint he inquired of her 
who was the author of this con¬ 
spiracy against the Jews, for though he had given Haman authority to issue 
a proclamation to destroy them, he now saw that he was about to be made the 
instrument of some wicked design, which he became anxious to discover. To 
this inquiry Esther replied by exposing to him all the iniquities of Haman 
in the presence of Haman himself. Without giving any intimation, at the 
time, of his disposition, the king went out into the garden to meditate upon 
what he rhould do. The moment that Ahasuerus left the room Haman fell 
down before the queen aud implored her mercy for the iniquity he had 
designed, and remained beseeching her pardon and influence until the king 
returned, when, seeing the supplicant bowed upon his wife’s bed, and the 
queen full of anger, he determined to visit upon Haman a punishment equal 












304 THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

to his great crime. At this moment one of the servants came to call Hainan 
to supper, and to notify him that the gallows prepared for Mordecai was now 
ready. This information decided the king in his intention to punish Haman, 
for he immediately ordered that the offender be hanged upon the gallows, and 
that his estate be confiscated and given to Esther, who directly after granted 
it to Mordecai, whom she now acknowledged to the king was her uncle. 



HOW THE DECREE OF HAMAN WAS NULLIFIED. 

By this action of the king the wicked Haman was justly punished am . 
Mordecai saved, but the proclamation which gave the right to the people to 
slay the Jews at the time appointed and confiscate their estates was still pro¬ 
spectively in force, and the day was fast approaching for its fulfilment. 

Esther therefore prayed and be¬ 
sought the king to spare the 
Jews from slaughter, declaring 
that if her countrymen were 
destroyed she could not bear to 
live any longer. 

The king was greatly 
troubled by Esther’s entreaties, 
because while he was anxious 
to save the Jews, he knew not 
how to contrive a means for 

recalling the proclamation of 
Haman, since it was a principle 
among the Persians and Medes 
that the decrees issued by those 
in authority, in either govern¬ 
ment, were irrevocable even 
by the king himself. After 

esther proposing a new proceamation. much reflection, and a meeting 

with his counsellors for their advice, Ahasuerus, at length, probably, with the 
help of God, discovered a way of nullifying the proclamation. To carry into 
effect his plan for saving the Jews, he called his scribes and had them hastily 

write a new proclamation at the dictation of Esther, but which he signed with 

his own seal. This new decree recounted the conspiracy of Haman and the 
crimes for which he had been hanged, and called upon the people to treat the 
Jews with that kindly consideration which their merits deserved; at the same 
time the proclamation of Haman was permitted to stand, the king denying 
himself the right to revoke it, but to render it less effectual he gave the Jews 
permission to arm themselves and to fight any who might attempt to molest 
them; more than this, he encouraged them in every way to repel their enemies 
and declared that God would be with them in their battles. This order was 






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366 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


sent by messengers to every town within the one hundred and twenty-seven 
provinces in Persia, so that the Jews were given timely notice and held them¬ 
selves in readiness for the day appointed for their destruction. .... 

As a sign of the king’s favor to all the Jews, Mordecai was clothed m 
royal raiment and a crown of gold was placed upon his head, in which array 
he rode at the head of a public procession to reassure his people. At this 
sight many of the Persians became stricken with fear that the Jews would 
turn on them to revenge themselves for the proclamation of Hainan, nor were 
their fears without good reason, for when the fatal thirteenth day arrived the 
Jews slew five hundred Amalekites in Shushan, and on the following day, 
with the king’s permission by Esther’s request, they hanged the ten sons 
of Haman, and killed three hundred more of their enemies. The same ven¬ 
geance was manifested by the Jews in all the provinces, where altogether no 
less than seventy-five thousand Amalekites were slam. This action of the 
Jews was a fulfilment of Balaam’s prophecy, as given in Numbers xxiv. 20 : 
« Amalek was the first of the nations, but his latter end shall be, that he perish 
forever.” 

After the destruction of the Amalekites, Mordecai wrote to all the Jews in 
+ he kingdom of Persia, ordering them to observe the victory, and their deliver¬ 
ance by a public feast, and also exhorted them to make a similar observance 
on the thirteenth and fourteenth days of the twelfth month of each year there¬ 
after, which observance was to be called the Feast of Purim. Mordecai lived 
many years after this event, and became the most illustrious Jew in Persia, 
and did more than any other man of his nation in consolidating the power 
of his people. 

It is a singular fact that the name of God does not once appear in the 
book of Esther, on which account, as before mentioned, many learned Biblical 
scholars have doubted its authenticity, though others equally well versed in 
Hebrew history accept it as canonical. 











\ \ KjS sj 

I^er^ei^ber rr?e, ® ©eel, for* ©oogL 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

NEHEMIAH OBTAINS PERMISSION TO REBUILD JERUSALEM. 

Nehemiak. 

URING the time of Mordecai’s triumph and of the events 
i just described, affairs in Jerusalem had come to a sad 
condition. The Temple was completed and in it the 
Jews made their sacrifices, but they had not kept the 
commands of Moses, so that their measure of prosperity 
was small. We have already explained how Ezra was 
sent to rebuke them, and how successful had been his 
mission; but even Ezra did not encourage the people 
in anything save their religious duty, apparently being 
unconcerned as to their commercial growth, or the 
dangers to which they were subject from hostile neigh¬ 
bors. Matters had, indeed, become worse for the Jews than at any time, since 
their captivity. The walls of the city had not been repaired, and the citizens 
were exposed to attacks, and they seemed to have lost heart generally. Says 
Josephus: 

“ Now there was one of those Jews who had been carried captive, who was cup-bearer to 
Kinv Xerxes • his name was Nehemiah, who belonged to the tribe of Judah. As this man 
was walking before Susa, the metropolis of the Persians, he heard some strangers that were 
entering the city, after a long journey, speaking of one another in the Hebrew tongue ; so 
he went to them and asked from whenee they came; and when their answer was, that they 
came from Judea, he began to inquire of them again in what state the multitude was and in 
what condition Jerusalem was; and when they replied that they were in a bad state, for that 
their walls were thrown down to the ground, and that the neighboring nations did a great 
deal of mischief to the Jews, while in the day-time they overran the country, and pillaged 
it and in the night did them mischief, insomuch that not a few were led away captive out 
of the country, and out of Jerusalem itself, and that the roads were in the day-time found 
full of dead men. Hereupon Nehemiah shed tears, out of commiseration for the calamities of 

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368 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


his countrymen ; and looking up to heaven he said: ‘ How long, O Lord, wilt thou overlook 
our nation while it suffers so great miseries, and while we are made the prey and the spoil 
of all men > ’ And while he staid at the gate, and lamented thus, one told him that the king 
was going to sit down to supper; so he made haste, and went as he was, without washing 
himself to minister to the king in his office of cup-bearer; but as the king was very pleasant 
after supper and more cheerful than usual, he cast his eyes on Nehemiah, and seeing him 
look sad he asked him why he was sad. Whereupon he prayed to God to give him iavor, 
and afford him the power of persuading by his words; and said, 4 How can I, O king, appear 
otherwise than this, and not be in trouble, while I hear that the walls of Jerusalem, the city 
where are the sepulchres of my fathers, are thrown down to the ground and that its gates 
are consumed by fire? But do thou grant me the favor to go and build its walls, and to 
finish the building of the Temple.’ Accordingly, the king gave him a signal, that he freely 
granted him what he asked ; and told him that he should carry an epistle to the governors, 
that they might pay him due honor, and afford him whatsoever assistance he wanted, and as 
he pleased. 4 Leave off thy sorrow then,’ said the king, 4 and be cheerful in the performance 
of thy office hereafter.’ So Nehemiah worshipped God and gave the king thanks for his 
promise and cleared up his sad and cloudy countenance, by the pleasure he had from the 
king’s promises. Accordingly, the king called for him the next day, and gave him an epistle 
to be carried to Adeus, the governor of Syria, and Phoenicia, and Samaria ; wherein he sent 
to him to pay due honor to Nehemiah, and to supply him with what he wanted for his 

bUil ^No W , when he was come to Babylon, and had taken with him many of his country¬ 
men, who voluntarily followed him, he came to Jerusalem in the twenty and fifth year of 
the reign of Xerxes; and when he had shown the epistles to God, he gave them to Adeus, 
and to the other governors. He also called together all the people to Jerusalem, and stood 
in the midst of the Temple, and made the following speech to them: ‘You know, O Jews, 
that God hath kept our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in mind continually ; and for 
the sake of their righteousness, hath not left off the care of you. Indeed, he hath assisted 
me in gaining this authority of the king to raise up our wall, and finish what is wanting 
of the Temple. I desire you, therefore, who well know the ill-will our neighboring nations 
bear to us, and that once they are made sensible that we are in earnest about building, they 
will come upon us, and contrive many ways of obstructing our works, that you will in the 
first place, put your trust in God, as in Him that will assist us against their hatred, and to 
intermit building neither night nor day, but to use all diligence, and to hasten on the work, 
now we have this special opportunity for it.’ , When he had said this, he gave orders that 
rulers should measure the wall, and part the work of it among the people, according to their 
villages and cities, as every one’s abilities should require. And when he had added this 
promise, that he himself, with his servants, would assist them, he dissolved the assembly. 
So the Jews prepared for the work ; that is the name they are called by from the day that 
they came up from Babylon, which is taken from the tribe of Judah, which came first to 
these places, and thence both they and the country gained that appellation.” 


But when the Ammonites and Moabites heard of the resolution of the 
Jews they formed a conspiracy with the view of attacking and destroying them 
before the walls could be completed. Fortunately, though the plot was conceived 
in the city of Ashdod, some Jews living there discovered the plans that had 
been made and hastened to Jerusalem to apprise their brethren of the danger 
that threatened, and thns give them timely notice to prepare a defense. Nehe¬ 
miah was in no wise discouraged by the evil reports that came to him, but 
took the precaution to give orders to all those engaged in building the walls 
to keep well in rank and have their armor on while at work, that they might 
not be taken unaware. The mason and the hod-carrier alike wore their swords 
constantly, while shields were deposited at a place near at hand where they 
could be instantly grasped. In addition to these measures of safety Nehemiah 
placed trumpeters five hundred feet apart round the city, with instructions to 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


369 


give warning of the approach of any enemy. Nehemiah gave much of his own 
time to encouraging the builders and to watching for signs of danger, his cus¬ 
tom being to walk round the city several times each night. 

In addition to the great responsibilities which rested upon Nehemiah as 
superintendent of the builders, he assumed others of a yet more trying order, 
which was no less than a reformation of several abuses that had much to do 
with making the people so indifferent to their condition before Nehemiah came 
to Jerusalem. The Jews were required to pay such large tributes to Ahasuerus 
hat a large majority were reduced to such poverty that they were scarcely 
above the condition of slaves. Their possessions were mortgaged for money 
borrowed at usurious rates of interest, and those who were unable to meet 
their burdensome obligations were punished in many cruel ways, not the least 
of which was the enslavement of the children of the unfortunate debtors. To 
reform these terrible abuses that were destroying the ambition of the people, 
Nehemiah called a solemn assembly of all those in Jerusalem. At this meet¬ 
ing he excoriated the usurers, and so shamed them of their practices that he 
induced them to release the possessions of their debtors and to lend their aid 
to the building of a city to be dedicated to God. He also set an example to 
them of his own earnestness and loyalty to the interests of all alike by main¬ 
taining at his own table one hundred and fifty poor Jews, and gave with gener¬ 
ous hand to those found in distress and to those who returned in poverty from 
Persia. 

The success and liberality of Nehemiah, however, brought him poor 
reward, for as the walls rose day after day and the breaches were repaired, a 
party of the nobles in Judah, under the instigation of Sanballat, Tobiah and 
Geshem, formed a conspiracy to bring Nehemiah to the king under a charge 
of treason. At four several times they sent out open letters, so that all might 
read them, wherein they gave currency to concocted reports that the Jews had 
resolved to rebel against Ahasuerus, and were fortifying the city preparatory 
to declaring Nehemiah king. They also charged him with encouraging certain 
prophets to preach and proclaim, u There is a king in Judah.” But to all of 
these attacks Nehemiah contented himself with making no other answer than 
a denial, and an appeal to God for judgment upon his motives, which was 
sufficient to retain him in the confidence of the king. 

CELEBRATING THE RESTORATION OF JERUSALEM. 

The walls of Jerusalem were finished at last, after two years and four 
months of diligent work, in the twenty-eighth year of Ahasuerus’s reign, and 
the completion was celebrated by a grand feast which lasted eight days. But 
there was much yet to be done. The walls were finished, it is true, but there 
were comparatively few houses, and the building of these to accommodate the 
people was the next necessary thing to be done. 

On the second month after the walls were completed there was celebrated 
24 


370 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



<l the year of release,” which was the inauguration of the people in their new- 
life in restored Jerusalem. On the first day of this public observance Ezra 

appeared before the 
people and read to 
them the Book of 
the Law , assisted by 
six scribes on his 
right hand and sev¬ 
eral Levites on his 
left. “ The reading 
produced an impres¬ 
sion like that made 
on Josiah. All the 
people wept at what 
they heard; not 
only, we may .well 
believe, with regret 
at the past glories 
of their nation, but 
at the recital of the 
sins for which that 
glory had departed, 
not unmixed with a 
penitent conscious¬ 
ness of their own 
guilt. But Nehe- 
miah (who is now 
first mentioned in 
the transaction), sup¬ 
ported by Ezra and 
the Levites, bade 
them cease their sor¬ 
row, and go home to 
‘eat the fat, and 
drink the sweet, and 
send portions to 
those for whom noth¬ 
ing was prepared, for 
the day was holy to 
Jehovah.’ The peo¬ 
ple went away to make great mirth, because they understood the words that 
were declared unto them. When the reading was resumed on the following 
day. they came to the institution of the Feast of Tabernacles in this very 


EZRA READING THE BOOK OF THE DAW. 








ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


37 


month of Tisri. Their excited minds caught the signal for fresh rejoicing in 
Jehovah. They went forth into the mount to fetch branches of olive, and 
pine, and myrtle, and palm, and thick trees, and made booths on the roofs and 
in tne courts of their houses, and in the Temple court and along the streets to 
the city gates. Such a Feast of Tabernacles had not been kept since the 



BOOTHS OF BRANCHES ON THE HOUSE-TOPS. 


days of Joshua. The reading of the law was continued for all the seven days 
of the feast, and the eighth was a solemn assembly, as Moses had commanded.” 

After a large number of houses had been built in Jerusalem, Nehemiati 
^nt word to all the priests and Levites throughout Judah to come and make 
*heir homes in the city, and ordered those engaged in agricultural pursuits to* 


372 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


bring a tithe of their productions each year to Jerusalem to maintain the public 
worship. By these means the city was filled with a larger population than it 
had at the time of its capture by Nebuchadnezzar. From the language of 
Nehemiah it would appear that the inhabitants of Jerusalem were exclusively 
of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, while those of the other ten tribes were 
assigned to the cities of Judah, but just what cities we are not told. 

There was also another celebration held after the settlement of the two 
tribes in Jerusalem, at which the walls of the city were dedicated by solemn 
ceremonies. “The priests and Levites, called together from all the cities of 
Judah, purified the walls and the people. The rulers were divided into two 
parts, which went round the walls in procession to the right and to the left, 
the one headed by Ezra and the other by Nehemiah, each with his train of 
priests and Levites, blowing the trumpets and singing thanks to God. The day 
was crowned with great sacrifices, and their shouts of joy sounded from the 
rock of Zion far and wide over the hills of Judah. The only remaining records 
of Nehemiah’s twelve years’ government relate to the provisions made for the 
priests and Levites and singers, and the separation of the Ammonites and 
Moabites from the congregation, according to the sentence pronounced on them 
by Moses—another indication of the reorganization of the Church of Jehovah.” 

Nehemiah remained in Jerusalem nearly seven years, and then returned to 
the Persian court, but some time afterward he again visited Jerusalem, having 
been called to reform abuses that had grown up among the princes. He found 
Tobiah, an enemy, occupying a room in the Temple, which had been set apart 
for the sacred vessels and tithes, all of which were removed to make room for 
the household effects of the new occupant. The effect of this was to drive 
away the Levites, who, being defrauded of their tithes, had abandoned the 
Temple and gone into other cities. Nehemiah threw out the furniture of 
Tobiah, returned to their proper places the sacred vessels, meat-offerings, frank¬ 
incense, etc., and then recalled the Levites and established them in their offices 
again. The people had also fallen into a profanation of the Sabbath by 
engaging in their usual occupations on that day, and giving no attention to 
worship or the observance of the Mosaic laws. This Nehemiah corrected by 
ordering the gates of Jerusalem shut from Saturday night until the close 
of the Sabbath, and appointed guards to enforce a strict compliance with the 
law. His third reform dealt with the mixed marriages, against which Ezra 
had previously promulgated his decree. The Jews had married among the 
Ammonites and Moabites, and the effect could hardly have been otherwise 
than to lead them into idolatry. Nehemiah repeated the law of Moses again 
to the people and induced them, as Ezra had done, to divorce their heathen 
wives and thereafter abide by the command that enjoined them from taking 
women from among strange nations. 

The end of Nehemiah’s life is not recorded in the Bible, his history con¬ 
cluding with a description of the reforms he accomplished in Judah, and of his 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


373 


curses upon those who had defiled the priesthood. The last exclamation he is 
credited with making is as follows : u Remember me, O my God, for good,” 
which might have been appropriate. as his dying words, yet of his death 
nothing is written. He was the last of the prophets, and hence called by the 
Jews “ the seal of the prophets.” The time of his ministrations was in the 
fifth century B. C., and his death probably occurred about four hundred years 
B. C. Between this date and the birth of Christ there is no sacred record, 
except the Apocrypha, by which we are able to discover the conditions through 
which the Jews passed during this interval. 




CHAPTER XXVII. 

THK APOCRYPHA. 

HERE are fourteen books in the Apocrypha, in the following 
order, viz.: i and 2 Esdras; Tobit; Judith; the rest of the 
chapters of Esther; the Wisdom of Solomon; the Wisdom 
of Jesus, or Ecclesiasticus; Baruch; The Songs of the Three 
Holy Children; The History of Susanna; History of the 
Destruction of Bel and the Dragon; the Prayer of Manasses; 
and i and 2 Maccabees. 

The original meaning of the Greek word, Apocrypha, was “ hidden, secret;” 
but about the end of the second century the signification was changed to 
“ spurious,” or “ unpublished.” The term is, however, variously applied in the 
Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches. The former uses the word to desig¬ 
nate those books which were refused admission to the canon of the Old 
Testament. Protestant theology generally calls them pseudepigrapha , or doubt¬ 
ful records, and made them the subject of much dispute until they were declared, 
by the Council of Trent, to-be a part of the canon. These books are not 
included in the Hebrew canon of the Old Testament, but the Septuagint 
embraced them, and having been frequently quoted by the early Church writers 
as sacred books, they were at length received into the Christian canon by s 
synod of African bishops held at Hippo A. D. 393, and were accordingly 
adopted by the Latin, or Catholic Church. 

The Protestants continued to print the Apocryphal books in all their Bibles 
until about the year 1821, when discussions arose in the British and Foreign 
Bible Society which, in 1826, resulted in the adoption of a resolution that that 
society should no longer include them in the Bibles which they circulated. 
German Protestants having long been divided on the subject, some of the most 
learned divines, like Hengstenberg and Stier, accepting the books as inspired 
writings, while others equally distinguished, such as Ebrard and Keerl, declare 

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ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


375 


against their reception. The Greek Church, at a synod held in Jerusalem in 
1672, adopted the Apocrypha as a part of the sacred writings. There are also 
several Apocryphal books of the New Testament, which Protestants generally 
hold to be spurious, claiming that they were written by heretics in the special 
interests of their sects. The Roman Catholics, however, accept them as 
authentic and adopt them in all their Bibles, in some of which appear a history 
of the boyhood of Jesus. 

The Old Testament Apocrypha is generally a repetition of the history 
recorded in the other sacred books, going back even to the time of David and 
Solomon, whose wise sayings are preserved in Ecclesiasticus. Maccabees is the 
only book of special interest in the Apocrypha, and even this is hardly impor¬ 
tant beyond the description given of the struggle for religious liberty against 
Antiochus Epiphanes. For a connection between the Old and New Testaments, 
showing the affairs and conditions of the Jews during the four hundred years 
preceding Christ, we must rely on profane history, which, however, is reliable, 
and quite as interesting as the Bible record. 

CONDITION OF ISRAEL AFTER NEHEMIAH’S DEATH. 

The Jews remained under the nominal dominion of Persia until 331 B. C., 
during which time, however, they had perfect religious liberty, and except for 
the tribute paid they were an independent nation. Nehemiah left his impress 
upon Israel not only in the social reform which he inaugurated, but especially 
in the re-establishment of the priesthood. Under his authority the high-priest 
became the first person in the government, and as a natural result, a hierarchy 
was established which continued until the Syrian persecutions, about B. C. 170, 
as will be hereafter described. Eliashib was appointed high-priest in the time 
of Ezra and Nehemiah, and at his death the office passed to his son Joiada, 
who held it but a short time when his son Jonathan (John) succeeded to the 
office and held it for a period of forty-six years, from B. C. 4 ° 5 _ 359 * The 
chief event in his rule, by which he is best remembered, is a bloody one. His 
brother Joshua (Jesus) was suspected of conspiring with a Persian satrap 
named Bagosas, to possess the high-priesthood, and without confirming the 
reasons for his suspicions Jonathan slew his brother in the Temple, an act at 
once atrocious and sacrilegious. For this crime he received no other punish¬ 
ment than that imposed by Bagosas, who required him thereafter, as a penalty, 
to pay a tax of fifty shekels, or a sum equal to something more than thirty 
dollars, for every lamb offered in sacrifice, which tax the satrap collected by 
polluting the Temple with his presence and demanding it in person. 

THE JEWS ARE DIVIDED BY THE BUILDING OF A SECOND TEMPLE. 

Jonathan was succeeded by his son Jaddua (B. C. 350), who is the last 
high-priest mentioned in the Old Testament. The duration of his pontificate 
—which the office of high-priest manifestly was—was for twenty years, so that 


371 > 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


he was in office at the time of the downfall of the Persian empire and the 
death of Darius. About this time it is recorded that Sanballat, a Jew who 
was puffed up with ambition, upon learning that Alexander the Great had 
designs upon Jerusalem, presented himself before the great Grecian conqueror 
upon the following mission: He represented that Manasseh, his son-in-law, 
was brother of Jaddua, and that he was therefore in the line of Levitical 
descent to the priesthood. He also told Alexander that it was the desire of 
Manasseh, as well as of a large number of the Jews, that another temple be 
built in which to worship God, and that it would be to the interest of Alex¬ 
ander to encourage this desire, because if there should be two temples dedi¬ 
cated to God and the high-priest thus officiating among the people, that the 
nation would therefore be divided, and accordingly be more easily subjugated, 
an argument which so pleased Alexander that he immediately gave Sanballat 
permission to build such a temple, and to make Manasseh high-priest thereof. 

Soon after the building of the new temple, which was at Mount Gerizim, 
Alexander, having already taken Damascus, went against Tyre. After invest, 
ing the city he sent a demand to the Jews for supplies, and also promised 
that if they would submit to him he would extend his protection over them. 
To this they replied that they were faithful subjects to Darius, and had there- 
fore to refuse all his demands, though they treated his messengers with much 
respect. In seven months, however, Tyre capitulated, which was followed by 
the fall of Gaza two months later, and the victorious Alexander marched 
against Jerusalem. 

ALEXANDER PROSTRATES HIMSELF BEFORE JADDUA. 

When Jaddua heard how 7 all Palestine was overrun by th^ Macedonians, 
and that Alexander was then marching on Jerusalem because of his anger at 
the refusal of the Jews to furnish his army with provisions, he was in great 
distress, and called upon the people to make sacrifices, and to pray God to 
avert the peril in which the nation stood. In answer to this prayer God 
appeared to Jaddua in a dream and ordered him, after making proper sacri¬ 
fices, to adorn the city with banners and garlands, as if in a celebration of a 
gala occasion, and to open the gates to Alexander. He was also charged to 
put on the high-priest vestments, and to clothe all the priests in fine linen 
and the people in white garments, and thus apparelled to go forth and meet 
the conqueror. 

Jaddua followed the admonition that had been given him, and when Alex¬ 
ander drew near to the gates he went out to meet him, followed by the priests 
and a great multitude of the citizens. Jaddua went to meet Alexander at a 
place called Sapha, which signifies a prospect , so named because from the spot 
a splendid view of Jerusalem and the Temple is to be had. At this sight the 
Phoenician and Chaldean soldiers thought they would be permitted to plunder 
the city without being opposed, but Alexander bade his army to remain in 



ALEXANDER AT THE SIEGE OF TYRE. 


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camp while he went up the hill unattended, and seeing the multitude in white 
garments, and Jaddua clothed in purple, with a mitre upon his head in which 
was a golden plate with the name of God engraved thereon, he prostrated 
himself in an attitude of adoration. At this strange proceeding every one 
wondered, but none were so greatly surprised as the kings of Syria, who 
thought Alexander must have become disordered in his mind. At length one 
of his generals, named Parmenio, ventured to ask the conqueror the cause of 
his singular conduct, to which Alexauder replied: “I did not adore the high- 
priest, but that God who hath houored him with the high-priesthood; for I 
saw this very person in a dream, in this very habit, when I was in Dios, in 
Macedonia, who, when I was considering with myself how I might obtain the 
dominion of Asia, exhorted me to make no delay, but boldly to pass over the 
sea thither, for that he would conduct my army,* and would give me the 
dominion over the Persians ; whence it is, that having seen no other in that 
habit, and now seeing this person in it, and remembering that vision, and 
the exhortation which I had in my dream, I believe that I bring this army 
under the Divine conduct, and shall therewith conquer Darius and destroy 
the power of the Persians.” When Alexander had made this reply he took 
hold of Jaddua’s hand, and with him went into the city and also into the 
Temple, where he made sacrifices to God, according to the high-priest’s direc¬ 
tion. When he had completed his sacrificing, the book of Daniel was brought, 
and those portions referring to the destruction of the Persians by a king of 
the Greeks were read to him (viii. 3-8, 20-22; xi. 3). At this Alexander 
was so well pleased that he called the people to meet him again on the follow¬ 
ing day, and promised to grant them any favor that they might ask where¬ 
upon the high-priest asked him. to procure for them the enjoyment of the 
laws of their forefathers, and to exempt them from paying tribute after 
seven years; Jaddua also asked that the Jews who were yet in Babylon and 
Media might enjoy the same privileges, all of which requests Alexander made 
a solemn promise to grant. 

After making a covenant with the Jews in Jerusalem, Alexander led his 
army into the neighboring cities, where he was hospitably received, and where 
he also made many generous promises, by which he gained a large number of 
recruits from the Jews. The favors which he showed the Israelites wherever 
he went admonished the people of Shechem that they had better also procure 
his friendship, lest he might become prejudiced against them through the 
adverse reports of the people. Shechem was the metropolis of the Samaritans, 
who, through the representations of Sanballat, as already described, had built a 
temple on Mount Gerizim, at the base of which was situated the city. Here they 
followed their own inclinations, and it is also probable worshipped idols, for 
which purpose the temple was certainly built. There was a number of apostate 
Jews among them, who were doubtless well treated by the Samaritans, but 
generally there was no affiliation between the two, as explained in previous pages. 


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379 


To obtain the favor of Alexander, the Samaritans professed themselves to 
be Jews, and sent a delegation to invite him to honor their city with his 
presence. When he became their guest they showed him the greatest attention 
and appointed the soldiers of Sanballat—who was now dead—as a guard 
of honor to conduct him to the temple they had built. When they had flat¬ 
tered him with such unction as they could command, they petitioned him to 
grant them the remission of tribute after the seventh year. This request 
somewhat surprised Alexander, who had already given this promise to all 
Jews, so that he asked, u Are you not Jews ?” With some confusion they 
replied that they were Hebrews, but had the name of Sidonians, living at 
Shechem, by which evasion and confusion Alexander discovered that they had 
tried to deceive him, and instead of granting their request he carried away 
with him the Sanballat soldiers, and took them to Egypt to guard a portion 
of the country he had subjugated. 

The temple at Gerizim was permitted to remain, but it served no longer 
the uses to which it was dedicated. Josephus tells us that it afterwards 
served as a refuge for Jews who had committed any crime in Jerusalem; and 
we also know that it was standing even during the time of Christ, but the uses 
to which it was put are not described, nor is the circumstance of its destruction 
recorded. 

THE CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM BY PTOLEMY. 

Jaddua was succeeded in the priesthood by his son Onias I., who exercised 
the office from about B. C. 330 to B. C. 300, during which time the empire 
of Alexander was largely extended; but Palestine, though nominally a portion 
of the Greek empire was treated still as a part of Syria and was ruled by 
Laomedon until B. C. 321, when he was dispossessed by Ptolemy, an Egyp¬ 
tian satrap. This ruler was very ambitious, and as Alexander the Great had 
died two years before, there was no one to restrain his inclination. Accord- 
ingly, Ptolemy made an expedition against Jerusalem, and attacking the city 
on a Sabbath, when he knew that the Jews would make no resistance, he 
easily effected its capture. Instead of disgracing his conquest by a slaughter 
of the people, however, as was the custom of the times, he carried away a 
great number of both the Jews and Samaritans, whom he transferred to Alex¬ 
andria and conferred upon them all the rights of citizenship. This humane 
treatment, which was adopted with the view of increasing the importance 
of Alexandria and of Egypt as well, caused many other Jews to abandon Pal¬ 
estine of their own accord to settle in Egypt, where their condition was vastly 
improved. 

Several wars followed soon after the capture of Jerusalem, in which Anti- 
gonus opposed Ptolemy until the decisive battle of Ipsus (B. C. 300), when all 
of Palestine and Phoenicia was conceded to Ptolemy, under whom, and his suc¬ 
cessors, it remained until about B. C. 198. 


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Very soon after the battle of Ipsus, by the death of Onias I., the high 
priesthood devolved upon his son Simon I. (B. C. 300), to whom was directly 
afterward applied the appellation “The Just,” bestowed out of compliment for 
his justice and wisdom. His administration is eulogized in the book of “Jesus 
the son of Sirach,” wherein we are told that Simon increased the size of the 
Temple, and doubly strengthened its walls, besides administering the Temple 
services in a manner never attempted by his predecessors. Tradition tells us 
that Simon was the last survivor of the Great Synagogue of 120, which was 
established by Ezra on the return of the Jews from their captivity under the 
Syrian kings, and to him is also ascribed the completion of the canon of the 
Old Testament. 

CALAMITIES FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF SIMON. 

The death of Simon, which occurred about B. C. 292, is said to have been 
followed by many miraculous events presaging what calamities were to speedily 
come upon the Jews. It is told that during his life all the sacrifices made 
were acceptable, but immediately after they were invariably unfavorable, while 
the sacrificial fires were frequently extinguished, and when aflame burned with 
an unsteady glow and shed no light. The sacrificial bread was baked amid 
difficulties never before experienced, and when laid away it diminished until 
there was never sufficient for the priesthood. But more ominous than all these 
signs was the ending of the ceremony of sacrificing the scape-goat. It had 
been the Jewish custom since the time of Moses to lay the sins of the people 
upon a goat, and to throw the animal from a precipice, so that it might be 
dashed to pieces, its death representing or serving an atonement for the sins 
of the race. Upon the occasion of this sacrifice after Simon’s death, however, 
the goat, though hurled from an amazing height, fell upon the rocks below 
unharmed, and escaped into the desert. The calamities which these several 
omens seemed to foretell proved delusive, as subsequent events proved, and we 
are left to believe that tradition has greatly exaggerated the facts. 

Antigonus Socho became founder of the New Synagogue, and is said to 
have received from Simon the oral traditions which had been preserved since 
the time of Moses. His influence upon the Jews as a teacher was very great, 
and to him is ascribed the doctrine that God should be served faithfully with 
out regard for reward. Notwithstanding the influence of Socho, there, arose 
one named Sadduc, who opposed the doctrine of disinterestedness, by denying 
that God either punishes or rewards hereafter. This belief obtained among 
many Jews who thereafter were known as disciples of Sadduc, or Sadducees. 

ELEAZAR AND THE SEPTUAGINT. 

On the death of Simon—his son not being old enough to assume the 
priesthood—his brother Eleazar succeeded him. This man was devoted to 
literature, and appreciating the need of a reliable history of the Jews, repre¬ 
sented to the king, Ptolemy II., Philadelphus, his desire for an authentic 


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881 



The conquests of Alexander had led to an infusion of Greek manners and 
influence among the Jews, and particularly to the adoption of the Greek lan¬ 
guage, which had fairly Hellenized all of Egypt and western Asia. Eleazar 
therefore foresaw the necessity of introducing the religious doctrines of his race 
among the Greeks, which could best be done by translating the history of his 


transcription, and accordingly obtained an order for the appointment of seventy- 
two translators to compile the Jewish history. This work was performed by 
the most learned Jews of Alexandria, who spent many years upon the task, 
which is preserved under the name of the Septuagint. The design of Eleazar, 
in having the sacred writings translated into the Greek, was evident enough. 


BATTLE BETWEEN ANTIGONUS AND PTOEEMY. 




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people, through Jewish sources, into that language, the result of which was the 
adoption of a common religion by half the world. 

Eleazar was succeded by Manasseh, whose tenure was short and unim¬ 
portant, as was also that of Onias II. (B. ,C. 240), who died in B. C. 226, and 
was followed by Simon II. Eour years after Simon had assumed the priest¬ 
hood, Ptolemy IV. became king of Egypt, upon whom war was made by 
Antiochus III., called “The Great,” king of Syria, for the provinces of Phoe¬ 
nicia, Coelesyria, and Palestine. The result of this war was the imposing of 
hardships upon the Jews from which they had been exempt for nearly two 
hundred years. The two kings met with their armies at a plain near Gaza, 
where was fought the battle of Raphia (B. C. 217), in which Antiochus was 
defeated with immense loss. His pride being exalted by this victory, Ptolemy 
went to Jerusalem, and after making sacrifices persisted in entering the Holy 
of Holies, from whence, however, he was driven by a manifestation of super¬ 
natural power. Burning with resentment he returned to Alexandria and began 
a most cruel persecution of the Jews, which resulted in an alienation of those 
in Egypt and Palestine. 

Ptolemy died in B. C. 205, and was succeeded by Ptolemy V., Epiphanes, 
a child only five years of age. This circumstance gave Antiochus another 
opportunity to gain what he had vainly attempted to wrest from Ptolemy IV., 
Philopater. He accordingly formed a league with Philip V. of Macedon, and 
proceeded against Coelesyria and Palestine and made himself master of those 
provinces (B. C. 198). While the Jews of Egypt suffered greatly in this con¬ 
flict, those of Palestine were rewarded by a grant of an annual sum for sacri¬ 
fices, and an order prohibiting foreigners from entering the Temple. 

In the same year that Antiochus became master of Palestine, Simon II. 
was succeeded by Onias III. as high-priest, and shortly after Ptolemy Epi- 
phanes married Cleopatra, the daughter of Antiochus, upon which the conquered 
provinces were given him again as a dowry, though absolute possession was 
not surrendered, the gift being no more than a privilege to collect the annual tax. 

HELIODORUS REPULSED BY AN ANGEL. 

Antiochus was seized of a distemper which he declared was sent upon him 
for the evil that he had done and contemplated against the Jews; he also fore¬ 
told that he should die of his ailment, though the disease did not terminate 
fatally for some time ; upon his death, as the king had appointed, Seleucus IV., 
Philopater, succeeded him, B. C. 187. During his reign the Jews suffered con¬ 
tinually, though chiefly because of dissensions among themselves. It was during 
the reign of Seleucus that a wonderful miracle was performed to preserve the 
treasures of the Temple. 

Under Onias III., the Apocrypha tells us, “the Holy City (Jerusalem) 
was inhabited with all peace, and the laws were kept very well, because of the 
.godliness of Onias the high-priest, and his hatred of wickedness. There was 


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383 


at this time, however, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, named Simon, and 
who was governor of the Temple, who conceived a great jealousy for Onias, and 
affer vainly endeavoring to prejudice the people against him, sought another 
means for attaining his infamous ends. In pursuance of his aim, therefore, he 
paid a visit to Apollonius, the son of the governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, 
to whom he represented that the treasury of the Temple “was full of infinite 
sums of money, so that the multitude of their riches, which did not pertain to 
the account of the sacrifices, was innumerable, and that it was possible to bring 
all into the king’s hands.” 

As Simon had anticipated, Apollonius hastened to tell the king of the 
immense wealth which might be justly taken from the Temple, since it was 
not used, or intended to defray the expense of the sacrifices, and so excited 
the cupidity of Seleucus that he forthwith ordered Heliodorus, his treasurer, to 
proceed to Jerusalem and take away the money of the Temple and bring it 
to him. Heliodorus proceeded at once to obey the king’s orders, and when he 
had reached Jerusalem he was received with many manifestations of pleasure 
by the priests, they not knowing for what purpose he had come. After receiv¬ 
ing their courtesies he at length revealed to them what had been told the king, 
and asked if it were true that there was so much money stored in the Temple. 
To this they replied that there was a sum of four hundred talents of silver and 
two hundred talents of gold, laid up for the relief of the widows and fatherless 
children, some of which belonged to Hyrcanns, the son of Tobias. But they 
conceived it to be impossible that any one should covet that which had been 
committed to the holiness of the place, or to violate the sanctity of the Temple 
which was honored even by kings all over the world. To this, however, 
Heliodorus only answered that he had been sent upon the king’s business, and 
that he should obey the orders given him to take away the money on the 
morrow. When it was understood that he would certainly rifle the treasury of 
its currency, the priests went into the Temple and there prostrating themselves 
before the altar, called to God, that he might preserve inviolate the money 
committed to their care. To this application was added that of all the citizens 
of Jerusalem, who prayed openly in the streets, and women clothed themselves 
in sackcloth and went through the streets praying, while maidens offered their 
supplications from the city walls or at the gates, the universal entreaty being 
for the preservation of the treasure. 

Heliodorus, though besought to renounce the purpose for which he had 
come, turned a deaf ear to all prayer and entreaty, being resolved to carry away 
the money to enrich the already enormous wealth of his king. Accordingly, 
on the day appointed, he gathered his guards about him and proceeded to the 
Temple, but when he was upon the point of going in a wonderful apparition 
appeared which entered in with him, and when Heliodorus had reached that 
part of the Temple where the money was stored, the apparition became more 
terrible until it assumed the form of a horse, upon the back of which rode an 


384 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


angel carrying a scourge. Those who were with the king’s treasurer fell down 
in a faint from great fear, but they received no harm. The horse ran fiercely 
upon Heliodorus, however, and struck at him with his fore feet, while the 
rider scourged him sorely. “ Moreover, two other young men appeared before 

him, notable in 
strength, excellent in 
beauty, and comely 
in apparel, who stood 
by him on either side, 
and scourged him 
continually, and gave 
him many sore 
stripes.” 

When the angels 
had beaten Heliodo¬ 
rus some time, the 
place was suddenly 
enveloped in dark¬ 
ness, so that lights 
had to be brought, 
and the stricken 
treasurer carried 
from the sacred place 
on a litter, and when 
he was brought out 
it was found that he 
was near to death 
from the punishment. 
The friends of Helio¬ 
dorus now begged 
Onias that he would 
pray to God to spare 
his life, seeing that 
he had been dealt 
with by the Lord, 
which request was 
granted, but rather 
out of fear that the 
king would suspect 
some treachery. So Onias prayed God to restore Heliodorus, and the priests 
also offered sacrifices for his health, during which the angel again appeared 
before the suffering man and bade him give thanks to Onias, since for his 
sake the Lord had granted his life. Said the angel: “ Seeing that thou 



HELIODORUS REPULSED BY AN ANGEL. 



































































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385 


hast been scourged from heaven, declare unto all men the mighty power 
of God.” 

Heliodorus returned hearty thanks to Onias for sparing his life, and when 
he had returned to the king and reported all that had befallen him he said to 
wSeieucus: “ If thou hast any enemy or traitor, send him thither (to the Temple 
for the money), and thou shalt receive him well scourged, if he escape with 
his life; for in that place, no doubt, there is an especial power of God.’ 7 

*5 






CHAPTER XXVIII. 


'SACK OK JERUSALEM AND POLLUTION OF THE TEMPLE. 

Apocrypha . 

fELIODORUS being unsuccessful in his efforts to loot 
the Temple of its treasure, and notwithstanding the 
report which he carried back to Seleucus, Simon con¬ 
tinued to prejudice the king against Onias, and a feud: 
soon after began which led to the most distressing re¬ 
sults, as we shall see. 

The accession of Antiochus, nicknamed the “ mad¬ 
man,” literally placed Judea under the domination of 
Syria, and took from the Jews all the privileges that 
they had enjoyed under the Ptolemies. This cruel 
king, the son of Antiochus the Great, had been sent 
to Rome as a hostage, where he was treated with such 
marks of consideration that he became so imbued with 
Hellenistic ideas and admiration for the Greeks and 
Romans as to hold his own subjects in contempt. Upon his return to his 
kingdom he found Onias at Antioch defending himself against the base charges 
of Simon and his own brother Joshua (Jesus), who had adopted the Greek 
name of Jason. To the opposition of Simon and Jason, Antiochus IV. added 
that of his own, so that Onias III. was speedily deposed from the priesthood 
and the office given to Jason. The Hellenizing spirit now became stronger 
than ever among the Jews, as Jason neglected the Temple service and established 
a gymnasium wherein the Greek athletic exercises were taught and the mark 
of circumcision made odious. 

Jason held the office of high-priest for a period of three years, when he 
was deposed by Menelaus (B. C. 172), who had purchased the office by a large 





















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


387 


bribe to tlie king. If Jason was sacrilegious in his conduct, Menelaus was a 
hypocrite and a devil incarnate. He came to Jerusalem, as the chronicler wisely 
describes him, u having the fury of a cruel tyrant, and the rage of a wild 
beast,” Jason fled for his life to the Ammonites, while the new high-priest 
plunged into a mad revelry of dissipation and persecution. In order to raise 
the money he had promised to pay the king for the office, he sold many 
of the sacred vessels of 
the Temple to the Ty¬ 
rians. Onias, who was 
still at Antioch, charged 
Menelaus with the sacri¬ 
lege, but would have im¬ 
mediately perished for his 
boldness, had he not fled 
for safety to the sacred 
grove of Daphne. But 
even here he was destined 
to remain only a short 
time unmolested, for Me¬ 
nelaus instigated Androni- 
cus to entice Onias from 
the grove and murder him 
(B. C. 171). Antiochus, 
however, was deeply in¬ 
censed by the cruelty thus 
exhibited, and in turn 
ordered the execution of 
the murderer. He would 
also have visited Menelaus 
with a like punishment, 
had not the crafty high- 
priest placated the king 
by a large gift of money, 
raised, no doubt, like his 
first bribe, by a sale of sa¬ 
cred vessels, or by treasure 
taken from the Temple. 

About this time Antiochus engaged in a war with Egypt, in which he 
was successful during the interval B. C. 178-168. In one of his campaigns 
(B. C. 170) a report was spread abroad that the king had been slain, where¬ 
upon Jason raised a body of one thousand men and attacked Jerusalem and 
drove Menelaus into the citadel, but after practising barbaric cruelties upon the 
citizens for three days he was forced to evacuate the place and flee to Ammon,, 
where he soon after died. 



SIEGE OF JERUSALEM. 













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The report of Jason’s insurrection reached Antiochus while he was in 
Egypt, and supposing that all Judea had revolted he hastened back and fell 
with fury upon Jerusalem, which he took by storm and put forty thousand of 
the inhabitants to the sword, besides selling as many more into slavery. Mene- 
laus again succeeded in diverting the king from his own crimes by ottering to 
conduct him through the Temple and assist in its profanation. Accordingly, 
the high-priest made a sacrifice of swine upon the altar, and making a broth 
by~ boiling the flesh, sprinkled it over the sanctuary, besides defiling the Holy 
of Holies with ordure. The king then took away all the treasures of the 
Temple, amounting to one thousand eight hundred talents, and leaving a 
Phrygian named Philip as governor of Jerusalem, he went to Gerizim, where 
he profaned the Samaritan temple in like manner. 

“And besides, Menelaus, who was worse than all the rest, bore a heavy 
hand over the citizens, having a malicious mind against his countrymen, the 
Jews. He sent also that detestable ringleader, Apollonius, with an army of 
twenty-two thousand, commanding him to slay all those that were in their 
best age, and to sell the women and the younger sort; who, coming to Jerusa¬ 
lem, and pretending peace, did forbear till the holy day of the Sabbath, when 
taking the Jews, keeping holy day, he commanded his men to arm them¬ 
selves. And so he slew all them that were gone to the celebrating of the Sab¬ 
bath, and running through the city with weapons slew great multitudes. But 
Judas Maccabeus, with nine others, or thereabouts, withdrew himself into the wil¬ 
derness, and lived in the mountains after the manner of beasts with his company, 
who fed on herbs continually, lest they should be partakers of the pollution.” 

DREADFUL PERSECUTION OF THE JEWS. 

Antiochus did not cease vexing the people with the sack of Jerusalem 
and pollution of the Temple, for these sacrileges only seem to have inspired 
him with the desire to perpetrate greater infamies. In pursuance of his savage 
disposition and ambition, he appointed an old fanatic, of Athens, as religious 
governor of Judea and Samaria, ostensibly to enforce a uniformity of worship 
throughout these dominions. In reality, however, his intention was to perse¬ 
cute the Jews in a manner that they had never before, as a race, been sub¬ 
jected to. The first act of the gubernatorial Athenian, acting under instruc¬ 
tions of Antiochus, was to further pollute the Temple of Jerusalem by giving 
to it the name of the “Temple of Jupiter Olympus,” while that of Gerizim 
was thereafter called the “Temple of Jupiter the Defender of Strangers.” In 
the former he caused to be enacted some of the most shameful acts that his¬ 
tory has ever described; indeed, history blushes and recoils from the attempt 
to describe them. It was an effort to exterminate the Jewish religion and 
substitute therefor the Phallic worship of the Greeks and of Dionysius par¬ 
ticularly. For an understanding of the orgies and worship thus practised we 
have to go to Knight’s “ History of Phallic Worship,” a book so obscene that 
it can be retained in public libraries only by being kept under lock and key. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


389 


Besides trying" to obliterate the religion of the Jews by appealing" to and 
encouraging lustful passions, the idolatry of Baal was openly set up, the Book 
of the Law either destroyed or profaned by obscene interpolations, while cir¬ 
cumcision and refusal to sacrifice to Baal was made capital offenses. The 
persecutions which followed an enforcement of these cruel and odious laws 
were indescribably terrible. Women who had their babes circumcised were led 
in derision around the city and then executed by being thrown from the walls. 
A party of Jews were detected in a cave keeping the Sabbath, and imme¬ 
diately the exit was barred and a fire started at the mouth of the cave, by 
which the worshippers were slowly roasted. One of the common tests applied 
by Philip to determine the loyalty of Jews to the laws of Moses was by forcing 
them to eat swine’s flesh. A notable case of resistance by this iniquitous 
test is given us in Maccabees, wherein Eleazar, a wise and noble Jew, past 
ninety years of age, preferred torture to a violation of the Mosaic injunction. 
When his tormentors offered him a piece of pork he boldly rejected it, and 
when they sought to force it into his mouth he spat it out, and to the 
requests of his friends, who besought him to eat of the unclean food as a 
means of preserving his life from his enemies, he made answer: “ It becometh 
not our age in any wise to dissemble whereby many young persons might 
think that Eleazar, being four-score years old and ten, were now to go to a 
strange religion, and so through mine hypocrisy, and desire to live a little 
time, should be deceived by me, and I get a stain to my old age, and make 
it abominable. For though for the present time I should be delivered from 
the punishment of men, yet I should not escape the hand of the Almighty, 
neither alive nor dead.” He concluded by declaring his resolve, “ to leave a 
notable example to such as be young to die willingly and courageously for 
the honorable and holy laws.” 

THE HORRIBLE PUNISHMENT OF SEVEN SONS AND THEIR MOTHER. 

Eleazar died under the scourgings of his tormentors, but his sufferings 
were unworthy to be compared with that of a mother and her seven sons, who 
refused, under threats of direful penalties, to partake of the forbidden flesh. 
Antiochus himself dealt with the recusants, and found in them a measure 
of faith that was destined to trouble him sorely thereafter. 

When the king learned that the family of mother and sons stoutly resisted 
obedience to his injunction, he commanded that they be tormented with 
scourges and whips; but this punishment only made them declare that they 
would rather die than transgress the laws of their fathers. This declaration 
so enraged Antiochus that he ordered certain pans and caldrons to be heated, 
and when these were ready he commanded that the tongue of the eldest son 
be cut off, after which his legs and arms were amputated at the joints next 
the body, and the mutilated boy, still alive, was then brought to the fire and 
cast into a caldron to be boiled, and his limbs into a pan to be fried. As the 


390 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


vapor rose from the vessel the mother and remaining sons exhorted each other 
to remain steadfast and die heroically for the faith. 

The second son was next led forth and the scalp torn from his head, in 
which condition he was asked if he would eat, or rather go to a horrible 
death like that which had befallen his brother. Bravely he answered, No! 
and submitted himself with extraordinary courage to the knife and flames. 
When, the third was called he came promptly forth and put out his tougue 
voluntarily, and held forth his hands to be cutoff, saying: “These I had from 
Heaven; and for His laws I despise them; and from Him I hope to receive 
them again.” 

And thus one after another all the seven brothers went cheerily to their 
deaths, and lastly the mother, who was no less courageous than her sons, 
displayed such wondrous fortitude that the king was greatly distressed in 
mind, feeling a pang of guilt that thereafter grew more intense daily until his 
death, which occurred after an agony of bodily afflictions, sent, no doubt, by 
God as a punishment for his crimes (B. C. 164). 

DELIVERANCE OF THE JEWS BY MACCABEUS. 

The heroism manifested by Eleazar and the mother and seven sons has 
but few parallels in history, particularly outside of what is called religious 
fanaticism, but another incident of equal fortitude occurred during the perse¬ 
cutions of Antiochus, which led to the deliverance of Judea from the yoke of 
Syrian oppression. 

We have already mentioned how Maccabeus and eight others fled to the 
mountains when the persecutions were begun, but before betaking themselves 
to flight they had struck a blow at Hellenism, which, like the shot fired at 
Lexington, was heard round the world. In the ancient town of Modin there 
lived, at this time (about B. C. 166), an aged priest, called by some Matta- 
thias, and by the Apocrypha chroniclers Maccabeus, who had five sons, viz.: 
Jonathan, Judas, Simon, Johanan, and Eleazar. He was a man of considerable 
possessions, but of greater influence, and above all was endowed with that 
rugged disposition of which heroes are made, and which is most strongly 
manifested when great crises arise. Antiochus sent to Maccabeus his officer 
Apelles, with splendid offers of preferment, to secure his submission to the 
royal edicts, but to all such advances the aged priest turned a deaf ear and 
declared his purpose to live always according to the covenants made between 
God and His chosen people through Moses. Other Jews, however, foreseeing 
the persecution which would follow disobedience to the king, readily aposta« 
tized, and before Maccabeus one of these advanced to make a sacrifice to Baal, 
when the old priest became so incensed that he struck the apostate dead, and 
turning then upon Appelles, gave him also a mortal blow. 

Realizing that his act would speedily bring down upon his head the ven¬ 
geance of Antiochus, Maccabeus harangued the people by whom he was sur- 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


391 


rounded, and called upon them to join his standard of revolt against the king 
and to fight for God and the religion of their fathers. A few followed him, 
among whom were iiis five sons, and, making a quick retreat before officers 
could apprehend them, they sought refuge in caves, with which the country 
abounded. His 
force gradually 
increased until 
within a year 
two thousand or 
more Jews, stead¬ 
fast in the faith, 
had united their 
fortunes with the 
aged priest, who 
they rightfully 
believed was un¬ 
der the Divine 
protection. The 
recusants were 
hunted, however, 
like wild game 
by the Syrian 
troops, who, on 
one occasion,dur¬ 
ing the Sabbath, 
attacked them in 
a cave and slew 
half the whole 
number, or above 
a thousand. Up 
to this time the 
Jews had refused | 
to even defend 
themselves o n 
the Sabbath, and 
thus they fre¬ 
quently fell an 
easy prey to 
their enemies on 

that day, but the destruction of half his followers in the cave, by reason of 
their religious scruples, led Maccabeus to introduce a new teaching among his 
people, wherein he showed the lawfulness of defending themselves at all times 
against the enemies of God. 



JUDITH STRIKES OFE THE HEAD OF HOLOFERNES. 
(Apocrypha: Judith xiii.) 




392 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Though in the beginning the insurgents met with many repulses, still 
there was a constant increase in their numbers, which multiplied when they 
began aggressive measures against the Syrians and apostate Jews. In the 
second year of the revolt Maccabeus led his forces, numbering now several 
thousand, against the least protected towns of the country, and struck con¬ 
sternation into the enemy. He broke all the idols he could find and put the 
idolaters to death, and in addition to this compelled all his captives to circum¬ 
cise their children, and set up synagogues where he enforced the Jewish wor¬ 
ship. His wonderful success was cut short by death, which claimed him in 
the third year of his patriotic endeavors, and he was peacefully laid at rest in 
his native town of Modin. 

JUDAS MACCABEUS LEADS HIS ARMY AGAINST THE SYRIANS. 

The revolt did not cease with Mattathias’s death, for his third eldest son, 
Judas, took up the cause where his father had left it, and pushed the enemy 
even more vigorously than had Maccabeus, whose age had prevented the 
activity that his spirit would have joyfully executed. 

Judas also received the name Maccabeus, which in the Hebrew tongue 
signifies the Hammerer , and is henceforth variously called Judas, Judas Mac¬ 
cabeus, and Maccabeus. His first act was to put forth special effort to recruit 
his army to the greatest number possible, and then to meet the enemy in the 
open field and to lay siege to their cities. In a short time he found himself 
at the head of six thousand enthusiastic troops, thoroughly imbued with the 
belief that God was their leader, and that however great the Syrian host 
against them, they should conquer in the Lord’s name. The success was 
very great from the beginning, for by masking their movements and making 
their attacks at night they captured several cities and fortified them, in each 
of which new recruits were added sufficient for garrison purposes. Judas’s 
first battle in the open field was with Apollonius, governor of Samaria, whom 
he defeated, though his force was scarcely half of that led by the Syrian 
governor. Seron, governor of Coelesyria, next went against Judas, whom he 
met at the memorable pass of Beth-horon, where Joshua overcame the Canaan- 
ites more than a thousand years before. The victory was again with the Jews, 
after a sharp contest in which the loss of the enemy was greater than that of 
the entire army of Judas. 

The crushing defeats sustained by Apollonius and Seron brought to 
Antiochus a realizing sense of the grave danger which now threatened his 
dominion. For to these victories of Judas was added another perplexing 
misfortune, being an exhausted treasury, due to the refusal of Armenia and 
Persia to pay their annual tributes. Thus he was menaced by foes on both 
the east and west, and was compelled to proceed against the Armenians him¬ 
self, while intrusting the suppression of the insurrection in Judea to his general, 
Lysias, thus dividing his forces, and rendering success in both enterprises 
less probable. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


393 


Judas was quick to recognize his advantage, and turned his attention 
toward Jerusalem itself. Philip, governor of the same city, in anticipation of an 
attack from Judas, called urgently for relief, which was responded to by 
Nicanor and Gorgias, who led the Syrian vanguard of twenty thousand soldiers. 
As they put their troops in motion toward Jerusalem they were quickly fol¬ 
lowed by Ptolemy Macron with twenty-seven thousand more troops, the two 
forces soon after forming a junction near Ernmaus. 

Judas kept himself advised as to the enemies’ movements, and though he 
still had but six thousand soldiers, he did not hesitate to lead these few 
against the forty thousand foot and seven thousand cavalry of the Syrians, 
who, he knew, weie then trying to surround him. Before going into battle he 
called his troops together before the sanctuary of Mizpeh, where he fasted and 
prayed according to the laws and customs of his forefathers. When the period 
of devotion was accomplished he issued proclaimation, according to the Mosaic 
injunction, that those of his soldiers who were married, or were fearful of the 
battle, should return to their homes, whereupon no less than three thousand, 
or one-half of his entire force, immediately left him, so that his little army 
was one to fifteen of that of the enemy. Placing his reliance in Tehovah, 
Judas resolved to lead his small but devout and heroic band against the Syrians, 
who were encamped at Ernmaus. With his characteristic energy and audacity, 
finding that Gorgias with six thousand men had been detached to gain his rear, 
Judas resolved to attack the main body in their camp at night. This resolve 
was put into execution at an hour before the break of day, while the Syrians 
were sleeping and unconscious of the proximity of any foes. The impetuosity 
with which the attack was made rendered the Syrians almost helpless, and 
when three thousand of their number were slain the rest of the army fled in 
a wild rout in four different directions, like affrighted quails, taking no time to 
either defend themselves or carry away any of their arms or provisions. 

Instead of permitting his army to sack the camp, Judas wisely restrained 
them, knowing that Gorgias must soon return when he discovered that the Jews 
had abandoned Mizpeh. Nor was the wisdom of this sagacious policy long in 
being manifested, for in the afternoon of the same day Gorgias returned to 
camp, while the Jews lay in ambush until an auspicious time, when they rose 
up as one man, and like a whirlwind descended upon their enemies. So com¬ 
plete was the surprise that the Syrians were beaten with great slaughter, and 
fled without so much as offering a resistance. When the victory was completed, 
the victors were permitted to spoil the camp, in which they found large quan¬ 
tities of treasures, such as gold, silver, rich silks and many arms and provisions. 
These were divided and a due portion given to the orphans and widows. 

These magnificent victories only served to make Judas ambitious for greater 
undertakings ; therefore, without taking time to rest his army, he march'- 1 
beyond the Jordan and attacked a body of Syrians under the command Oi 
Timotheus and Bacchides, whom he easily defeated, and from whom he cap¬ 
tured a quantity of arms. 


394 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Two months after these events, or early in B. C. 165, Lysias raised an 
army of sixty thousand and went to Bethsura, on the southern frontier of 
Judea, from whence he intended to renew operations against Judas, whose army 
at this time had been increased to ten thousand effective men. Judas, learning 
of these movements, did not wait for an attack, but boldly pushed forward and 
invited an engagement in an open field with the proud Lysias. A terrific 
battle ensued, which, after several hours, resulted in a defeat of the Syrians 
with a loss of five thousand slain. 

This victory left the route open for Judas to Jerusalem, upon which he at 
once marched and entered the city without opposition, though a force of Syrians 
still held possession of the strong tower on Mount Zion. The sight which met 
his eyes was one which excited him to the exhibition of great sorrow, for he 
found the Temple almost destroyed by the profanation to which it had been 
subject and the neglect it had afterward received. Nevertheless, Judas and his 
followers gave praise to God for having made them the instrument for the 
reclamation of the cities and the holy shrines of the Temple, which they 
immediately set about to repair, and held a feast of solemn dedication, which 
has ever since been observed as a mark of the regeneration of the people as 
well as the re-establishment of the Temple. 

eleazar’s heroic death in battle. 

Though Judas had defeated the Syrians in every engagement, and had 
made himself master of a very large portion of Judea, where he had set up 
anew the worship of God, his enemies continued active in vexing the Jews, 
many of whom were treacherously murdered, and upon the accession of Antio- 
chus V., Eupator, B. C. 164, hostilities were renewed under Lysias against 
Judas. War was begun again by Lysias laying siege to Bethsura, which Judas 
had strongly fortified and garrisoned with several thousand troops. The force 
which the Syrians brought against this place consisted of one hundred thou¬ 
sand infantry, twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants trained to war 
in the far east, but never before used in the western provinces. These animals 
were relied upon to strike terror into the Jews, which they partially succeeded in 
doing. Each elephant was richly caparisoned with bright cloths and gleaming 
breast and forehead armor, while upon the back was a howdah, in which eight 
men were stationed with cross-bows and javelins, being thus, elevated that they 
could hurl their weapons with greater effect and precision, while the huge 
animal would trample the enemy and carry destruction with his tusks and 
trunk. 

The powerful army sent against Bethsura failed to accomplish its capitu¬ 
lation, since the garrison held out by the manifestation of extraordinary heroism 
until Judas could march from Jerusalem to the rescue. When the relief party 
came upon the scene the battle waged with ten-fold increased fury. Eleazar, 
the brother of Judas, displayed such valor that his name has survived to this 


I 



HEROIC DEATH OF ELEAZAR 


1395) 





















































































396 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


day as the synonym of patriotism and courage. He was ever in the thickest 
of the fight, plying his sword with a desperate energy and exciting the admira¬ 
tion even of his enemy. At length, perceiving the largest elephant of the 
Syrian host trampling hundreds of his valiant countrymen under foot, while 
the beast yras carrying terror among die soldiers, Eleazar ran up to the huge 
beast and plunged his spear into its belly, until the mighty animal fell dead, 
but in its fall it crushed out the noble life of the heroic and self-sacrificing 
Maccabean. 

The death of Eleazar had a most discouraging effect upon the Jews, who 
continued to fight, however, until they were fairly overwhelmed by superiority 
of numbers; Judas was compelled to retreat to Jerusalem, where he resisted 
every effort made to capture the city. Bethsura also held out for a long while, 
and until famine forced the garrison to surrender upon honorable terms. 

Wars continued between the Jews and Syrians, involving the Romans 
ultimately, until the death of Judas, B. C. 161. He was permitted to lead the 
army of Judea, however, until he had defeated Nicanor in a great battle 
wherein the Syrians lost thirty-five thousand men, and had established the 
worship of God and the independence of all Judea. 

Here ends the history of the Apocrypha, which leaves an interval of one 
hundred and sixty-one years between the death of Judas and the birth of 
Christ. For events which occurred during this time we are dependent entirely 
upon profane history. All of Judas’s brothers, except Eleazar, attained to the 
high-priesthood, in which office they discharged their duties in a manner as 
honorable as was their patriotism. Though the war was continued for 
supremacy throughout Palestine, the Jews were generally successful until the 
death of John Hyrcanus, son of Simon, and high-priest from B. C. 135—106, 
under whom the Holy Land was restored to its ancient limits, according to 
the allotment of Joshua. Upon his death, however, affairs became less favor¬ 
able to the Jews. The Hellenizing spirit again grew strong under Hyrcanus’s 
son, Aristobulus, who was first of the Maccabean house to renounce the laws 
of Moses and give himself to a course of wickedness and crime, and his end 
was a fitting conclusion to a life of infamy which would have been ever 
greater had he survived longer. 

ALEXANDER THE HORRIBLE. 

Aristobulus was succeeded by his brother Alexander Janneus, who retained 
the priesthood until B. C. 78. His cruelty exceeded that of his infamous brother, 
and caused the people to give him a new name characteristic of his disposition, 
viz.: the Thracian. His ambition was immeasurable, and as a consequence 
the Jews were kept in a constant state of oppression. He aroused the enmity 
of Cleopatra and Ptolemy Lathyrus, who, though set to fighting between them¬ 
selves, soon after invaded Palestine. His most dangerous enemies, however, 
were among tfr Pharisees of his own people, who began a revolt during the 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


397 


Feast of Tabernacles and pelted him with missiles as he was officiating as 
high-priest. To avenge this insult Alexander ordered his troops to destroy the 
multitude, which they did to the number of six thousand. 

The very great disfavor in which he was held by his own people prompted 
Alexander to secure the services of a large number of foreign mercenaries, at 
the head of whom he marched against the country east of the Jordan and laid 
tribute upon Amathus, but he was soon after defeated by an Arabian king 
named Orodes. At the same time the Jews rose in rebellion, and though 
Alexander defeated them at first, they gained the help of Demetrius, a Syrian 
king, and defeated him in a battle in which nearly all his mercenaries were 
destroyed. 

A year after his defeat by Demetrius, Alexander contrived to raise another 
army of sixty thousand men, with which he drove Demetrius out of Palestine 
and then captured Jerusalem from the insurgents. This success he signalized 
by giving a grand banquet to his numerous concubines, and as a divertisement 
for these creatures he publicly crucified eight hundred of his enemies, first 
murdering their wives and children before their faces. Four years after this 
shameful act he became afflicted with a painful malady, of which he died after 
enduring a suffering equal to that he had imposed upon his unfortunate 
enemies. 

Alexander was succeeded by his wife Alexandra, who officiated at the head 
cf the hierarchy for nine years and then gave place to Aristobulus, B. C. 69, 
who made terms with the Romans, but afterward found that he had admitted 
a new enemy into the country whom riches could not seduce from his pur¬ 
pose, as it was the intention of Pompey, the Roman leader, to make Palestine 
tributary to his own country. Finding that there were too many factions in 
Jerusalem to encourage a defense of the city, Aristobulus tried to purchase 
security for his people by an offer of a large sum of money and the surrender 
of the city; but while he was conducting negotiations with Pompey, a faction 
in Jerusalem closed the gates and prepared to defend the place. Siege was 
immediately laid to the city, but it was not until three months of vigorous 
fighting that the place was captured. Nor would its capture have been effected 
then had it not been for the observance of the Sabbath day, during which the 
Jews would not fight, and thns suffered the Romans to work unmolested with 
their battering rams until a breach in the towers was made. 

When Pompey had captured Jerusalem he treated the Jews with unexpected 
magnanimity; instead of sacking the Temple of its treasure, he commanded 
that it be purified, and would not suffer his soldiers to molest any of the 
sacred furniture. More than this, he set up Hyrcanus II. as high-priest, and 
assisted in the restoration of order and the institution of religious observance 
according to the Jewish worship. He contented himself with fixing the tribute 
that should be annually paid to Rome, and with carrying Aristobulus as prisoner 
back with him. This generous treatment had the excellent effect intended, for 


398 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


finding themselves so well respected by their conquerors, the Jews at once became 
satisfied with their condition under Caesar, and were obedient subjects, which 
obtained for them such concessions as they chose to ask, besides a deliverance 
fiom the temporal power of the priesthood. 

MARK ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Civil war broke out in B. C. 40, shortly after the Temple had been 
pillaged by Crassus, king of Syria, during which Aristobulus was released 
and sent to Judea from Rome. He was basely murdered, however, while on 
the way, by friends of Pompey, and Antipater was made procurator of all 
Judea, by which it came almost exclusively under Roman administration. 
Antipater’s four sons were placed in official positions, where they would be an 
aid in maintaining the supremacy throughout the several districts, and thus 
render rebellion, if attempted, less harmful. One of his sons, whose name was 
Herod, a character that figures so prominently in sacred history, was made 
governor of Galilee, and though only fifteen years of age at this time, he 
manifested thus early something of the cruel disposition which distinguished 
his life. One of his first acts was to execute the leader of an opposing fac¬ 
tion, for which offense he was ordered to appear before the Sanhedrim for 
trial, but Hyrcanus adjourned the hearing so as to permit of his escape to 
Damascus, where he found protection from Sextus Caesar, who was governor 
of Ccelesyria. 

The death of Julius Caesar, which occurred B. C. 44, was a calamity to the 
Jews scarcely to be estimated, for he had guaranteed them the right of prac¬ 
tising their religion unmolested, which privilege was immediately taken from 
them by Cassius, who had assumed the government of Syria. He not only 
denied the Jews the right to worship, but imposed a tax of seven hundred 
talents (about $1,250,000) upon the country, which could only be paid by 
taking the larger portion from the Temple, which Antipater did not hesitate 
to do, and for which act he was assassinated by a priest under Hyrcanus 
named Malicus. This man was in turn murdered by Herod. 

At this period (B. C. 42) Mark Antony is first mentioned as a character 
in Jewish history. He left Syria at a time when his presence was most 
needed—if his influence was so powerful—to allay the popular ill-will for 
Cassius, whose intolerance was quite as rapacious and oppressive to the Syrians 
as to the Jews. But he had met the beautiful Cleopatra, and in the allure¬ 
ment of her charms neglected all else to repose in the light of her magnetic 
eyes. At the instigation of the beautiful Egyptian enchantress Antony aspired 
to the rulership of the world, which at that time was held by a triumvirate. 
This triple government did not last long, however, for as Antony and his 
brother-in-law, Octavianus, held the principle possessions and influence, after 
the battle of Philippi a new assignment of provinces was made, by which 
Octavianus became master of the West and Antony assumed possession of all 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


399 


the East. By this arbitrary division Octavianus and Antony, of course, 
became rivals, since the consuming ambition of the time was an extension of 
power and influence. An open rupture soon took place, precipitated by the 
well-founded charge of Octavianus that Antony was squandering the revenues 
of the East, to sat¬ 
isfy the caprices and 
extravagances of Cle¬ 
opatra, under whose 
witchery he 'became 
plastic in her hands. 

This accusation 
aroused the active 
hostility of the 
Egyptian queen, who 
now influenced An¬ 
tony to make his will 
and deposit it with 
the vestal virgins, 
bequeathing all his 
possessions to her 
children, by which 
one of them should 
become successor to 
Julius Caesar. By 
some means Octa- 
vianus obtained pos¬ 
session of this will, 
and by reading it 
publicly, inflamed 
the anger of the 
people against An¬ 
tony. The Senate 
soon issued a procla- 
mation' of war 
against Cleopatra, 
who was charged with 
subverting the rea¬ 
son of Antony to her 
overweening ambi¬ 
tion. The issues 
were now joined, and Antony divorced his wife Octavia in order to break the last 
tie that bound him to Rome. The two hastity brought their large armies into 
action, and sailed their fleets of war-ships towards the Ambracian Gulf. They 



ANTONY AT THE BATTEE OF ACTIUM. 





















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THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


drew up their squadrons off Actium, and the battle began at once with great 
vigor. In the beginning the fleet of Cleopatra and Antony had some advantage, 
and would have probably won the battle bat for the cowardice of the Egyptian 
queen, who, fearful of the result, and being in the rear of Antony, drew off 
quickly, followed by her sixty galleys. Discovering her flight, so great was his 
infatuation that Antony threw himself into a swift-sailing boat and sped after her. 
His lieutenants continued the battle for a while, but without avail, and the whole 
fleet surrendered to the victorious Octavianus. Antony followed Cleopatra back 
to Egypt, and there renewed his shameful life of abandon and luxury, until 
he was aroused to action by the invasion of Octavianus, who laid siege to Alex¬ 
andria. Antony here showed the true spirit of a soldier, and defended the city 
with rare heroism until a messenger brought him a false report of Cleopatra’s 
death. Without hesitating to await a confirmation of the news he fell upon his 
sword, but before expiring was carried into the beautiful queen’s presence. Almost 
while watching the glaze of death in her lover’s eyes, Cleopatra was seized by the 
soldiers of Octavianus and carried before their general. Neither her beauty nor 
art of persuasion could avail her now, but as preparations were being made to 
carry her to Rome to grace the triumph of Octavianus, one of her attendants 
contrived to convey to her, in a basket of flowers, an asp, the bite of which is 
immediately fatal. This reptile she applied to her breast, and thus miserably 
perished, but avoided a disgrace that would have been more bitter to her 
imperious nature than any form of death. 

While these events were transpiring in Egypt a powerful party in Syria 
raised an insurrection, and succeeded in forming themselves into an army, and 
also in gaining the aid of the Parthians under Prince Pacorus. Antigonus, 
the only surviving son of Aristobulus, by a gift of money equal to nearly 
$2,000,000, and five hundred women of noble families, induced the Parthians 
to give him their assistance in his contest for the throne of Judea. With this 
force Antigonus laid siege to Jerusalem, during which Herod was driven out of 
the city, but capitulation of the place was avoided by the submission of 
Antigonus’s claims to the Parthian commander, whose decision could hardly be 
otherwise than favorable to the claimant. 

Antigonus ruled for a period of only three years (B. C. 40-37), when 
Herod returned with a considerable force, which was further augmented by the 
aid of Antony, whose troops were placed at his disposal. Herod defeated 
Antigonus’s army in a decisive battle, and then marched against Jerusalem, 
which he captured after a siege of six months, during which time the inhabit¬ 
ants of the city suffered all the horrors of a famine. Upon its capitulation 
the Roman soldiers began a slaughter of the now defenceless citizens, which 
was so remorseless and vengeful that Herod was compelled to restrain the 
brutal passions of his soldiery, not, however, from a merciful disposition, but 
to prevent a complete extirpation of the inhabitants, which would have given 
him possession of a depopulated capital. 



MARK ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA ON THEIR BARGE. 


2,6 


401 
















m 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


The unfortunate Antigonus was taken, and being first loaded with chains 
was sent to Antony, who, at the instigation of Herod, soon afterward put him 
to death, and thus expired the last sovereign of the Maccabean house. 

In many ways Herod greatly resembled the bloody and vengeful Antiochus. 
He put to death every member of the Sanhedrim, save two, because they had 
advised against the surrender of Jerusalem; he also instigated the drowning 
of a high-priest that Cleopatra had forced him to appoint. He did not even 
withhold his murderous hands from his own household, for upon the bare sus¬ 
picion of unfaithfulness, probably disloyalty, he killed his beautiful wife Marianne, 
and soon afterward brought his mother-in-law to a like fate. 

To gain the good opinion of his subjects, who despised him with an im¬ 
placable hatred, Herod instituted the Olympian games in Jerusalem, and popu¬ 
larized gladiatorial combats, fights between wild animals, and other savage 
amusements; but in addition to this he gave the greatest attention to a rebuild¬ 
ing of the Temple, which had become decayed and unsightly from neglect and 
abuse. For nine years he kept a force of eighteen hundred artisans at work 
on the sacred edifice, which on its completion was a marvel of beauty, far sur¬ 
passing the Temple of Solomon. Nor did he neglect the commercial interests 
of his empire. A city, with a fine harbor, which in honor of Augustus Caesar 
he called Ccesarea , was built after the Graeco-Roman style of architecture and 
on a scale of unrivalled splendor, including among its chief features of interests 
an immense theatre, and amphitheatre for games, besides many exquisite pieces 
of statuary. In the theatre here constructed, however, he came near being 
assassinated, the plot upon his life being discovered but a few hours before it 
was to be executed. 

A few years after, or B. C. 7, Herod suspected his two sons, who had been 
sent to Rome to be educated, of conspiring against his life out of revenge for 
the murder of their mother, and though there was no evidence of such a con¬ 
spiracy he ordered the sons home, and upon a false charge had them strangled. 

Two other sons still remained to him, and singularly enough, his favorites. 
One of these, whose name was Antipater, stung to revenge for the triple 
murder of his mother and two brothers, formed a conspiracy with his half- 
brother, Pheroras, against Herod, but though their plot was well conceived and 
they had the active sympathy of seven thousand Pharisees, their plans mis¬ 
carried. Pheroras was destroyed by poison, while Antipater was brought to 
trial and condemned, but while awaiting the confirmation of the judgment against 
him Herod was seized of a dreadful venereal disease, which set him in a frenzy 
by reason of the boils which covered his body, and, anticipating his death, he 
ordered that the heads of the chief families of Judea be gathered together in 
the hippodrome at Jericho, and there be slaughtered, that his own funeral might 
not be wanting of mourners, and with his last breath he also ordered the 
execution of Antipater, This was the condition of affairs in Judea at the time 
of Christ’s birth. 












The Visit of the Wise Men of the East—Matt. 2:1-12 





















( 



A Saviour. f Christ the Lord. 


"Jl|e of (hist 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


THE BIRTH OF CHRIST. 


we 


The Four Gospels. 

J N the morning of the world, before the ruby portals 
of the east were opened to admit a golden dawn, 
there was light from the invisible throne, and 
beams of refulgence from God’s presence, which 
illuminated all that He had made on the first day 
of His marvellous work. When the six days were 
finished the sun, stars, and planets poured their flood 
of lambent flame over completed creation, and made 
the world a symphony of harmony and beauty, while 
bird, flower, landscape, and a train of mortals offered their 
oblations in paeans and sweet odors. But— 

“ Of man’s first disobedience and the fruit 
Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste 
' Brought death into the world, and all our woe, 

U With loss of Eden,”— 

have already written in following the sacred 
narrative as the inspired writers were given 
to record it, wherein is described how from 
the Divine emanation there sprang beauty and 
joy until the free agency of him created 
in the likeness of God wrought sin to 
disfigure the perfect work of creation. Over 
the vault where spread the glory of a 


(403) 




















404 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


pleased Omnipotence, which bathed the world with splendor inconceivable, 
there now rolled the clouds of evil, obscuring the harmony and happiness 
of all things that were made until from the celestial birth there developed a 
mortal doomed to lose his high estate 

Till one Greater Man 
Restore us and regain the blissful seat. 



This restoration was like the breaking of a new day on creation, when 
the light of the world rose, not in the sky, to pass its brief circuit and sink 
behind the hills with darkness fast in the wake, but a Sun that should never 
set nor lose its radiance by opposing cloud; a Light that beats upon the 
soul, imparting hope and eternal life, and brings us back to the Fatherhood 
of God. 

This perennial sun of which I speak was the Son of God, about whom 
we love so much to read because of His mission, character and beautiful life, 
and because the story of His meekness, suffering and cruel death is so sad 
that our hearts are awakened with the touch of profound pity and a realization 

of the love that could prompt 
the sacrifice He made for 
our redemption and restora- 
Be/jyT' to the celestial estates 

^ oC set apart for man when God 

made the world. 

In closing the Apocry- 
, 7 # r/\% U&SUS \ X X . ' v X . \l VN k pba and recording the chief 
/'/ / Ll L_h \ \ \ \\ \ even ts of Herod’s reign, I 

/) deferred mention of Christ’s 
birth in order to conclude 
the Old Testament account 
as given in the narrative, 
which contains no reference 
to Jesus, though anticipating 
occurrences four years subse¬ 
quent to our Lord’s birth. 
We must, therefore, turn 
back to view the most im¬ 
portant incident that tran¬ 
spired during the rulership of 
Herod the Great, whose life, 
from the time he ascended the 
throne, was a fitful fever. We 
have seen how he had rebuilt the 
Temple, in a style more magnificer 4 
than Solomon ever dreamed of, and how 




ms 





ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


405 


he turned Palestine into a dependency of Rome, valuable for its commerce no less 
than its importance as an adjunct to Roman power. His reign had therefore 
been of much consequence, both to the people of Palestine, whose condition 
he somewhat ameliorated, and to Rome, that had now begun a mastery over the 
world by striking the first victorious blows at Assyria. But though a successful 
ruler, Herod, as we have already noticed, was an indexible tyrant, a criminal 
at heart, and with all his 
outward show of religious 
tendency and respect for 
the Jewish theocracy, he 
was very much less de¬ 
voted to the interests of 
his subjects than to his 
own ambition, which he 
sought to attain through 
pretences that would dis¬ 
guise his real motives. 

These motives became 
more apparent in the 
later years of his dom¬ 
inion and, as a natural 
consequence, his in¬ 
trigues and plans were 
less successful; his popu¬ 
larity rapidly diminished, 
and being a man of 
violent disposition, the 
obstacles which set at 
defiance his ambitions 
provoked him to desper¬ 
ate measures that finally 
brought him to a miser¬ 
able end. 

The prophecies of 
Isaiah, Zechariali, Daniel 
and Micah, that a Mes¬ 
siah should be born to 
redeem the world, were now at the period of fulfilment, and all Israel was 
looking forward to the promised event. It was therefore a matter ;>f small 
surprise to Herod when word came to him that a Saviour had been born 
in Bethlehem who should become King of the Jews. But when he had 
definitely learned that this promised King was the child of a lowly woman who, 
too poor to lay her head upon the couch of a sumptuous home, was forced to 





406 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


seek shelter among the beasts of a manger, he gave no credit to the report, 
since all Israel had expected the Messiah to make His appearance clothed m a 
glory that would dazzle human eyes, and with a manifestation of power that 
would prove His heavenly descent. To nearly all Jewry the manner of Christ’s 
coming was a disappointment, which caused many to reject Him and led finally 
to his crucifixion, as will soon be told. 


AN ANGEL APPEARS TO 
ZACHARIAS. 

There were a few pei- 
sons, however who, being 
blessed with the Divine 
favor, were foretold of the 
manner and time of 
Christ’s coming, and these 
proclaimed that the com¬ 
ing of the fulfilment of 
the prophecies was at 
hand. The most favored 
servant of God was Zach- 
arias, who was a priest in 
the Temple at Jerusalem. 
He was married to a wo¬ 
man named Elisabeth, 
who was extremely pious 
and devoted to good works, 
but had never borne any 
children, on which account 
she was held in small 
regard by the people, for 
among the Jews barren¬ 
ness was regarded with 
reproach. 

At the time of which I write the twentv-f >ur priests who adminstered in 
the Temple each day were required to make their offerings as in the time of 
David, and on each day the service was changed, so that a different company 
of twenty-four priests went on duty every twelve hours. Their services con¬ 
sisted in trimming the lamps on the golden candlesticks, replenishing the sacred 
fires, and altar of incense, and offering up a lamb on the altar of burnt- 
offerings. At three o’clock of each afternoon the people were summoned to 
prayer during the burning of incense and offering of the lamb, but each priest 
had his special duty to perform, both in secret and before the people. 

One afternoon Zachanas. went into the Holy Place to prepare the offering 



“GLAD TIDINGS.” 




ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


407 


of burnt incense on the altar, and while engaged in this duty be beheld on a 
sudden the form of a radiant angel standing beside the altar, as if to stay the 
service. Zacharias, upon beholding so strange and 'beautiful a form, with hands 
stretched above the golden altar, was very much frightened, and would have 
hastened from the celestial presence had not he been restrained by a sweet 
voice that spoke, and declared to him that though he and his wife were old, 
yet Elisabeth should soon bear him a son, whose name would be John. More¬ 



over, the angel said that this 
son would never pollute his 
lips with strong drink, but that 
his conduct would ever be that 
of a pious person, in whom the 
spirit of God would be manifest 
from the day of his birth. 

This prophecy filled the heart 
of Zacharias with pleasure, but 
the angel had better news yet 
to tell, for continuing his 
speech he told the enraptured 
priest that John would pro¬ 
claim to the people the time 
when the Saviour of the world 
should come, and that he 
would also preach repentance of 
sin and preparation for receiv¬ 
ing the Lord. Although Zach¬ 
arias was happy in hearing such 
a pleasing prophecy, yet he de¬ 
sired some sign of the fulfilment 
of what had been spoken, and 
therefore asked that it might 
be given him to know how 
such things should come to 
pass. Perceiving his doubts, 
the angel answered: “I am 
Gabriel, that stand in the 
presence of God ; and I am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these 
glad tidings. And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the 
day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, 
which shall be fulfilled in their season.” 

When the angel had thus spoken he disappeared, leaving Zacharias speech¬ 
less, but glad in heart, for by this sign he perceived truly that what had been 
told him proceeded from God. When he came out of the Temple to the people 







408 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


who were waiting, lie could only make them understand by signs what manner 
of vision he had beheld, and why he had been so long detained, for his tongue 
had become useless in his mouth. 

GABRIEL APPEARS TO MARY. 

In less than six months after the annunciation to Zacharias, Gabriel 
became a second time the messenger of God, to proclaim a glorious birth, and 
accordingly he appeared before a young woman of Nazareth called Mary, a 
cousin to Elisabeth, and who was espoused at the time to a poor carpenter 
named Joseph, who was a descendant of David, as was Mary also. 

When Mary beheld the angel Gabriel standing before her, she, like Zach¬ 
arias had been, was much frightened, not understanding the import of the 
celestial visitor, but she was speedily reassured by the angel, who spoke these 
joyful tidings: “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God, and 
behold, thou shalt bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He 
shall be Great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and of His king¬ 
dom there shall be no end.” 

Mary, however, was no less doubtful of the truth of Gabriel’s prophecy 
than Zacharias had been, and being anxious for some proof, inquired, “ How 
shall this be ? ” for she was not yet married. Whereupon the angel responded, 
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall 
overshadow thee; therefore, also, that holy thing which shall be borne of thee, 
shall be called the Son of God.” He also told her how that Elisabeth should 
soon bear a son, notwithstanding her old age, which delighted Mary, and 
caused her to desire greatly to see her cousin, to tell what had been prophesied 
and to learn if it were as the angel had told concerning her. Accordingly, 
Mary left Nazareth and went quickly to a small town in Judah, near Jeru¬ 
salem, where Elisabeth was sojourning, to visit her cousin, with whom she 
remained nearly three months. It is left to us only ta imagine how these 
two women, so highly favored of God, spent their time together, since unfor¬ 
tunate^ neither Matthew, Mark, Luke nor John left any description of the 
joy which must have been manifested every day by these blessed women, who 
were now experiencing the rapture which fills the mother’s heart with every 
pulsation of her first-born, a hundred-fold intensified by the unutterable joy 
which must have sprung from the glad promises of Gabriel. 

THE BIRTH OF JOHN. 

For reasons which the Bible does not give us to know, Mary returned to 
Nazareth before the birth of Elisabeth’s child, though the event must have been 
expected near the time of her departure. But we are told that upon Mary’s 
return the prophecy which the angel had made to her cousin was fulfilled, for 
Elisabeth bore a son, who, in accordance with the custom of the Jewish people 
of that time, was called Zacharias, after his father. The mother, however, in¬ 
sisted upon naming him John, which matter being thus brought into dispute, 



COHKKGGIO 


THE NIGHT 








































































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


409 


was determined by referring it to the priest-father. Zacharias was yet speech¬ 
less, and had to make his desires known by signs, so in this way he called 
for writing materials, which being given him he wrote the name—John. In¬ 
stantly the seal of his tongue was broken and he broke forth in praise-giving 

for the mercies and favors which God had bestowed upon him. The curious 
manner in which his speech was restored, no less than that by which he had 
been stricken dumb, awakened the keenest surprise of the people, who mani¬ 
fested their mysticism by inquiring, referring to the babe, “What manner of 
child shall this be?” 

The question asked concerning the future of John was answered in due 

time. Of his childhood we know nothing except that he “waxed strong in 

spirit,” by which we may infer that he was a very healthy, and possibly pre¬ 
cocious, child. As he grew to manhood’s estate he refused to be bound by the 
ordinary pursuits of his people, but retired to the desert, where, after a period 
of contemplation and preparation, he began to preach as a forerunner of Christ 
that salvation was at hand. 


THE BIRTH OF JESUS. 

Soon after Mary’s return to Nazareth, which was near the time when she 
was to be married—and no doubt this engagement was that which caused her 
to terminate her visit to Elizabeth at so critical and yet auspicious a time— 
Joseph discovered the evidences of maternity in his betrothed, and secretly 
sought a pretext to withdraw his vows without making public the cause. But 
God came to him in a dream and told how blessed among women Mary was, 
and that the child was conceived by the Holy Ghost while she was yet a 
virgin. So Joseph and Mary were married. 

A few months after the marriage of Joseph and Mary, at Nazareth, they 
were compelled to make a journey to Bethlehem, eighty miles distant, in obe¬ 
dience to the Roman law, which required every man to enroll his name in the 
city where his father had lived. This law was passed to enable the govern¬ 
ment at Rome to take a census of the male population of Palestine, so that 
in case of war it might be known how to make a levy of troops from that 
country. Another purpose of this registration was to fix the taxing of the 
nation, each man being required to make a return of his possessions; and 
hence it was that Joseph, who was of the house of David, was required to 
make the journey to Bethlehem. When the two reached their destination they 
found all the inns full, so that they had to take shelter in a small private 
house, where the accommodations were meagre, but perhaps quite as good as 
either Joseph or Mary was used to, for they had always been extremely poor. 
How long the two remained in Bethlehem we do not know, but during their 
visit to the place Mary gave birth to the blessed Child, to whom, as the angel had 
declared, was given the name JESUS, which signifies Saviour, and CHRIST, 
the Anointed. 


410 


TRY WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


The small dwelling wherein they lodged afforded so little privacy or 
convenience that Mary laid her precious babe in a manger, which was doubtless 
connected with the family abode, as was customary among the people of all 
that region of Judah. Tradition tells us that this so-called manger was a cave 
scooped out of the limestone rock, a common thing about Bethlehem. Beecher, 
in his “ Life of Christ,” says such caves abound in the limestone rock of that 
region, and are used both for sheltering herds and sometimes for human 

residences. The precipitous 
sides of the rock are often 
pierced in such a way that 
a cottage built near might 
easily convert an adjoining 
cave to the use of an out¬ 
building. “ Caves are not 
rare in Palestine, as with us. 
On the contrary, the whole 
land seems honeycombed with 
them. They are, and have 
been for ages, used for almost 
every purpose which archi¬ 
tecture supplies in other lands 
—as dwellings for the living, 
and sepulchres for the dead, 
as shelter for the household 
and for cattle and herds, as 
hidden retreats for robbers, 
and as defensive positions o t 
rock castles for soldiers 
Travellers make them a ref¬ 
uge when no better inn is at 
hand. They are shaped into 
reservoirs for water, or, if 
dry, they are employed as 
granaries. The limestone of 
the region is so porous and 
soft that but a little labor is 
required to enlarge, refashion, and adapt such caves to any desirable purpose. 0 

In Thompson’s “Land and the Book,” I find the following description of 
the cave-habitations about Bethlehem: “It is common to find two sides of 
the one room, where the native farmer resides with his cattle, fitted up with 
these mangers, and the remainder elevated about two feet higher for the accom¬ 
modation of the family. The mangers are built of small stones and mortar, in 
the shape of a box, or rather of a kneading-trough, and when cleaned up and 
















6 

x 

W 

£ 

O 

Q 

ri 


BLESSING THE CHILD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 






























. 




* 
















































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


411 



whitewashed, as they often are in summer, they do very well to lay little babes 
in. Indeed, our own children have slept there in our rude summer retreats on 
the mountains.” 

In view of these facts we have no warrant for believing that Joseph and 
Mary were so distressed by poverty that they were forced to lay their babe in 
a manger given over entirely to the shelter of cattle, nor that the child Jesus 
was subjected to any greater hardship than was common to the peasant children 
of that region. 

Bethlehem, the place chosen 
by God for the nativity, as fore¬ 
told by Micah, lies five miles 
south of Jerusalem, on a spur 
of the hills of Judah. To the 
east spreads a softly undulating 
plain upon which grass grows 
abundantly, and upon which, 
most probably, the shepherds 
were grazing their flocks when 
apprised by the angels of the 
birth of Jesus. Small as the 
town was, it had long before been 
famous as the birthplace of David, 
and about the valleys and plains 
of which he had attended his 
father’s herds before being crown¬ 
ed king of Israel. About this 
sacred place also attaches a holy 
feeling, because it was here that 
Ruth gleaned and Boaz won her 
from unfeeling relatives for his 
wife. 

The date of Christ’s birth, 
though unimportant so far as it 
affects His mission or character, 
has been the subject of much 

n . MARY AND THE CHIED JESUS. 

discussion among commentators 

for hundreds of years. “ In the primitive church,” as Dr. Schaff observes, 
“ there was no agreement as to the time of Christ’s birth. In the East 
the 6th of January was the day observed for His baptism and birth. In 
the third century, as Clement of Alexandria relates, some regarded the 20th of 
May, others the 20th of April, as the date. Among modern chronologists, and 
biographers of Jesus, there is still great difference of opinion, and every month 
—even June and July (when the fields are parched from want of rain)—has 




412 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


been named as the time when the great 
event took place. Lightfoot assigns the 
nativity to September; Lardner and New¬ 
comb to October; Wiseler to February; 
Paulus to March; Greswell and Alfera to 
the 5th of April, just after the spring' 
rains, when there is an abundance of pas¬ 
ture; Lichtenstein places it in July or 
December; Strong in August; Robinson in 
autumn; Clinton in spring; Andrews be¬ 
tween the middle of December, 749, and 
the middle of January, 750 ( after the 

founding of Rome). On the other hand, 
Roman Catholic historians and biographers 
of Jesus, as Lepp, Friedlieb, Bucher, Pat- 
ricius, and also some Protestant writers, 
defend the popular tradition—the 25th of 
December. Wordsworth gives up the prob¬ 
lem, and thinks that the Holy Spirit has 
concealed the knowledge of the year and 
day of Christ’s birth and the duration of 
His ministry from the wise and prudent, 
to teach them humility. 

Although born to the poorest and cradled 
in a manger, the glory of God shone round 
the Babe, while angels sped on swiftest 












ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY, 


413 


wing to bear the glad tidings of Christ’s birth to the world. They did not go to 
kingly halls, but visited the lowly shepherds minding their flocks in the still 
watches of night on the plains where David watched when he was called to be king 
of Israel, and to them declared the “good tidings of great joy to all the people.” 
How startled must have been the sleepy shepherds when, aroused from their 
half-watching, they perceived a light breaking through the darkness and heard 
angelic voices proclaiming, “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
good-will toward 
men.” Their fear 
soon subsided, 
however, when an 
angel told them 
that in Bethlehem 
had that day been 
born “a Saviour, 
which is Christ 
the Lord,” and 
that they might 
find him then 
wrapped in swad¬ 
dling clothes, ly¬ 
ing in a manger. 

Convinced of the 
truth of what they 
had heard by the 
miraculous man¬ 
ner in which the 
news was given, 
the now thorough¬ 
ly aroused and 
excited shepherds 
made haste to 
Bethlehem, where 
they found the 
new-born Babe as 

had been declared, and immediately joined their praises to God for His mercies 
and the gift of a Redeemer. 



‘THERE IS BORN A SAVIOUR WHICH IS CHRIST THE EORD.” 


THE CIRCUMCISION AND NAMING OF CHRIST. 

Since Christ was “ born of woman,” and u under the law,” on the eighth 
day after His birth He was brought by His parents to the priest in Bethlehem 
for circumcision, and upon the performance of this ceremony He was given the 
name JESUS, as the Angel Gabriel had commanded. 








414 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


The Jewish law relating to births was not fully complied with by the 
observance of circumcision, for it was necessary for each mother to offer up a 
sacrifice at the expiration of her period of purification, which was at the 
end of forty days after the birth. According to this requirement Mary and 
Joseph took the precious Babe to Jerusalem, and in the Temple there made 

their sacrifice of u a pair of 
turtle doves,” which was the 
customary offering of the poor¬ 
est people. 

This first appearance of 
Jesus in the Temple was the 
signal for His reception by 
those who may be regarded as 
the representatives of the spiri¬ 
tual remnant of Israel. An 
aged man and woman had long 
watched, with prophetic spirit, 
for the dawn of the Sun of 
Righteousness. Simeon, who 
had been fore-warned by the 
Holy Spirit that he should not 
die till he had seen the u An¬ 
ointed of Jehovah,” was now 
guided by the same Spirit into 
the Temple; and, taking the 
child in his arms, he pro¬ 
claimed Him, for the first time, 
as the Christ of God, and 
declared that, for himself, the 
time was come to depart in 
peace, since his eyes had seen 
the Salvation of God, the Light 
of the Gentiles, and the Glory 
of Israel. But his prophecy 
was not ended; for, as Joseph and Mary wondered at his words, he announced 
the varied reception which Christ would meet from His own people, the trial 
of the inmost hearts of men by His Spirit, and the sorrows which, in 
striking at Him, would smite through His mother’s heart—the primal curse 
and blessing on the woman. Simeon had scarcely ceased, when Anna, the 
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, entered the sacred court. This 
devout woman had employed her widowhood of eighty-four years, after a 
marriage of only seven, in constant prayer and fasting within the precincts of 
the Temple. She was a prophetess; and in that character she now gave thanks 



ADORATION OF THE MAGI. 








ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


415 


to God for the advent of the Christ, and repeated her testimony to all that 
looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 

Though only forty days had expired since the birth of Jesus, yet the glad 
news had travelled on the wings of morning and night from one end of Pales¬ 
tine to anbther, and even to the far distant east, where a people lived who 
had never come in contact with the Jews, but who, learning that a Saviour of 
the world had been born, came to pay homage to Him who, it had been 
declared, should be “ King of 
kings.” Accordingly, there 
came “ wise men from the 
east,” who were doubtless Ma- 
gians, as these were frequently 
called, and, being guided by a 
star, they journeyed to Jeru¬ 
salem, inquiring where the 
young Child, who was to be 
King of the Jews, was, that 
they might worship Him. 

Herod the Great, who was 
still living at this time, had 
no doubt heard the report, 
common throughout all Judea, 
that a Saviour had been born, 
but attributed the belief in 
such an event to the supersti¬ 
tious character of some of his 
subjects, and gave the matter 
no attention until he learned 
that wise men from the east 
had come to Jerusalem in 
quest of that Saviour whom 
they called “ King of the 
Jews.” Upon learning that 
this wonderful babe should 
become king, he immediately 
conceived the idea that he was himself to be supplanted, and began to concert 
means to destroy the child. 

At this time Herod was unpopular with the people, and had several times 
nearly lost his kingdom and his life through conspiracies headed by his own 
sons, as already described; besides these narrow escapes, which constantly 
harassed his mind with dreadful forebodings, he was afflicted with a painful 
and incurable malady, which rendered him more susceptible to the evil reports 
said the more ready to believe that every public rumor affecting his govern¬ 
ment was the result of some conspiracy to wrest the sceptre from him. 



THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 









416 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Herod accordingly summoned the Sanhedrim, and from the sages of that 
body learned that the Redeemer should be born in Bethlehem, and that the 
time of Llis birth, as fixed by the prophets, was near at hand. _ He thereupon 
called the Magians, and requested them to proceed in search of the new-born 
King, and when they should find Him to come and tell him, that he might 
worship Him also. 

Who these wise men, or Magians, were, it is even difficult to conjecture. 
Tradition still preserved among the Jews represents them as three astrologers, 

i named Balthazar, Melchior and 
I Casper, from Assyria, whose 
[skulls are preserved and shown 
a shrine at Cologne. This 
[tradition is, of course, unreli- 
[able, and has no basis of truth 
[to rest upon. Of one fact only 
[are we assured, that whether 
[kings, astrologers, or “wise 
[men,” they were unquestion¬ 
ably persons of great wealth 
and much learning, proved by 
[the gifts they brought to the 
[child, “gold, frankincense and 
I myrrh,” which were the gifts 
[customary to be made by sub- 
| ject nations to their kings or 
[conquerors. 

HEROD MURDERS THE CHIL¬ 
DREN OF BETHLEHEM. 


When the “wise men” 
went on their way again from 
Jerusalem, they beheld the star 
still brightly shining, by which 
they were guided to Bethlehem 
until it stood still over the 
young child, and thus discov¬ 
ered Him to them. When 
due homage to the child 



“ALL WHO HEARD HIM WERE ASTONISHED AT HIS UNDERSTANDING.* 


they had presented their treasures and paid 
Christ, they would no doubt have returned to Jerusalem to inform Herod of 
the place where Jesus was, but were forewarned by God in a dream not to go 
to the king, but to return to their country by another way, which they accord¬ 
ingly did. When Herod learned that the “wise men” had departed from his 
realm without obeying his injunction, his fears were the more excited, and he 







ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


417 



resolved upon a most horrible measure to accomplish the destruction of Jesus, 
whom he now regarded as the successor to his kingdom if permitted to live. 
Having caused the murder of his wife and sons, out of suspicion that they had 
conspired to dethrone him, he was not likely to stop short of any crime that 
promised to relieve his mind of the fears excited by the report that a new king 
of the Jews had been born, and accordingly he issued an order for the exter¬ 
mination of every male child under two years of age within Bethlehem and 
adjoining district. In pursu¬ 
ance of this dreadful edict 
several hundred innocent babes 
were foully murdered and the 
whole land thrown into mourn¬ 
ing. In this terrible scene the 
Jews saw a fulfilment of Jere¬ 
miah’s prophecy of Rachel, 
whose tomb was near Bethle¬ 
hem, weeping for her children, 
and would not be comforted, 
because they were not. 

THE ESCAPE OF JESUS. 

How vain of man to sup¬ 
pose that he can set aside 
God’s will and compass his 
own desires in opposition to 
that of his Creator. In this 
Herod was more than vain and 
foolish, and by his wickedness 
only hastened his own miser¬ 
able end. God, knowing the 
heart of Herod, sent an angel 
to Joseph directing him to take 
Jesus and Mary and flee into 
Egypt, and there remain until 
the death of Herod, and until 
he could return with the child 
to his own country without fear. Thus did Jesus escape, through God’s inter¬ 
cession, the terrible slaughter of infants. 

But Herod’s end was near, and in the same year, almost directly after 
the Feast of the Passover, he rendered up his crime-laden life and went 
thither to answer for his iniquities. Immediately after an angel again appeared 
to Joseph in a dream, and bade him return to Palestine. While on the journey 
to Bethlehem, however, Joseph learned that the son of Herod, Archelaus, had 


JESUS THE CARPENTER’S SON. 












418 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



ascended the throne, and that this new king was no better than his father, 
who, to perpetuate his power, would likely murder Jesus if he should discover 
the Child. Joseph, therefore, turned aside from Galilee and went to Nazareth, 
the former home of Mary, which lay sixty-five miles north of Jerusalem. Here 

Jesus lived with his fathei 
in obscurity, so far as his- 
^ tory gives us to know, until 

/ He was t we i ve years of age. 

We are only told that “ the 
Child grew, and waxed 
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was 
upon him.” It is clear from the next event recorded in His 
history, that these words imply not only a growth in moral and 
spiritual excellence, but a conscious preparation for His ministry 
by communion with His divine Father and by diligent study of 
the Scriptures. His public ministry did not begin with a sudden 
impulse, but was prepared for by His whole life. The conscious¬ 
ness of His divine nature and power grew and ripened and 
strengthened until the time of His showing unto Israel. The 
very silence of the evangelists, however, leads to some important 
inferences respecting our Saviour’s training in boyhood and in 
youth. As Neander has observed: “His education for a teacher 
was not due to any of the theological schools then existing in 
Judea;” and thus was He the better prepared to stand forth, in 
perfect independence, as the antagonist and rebuker alike of the 
dead ritualism and hypocritical casuistry of the Pharisees and 
Scribes, and the negative coldness of the Sadducees. And while 
the rigid purity which He taught might suggest something of an 
outward resemblance to the Essenes, He had no real connection 
with that ascetic body, to deaden his sympathies with humanity 
at large. Herein was the contrast with his forerunner, which he 
himself traces: “John came neither eating nor drinking: the Son of 
Man came eating and drinking.” 

FOUND DISPUTING WITH THE DOCTORS. 




since the captivity, the great festivals, like other insti¬ 
tutions of the 




ye 


law, had been 
observed with 
regularity, and 
even the wom¬ 
en went up ta 
Jerusalem once 











THE DEPARTURE FROM EGYPT. 












































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


419 


a year to keep the Passover. Such was the custom of our Saviour’s 

parents, and when He reached the age of twelve, He accompanied them 

to the feast. When Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem He remained 

behind, His absence being only discovered after the caravan had gone a day s 
journey. His sorrowing parents found Him in the Temple, the centre of a 
circle of the professed teachers of the law, astonishing all who heard Him, 
both by His replies to them and by His own questions. There is nothing 
here to imply a contentious spirit; but, in the sincere effort to obtain instruc¬ 
tion, He could not but show the fruits of His profound study of the Scriptures, 
and the power of the Spirit that had u filled Him with wisdom.’' This 
“ spiritual discernment,” by which He opened the true meaning of God’s 

Word, was the “ understanding ” which astonished the “ natural men,” who 
had long been bound down to the mere letter. 

Though the town of Nazareth was a small place, it afforded Jesus oppor¬ 
tunities for studying the Scriptures free from the bias and preconceived opinions 
of the teachers of Jerusalem. It was here that He not only studied the Scrip¬ 
tures, but studied human nature as well. Nazareth was, though only a village, 
a place whose chief reputation was the disrepute in which its people were held. 
This is proved by the inquiry of Nathanael, of Cana, a place near by, “ Can 
any good thing come out of Nazareth ? ” The proof of Nazareth’s wickedness 
is further increased by the manner in which Christ was received when He 
first preached there, for we are told that as He discoursed to the people plainly 
of their misdoings they offered him personal violence. 

There were some things, however, about Nazareth, which were favorable 
to the acquisition, by Jesus, of those principles which, unknown to the Jewish 
priests, became to Him so serviceable in the propagation of his teachings. 
These favorable conditions arose from the natural beauties of the place, which 
seems to have brought His mind into a more perfect accord with God, even if 

we choose to regard Jesus, at the time, as a person with no more of the 

Divine attributes than His fellows possessed. Of the exquisite beauty of Naza¬ 
reth and the surrounding district the Rev. Dr. Stanley, a missionary to Pales¬ 
tine, writes: “ Fifteen gentle rounded hills seem as if they had met to form an 
inclosure for this beautiful basin. They rise around it like the edge of a shell, 
to guard it from intrusion. It is a rich and beautiful field in the midst of 
these green hills, abounding in gay flowers, in fig trees, small gardens and 
hedges of the prickly pear.” 

The town is built, not upon the apex of a hill, but rather upon the side 

which slopes westerly toward the basin. From this hill a view is had 

unequalled in all Palestine; not even from Mount Tabor is such a grand sight 
afforded, for we may here behold almost the whole of Galilee, the northern 
portion of which is covered with snow lying on the high mountains and reflect¬ 
ing back the sun’s rays like peaks of silver, while away to the west and south¬ 
west sweeps the Mediterranean in full view. But nobler still is the plain of 


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Esdraelon (which takes its name from Jezreel), which stretches its length fif¬ 
teen miles from the valley at the base of Nazareth. Beautiful as the scenery 
is, it is the historical events associated with each hill and plain of the vicinity 
that give to the place its chiefest charm. On the plains of Jezreel rushed the 
tide of battle in the patriarchal age. Here the hosts of Midianites, Amalekites, 
Syrians, and Philistines went forth to battle against Judah and made it the 
battlefield of ages. Is it a matter of wonder, therefore, that in a mind so re¬ 
ceptive as Christ’s must have been, He drank so deeply from the cup of 
nature; that He was so familiar with the history of His people and with 
the law, or that he thrived upon the inspiration which placed Him in com¬ 
munion with God ? 

But of the boyhood of Jesus we know nothing, beyond the fact that he was 
a carpenter’s son, who doubtless helped His father, after the manner of Jewish 
sons who were brought up to learn a trade. We may picture Him in our 
minds as doing wonders in His infancy, and of being radiantly beautiful as 
well as divinely good, but we must trust entirely to our imagination, for on 
these matters the Gospels are silent. So, after we find Him at the age of twelve 
years, sitting in the midst of the doctors and disputing with them, history 
affords no other glimpse of Him for a period of eighteen years, when, now thirty 
years of age, He sets out upon His ministry. All that is said of Him, to 
cover this long interval, is contained in the Gospel of St. Luke, who writes that 
while Jesus was conversing with the doctors His mother came to seek Him, 
saying: “ Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us ? behold, Thy father and I 
have sought Thee sorrowing.” 

“And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that 
I must be about My Father’s business ? And they understood not the saying 
which He spoke unto them. And He went down with them and came to 
Nazareth, and was subject unto them; but His mother kept all those things 
in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with 
God and Man.” 

PREACHING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

The Gospels are quite as reticent concerning the boyhood of John as they 
are of Jesus. We are merely told of the manner of John’s birth, and the 
prophecy of what he should do as the forerunner of the Saviour, and that at 
an early age he retired into the wilderness about Engedi. It was common in 
those days, and even later, for those who desired to prepare themselves for a 
religious life, to withdraw for a time into the desert and there live in strict 
seclusion from the world, in meditation upon the goodness and nature of God. 
And this is what John did for a period of perhaps fifteen or more years. During 
this time he subsisted upon the wild honey that he found stored by bees in 
the rocks and dwarfed trees of the wilderness, and upon the locusts, or grass¬ 
hoppers, which abounded in that region. 

At the withdrawal of John from a life of seclusion he found a sorry con- 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


421 


dition of affairs in Judah. The Jews had no longer any voice in the govern¬ 
ment, being now ruled by a Roman procurator named Pontius Pilate, under 
the prefect of Syria. The people were bitterly oppressed by publicans, who 


“repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

were collectors of the revenue, and who placed the most burdensome exactions 
upon the Jews, amounting almost to a confiscation of their possessions. These 































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levies were not paid without much complaint, and the murmurs of rebellion 
became audible, which at length gave rise to an organization under Judas for 
actively opposing the payment of further tribute to Augustus Caesar, who was 
now Emperor of Rome. 

Besides the dissatisfaction, well founded, which the Jews felt at the burdens 
laid upon them by Rome, they were torn by dissensions among themselves, 
produced, however by Roman interference with the priesthood, which was fre¬ 
quently changed to prevent a consolidation of the Jews, whose tribal relations 
were thus made to change with each change of the priesthood. 

JOHN DECLARES THE COMING OF CHRIST. 

It was while these dissensions and conspiracies were most threatening that 
the Spirit of God called John from his seclusion and sent him through Judea 
to preach the coming of Christ. Though making no claim to the possession 
of miraculous powers, he assumed the garb of a prophet — u a raiment of camel’s 
hair and a girdle about his loins”—and in other respects, as well as by 
his preaching, he seems to have sought to imitate Elijah. His first decla¬ 
ration to the people, who were expecting a forerunner of the Messiah, accord¬ 
ing to the prophecies of Isaiah, was to disguise his personality—“I am the 
voice of one crying in the wilderness; ‘ Make straight the way of the Lord,’ 
as saith the prophet Esaias.” Even Jesus seems to have sought to confirm 
the impression of the identity between the two, for while addressing the people 
on one occasion, referring to John, He said: “ If ye will receive it, this is Elias, 
which was for to come.” Here Elijah is called Elias, the name having been 
changed in the Septuagint version, and by this declaration there were many 
who were made to believe that John was the reincarnated Elijah, whose com¬ 
ing had long been looked forward to. His preaching, therefore, became, as St. 
Mark declares, “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” 

John’s appearance and manner of addressing the people immediately gained 
for him a very large following. Multitudes flocked to hear him from all parts 
of Judea, where his fame had spread. Besides preaching the doctrine of repent¬ 
ance, he instituted the ceremony of baptism as an outward sign of the begin¬ 
ning of a new life. Specifically, he besought the publicans to practise honestv 
and generosity, and the selfish he exhorted to share their abundance with the 
poor. The soldiers, too, were advised to guard the rights of all, and to have 
regard for the lowly who were suffering from oppressions. The Pharisees and 
Sadducees, who set themselves up as examples of that righteousness inherited 
from Abraham, were roundly denounced as “a generation of vipers,” and were 
warned that God could raise up true children to Abraham from the very stones 
of the desert. More than this, he declared the two sects no better than barren 
trees, fit only to be cut down and cast into the fire, and that they would be 
thus dealt with unless they “ brought forth fruit meet for repentance,” before 
the coming of the Messiah. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


423 


To these exhortations the two stubborn sects gave little heed, but the 
publicans and mass of the people accepted the warnings of John and came to 
him in great numbers to be baptized, by which ceremony they made a public 
acknowledgment of their sins, and in repentance sought to establish a cov¬ 
enant with God. Thus did he preach and baptize for a period of six months, 
until Jesus, having attained the Levitical age of thirty years, and thus become 
eligible to the priestly ministry, came out of His retirement to be Himself 
baptized. 

JOHN BAPTIZES CHRIST. 

When Jesus besought John to administer to Him the rite of baptism, the 
latter opposed the wish by saying: “ I have need to be baptized of Thee, and 
comest Thou to me ? ” But to this Christ replied: “ Suffer it now, for thus it 
becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” The answer carries with it a satis¬ 
factory explanation of the need of such an initiatory rite, which was given as 
a sign to the people that those who truly repented of their sins should give 
some public proof that would partake of the nature of an obligation. Christ, 
though a man without sin, and therefore having no need for the rite, so far as 
it affected His character or conscience, desired baptism in order that He might 
fulfil all the conditions common to man. Having been born in the flesh, He 
was made subject to all the natural laws, and He felt it to be as much his 
duty to “ condemn sin in the flesh,” by renouncing it through the water of 
baptism, as by expiating it by His blood upon the cross; and so He set the 
example of entrance into His kingdom by the path of meek repentance, and 
of solemn obligation to a holy life. His conscience, free from all sense of guilt, 
must have felt it hard to descend into the water; but this first suffering had 
its reward in the glory that at once followed. This first act of submission 
to His Father’s will called forth the first public tokens of His Father’s accept¬ 
ance of the sacrifice and approving love toward Himself. As He stepped past 
the water’s edge, He knelt down to pray, devoting His whole being to the work 
to which he had been consecrated by His baptism. At that moment a double 
sign was vouchsafed from heaven to the eyes and ears of the multitude, among 
whom Jesus.had hitherto appeared as one of themselves. The sky was seen 
to open, and the Spirit of God descended upon Him in a bodily shape, like a 
dove, and a voice was heard from heaven saying, “Thou art My beloved Son, 
in whom I am well pleased.” The former act was another baptism, which 
exceeded the commission of John, endowing Jesus with the power of God, and 
was given to Him to be conferred in turn upon His disciples. 

By this baptism Jesus was lifted above the conditions to which mankind 
are subject, and He immediately enters a new sphere, where the Divine attri¬ 
butes begin to appear. Henceforth He becomes a teacher, and in His walks 
now displays the Divine presence. It is upon the banks of the Jordan, on that 
blessed day when, as a man, Jesus underwent the rite of baptism, that He 
emerged from the waves The Christ, to declare a new dispensation. 


424 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


THE FORTY DAYS’ FAST AND TEMPTATION. 



Christ did not at once proceed upon His mission to redeem the world, but 
was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for a period of forty days 

He fasted, and 
was no doubt 
in communion 
with God. Was 
it an ordeal of 
suffering that 
He was compel¬ 
led to undergo 
as a trial of 
faith ? Impossi¬ 
ble, for He was 
without sin and 
of the Godhead. 
This retirement 
of forty days is 
identical with 
that of Moses 
upon Sinai, and 
of Elijah at Ho- 
reb, and was a 
withdrawal from 
man into the 
presence of God, 
which Christ did 
not only at the 
beginning of 
His ministry, 
but also at its 
conclusion, 
when he sought 
the solitude of 
the garden at 
G e t h s emane, 
and poured out 
His great soul 

“thou sHAi/r not tempt the eord thy god.” 1° the heavenly 

Father. 

After the period of forty days was past Christ became hungry, when the 
Devil came to tempt Him to make a display of the power that had been given 
Him, possibly to discover what power had been bestowed. Accordingly, Satan, 



ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


425 


said to Him: “If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made 
bread.” But Jesus perceived wherein the temptation lay and wisely answered, 
“ Man shall not live by bread alone.” 

This request made of Jesus by the Devil reminds us at once of the temp¬ 
tations which so often overcame the children of Israel in their journey out of 
Egypt, and leads us to suspect that Satan remembered the weaknesses of the 
Jews whenever assailed by tribulation, and believed that Jesus would as easily 
succumb to temptation. Though 
disappointed in his first effort, 

Satan was not discouraged in 
his belief that he might yet 
humble Christ, so taking Him 
up to a pinnacle of the Tem¬ 
ple in Jerusalem, said: “If 
Thou be the Son of God, cast 
thyself down, for it is written, 

He shall give His angels 
charge concerning Thee : and 
in their hands they shall bear 
Thee up.” But to this Jesus 
answered: “It is written again, 

Thou shalt not tempt the Lord 
thy God.” But the Devil would 
try once more to convict Christ 
of worldly aspirations, by ap¬ 
pealing to His ambition and 
vanity, so he took Him to the 
summit of a high mountain, 
possibly the peak of Quaran- 
tania, where numerous wild 
beasts made their lairs, as they 
do to this day, and from this 
lofty eminence showed Him 
all the kingdoms of the world, 
and the glory of them, all of 
which he promised to give Jesus if he would fall down and worship him. But 
again triumphant over this last and most potent temptation in seducing human 
nature, Christ answers: “Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt 
worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” Vanquished by the 
invincible faith of Jesus, Satan left Him, whereupon angels descended and 
ministered to the Holy One, who now entered upon the mission which he was 
sent to perform. 



“GET THEE BEHIND ME, SATAN.” 










426 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


JOHN DECLARES JESUS TO BE THE MESSIAH. 

During the time of Christ’s disappearance in the wilderness, John continued 
to preach as before, of the Messiah, who was now come, until the rulers of 



JAMES AND JOHN ARE CAEEED. 

“ And going on from thence, he saw two other brethren, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in a ship with Zebedee, 
their father, mending their nets, and he called them.”— Matt, iv 21. 


Jerusalem, having heard of the wonders manifested at the baptism of Jesus, 
sent priests to make inquiries of John concerning Him. These Levites accord- 











ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


427 


ingly came to John and asked, “ Art thou the Christ?” u Art thou 
Elias?” u Art thou the prophet?” To all of which John replied that, 
one greater than himself had come, “ the latchet of whose shoes ( j 
I am not worthy to unloose,” who would baptize with fire.^ 

While John was thus making answer to those who questioned ^ 
him, from day to day, Jesus reappeared among the multitude, 
whereupon, in a burst of joyful enthusiasm, John exclaimed, 

“ Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the 
world.” He also repeated to the people how it had been mani¬ 
fested at His baptism that Jesus was the Christ. 

On the following day, as John was standing with two 
of his friends, or disciples, Jesus passed by, whereupon 
John again exclaimed, as before, u Behold the Lamb of 
God.” These two believed on the Lord and immediately 
followed Him and became His disciples, being the first conver¬ 
sions to Christ. On the same day Simon, the brother of Andrew, 
was called, to whom Jesus gave the name of Cephas, meaning a 
stone . One day later, Philip, from Bethsaida, which was the 
dwelling place of Andrew and Peter, became also a disciple of 
Jesus, and these induced Nathanael, of the vicinity of Nazareth, 
to come and see Jesus. Nathanael was doubtful of the things 
that had been told him, but upon coming into the presence of Jesus 
he was convinced, by the Lord telling him that “ before Philp called, 
when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee.” Nathanael was thus 
made to believe, because he knew that, being at the time a remote 
distance from Jesus, He could only know of the circumstances of the 
call by the Divine power that had been given Him. Perceiving him 
thus easily convinced, Jesus said to him, “ Because I said unto thee, 

‘ I saw thee under the fig-tree ’ believest thou ? thou shalt see greater 
things than these.” 

THE FIRST MIRACLE. 

On the third day after Jesus had returned from the wilderness 
there was a marriage in Cana, a small town of Galilee, to which Hej 
and His four disciples and also His mother were invited. Those who| 
were to be joined in wedlock were evidently very poor, and 
unable to provide such a 
feast as was commonly ^ 

spread at celebrations of 

,L kind in Judea. Wine feSfe 
was regarded as an almost 1k\e*trees v :^verx xvW 
indispensable adjunct of Tree lr ringed 

such an event, and it was TJOf jorm goo<£?^ 

is Ke^rudic 


therefore a natural thing 




E 


cM 







428 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


for the guests, who doubtless were not entirely acquainted with the poverty of the 
bride’s friends, to call for wine with which to drink the health of the bride 
and groom. To this request Mary replied, addressing Jesus, that no wine had 
been provided, but turning to the servants she bade them do whatsoever her 
Son wished. In obedience to His command, therefore, the servants brought six 
earthen water-pots, which would hold about twenty gallons each, and these they 
filled with water to the brim. When this was done Jesus bade them to draw 
measures thereof and bear them to the governor of the feast. When the gov¬ 
ernor had tasted of the liquid that was thus brought, he found it to be such 
excellent wine that he called the bridegroom and said: “Every man at the 



THE FIRST MIRACLE—TURNING WATER INTO WINE. 


beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk then that 
which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now,” bnt he did not 
know that the good wine which had been given himself and the guests to 
drink, had, only a few minutes before, been pure water. But the disciples, and 
servants also, knew that a miracle had been performed, and were thus made to 
believe the stronger in Him. After this Christ went down to Capernaum 
with His mother and brothers, followed also by the disciples, who remained 
there with Him for a few days. 

THE MONEY CHANGERS DRIVEN FROM THE TEMPLE. 

Jesus tarried at Capernaum but a short while, because the Feast of the 
Passover was near at hand, and with His disciples He went down to Jerusalem 



























































Driving the Buyers and Sellers from the Temple—John 2:15 






















































































































































































' 








































































































































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


429 


to assist in the celebration, and here was to begin His public ministry, accord¬ 
ing to the prophecy, “Jehovah, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His 
Temple.” 

The Passover was a great event in Jerusalem, attended, as it was, by not 
only the people of Judea, but by those from the countries of the dispersion— 
Egypt, Syria, Rome, etc., as well. How, or in what manner, Christ came to 
Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover we are not told, but it is evident that 
His appearance there was as a teacher, and one having much authority. We 
may therefore conceive how great He had grown in public estimation since the 
day of His baptism, when a dove flew out of the heavens and lighted on Him 
like a benediction, while a still voice, like the lips of a breeze, proclaimed 
Him the Holy Son. 

We can imagine how Jerusalem appeared on the solemn feast day of the 
Passover. Large as was the city, it could not accommodate a tithe of the 
worshippers. Josephus tells us that in the year A. D. 65 there were three 
million Jews in attendance at the feast. Possibly this enormous number was 
exceeded by those who came in the time of our Lord, before so many Jews 
had drifted to other parts of the world. Jerusalem was, therefore, not only 
filled with participants in the ceremonies of the feast, but the adjacent hills 
and fields must have shone white with tents, like a great army in camp. 

But above, and sublimely conspicuous among all this immense gathering, 
was the one greatest spectacle in all Jerusalem, the Temple on Mount Moriah, 
that looked down from its lofty eminence upon the vast crowds that flocked 
to offer service there. Here was the holy shrine of David, of Solomon; rebuilt 
by the profane hand of Herod, it is true, but still preserving, in its material, 
no less than its spiritual aspect, the holiest traditions of the race. 

As the Temple was the shrine of worship, circumstances made of it a 
place of barter; for, as thousands came without bringing with them appro¬ 
priate offerings, shrewd votaries, peering beyond the glamour of devout ser¬ 
vice, discovered their opportunity of adding worldly possessions to their spiritual 
needs by offering for sale oxen, sheep and doves to these who desired to pur¬ 
chase such subjects for sacrifice. Such trading was at first conducted in the 
outer courts of the Temple, but as competition increased these merchants 
gradually intruded upon the space within the sacred edifice until they fairly 
took possession. From dealing in offerings for sacrifice it was but a step to 
further profanation. The people from abroad came here to pay the Temple 
tax, and as the foreign coins which they brought were not current in Jeru¬ 
salem, brokers set up their places to exchange shekels of the sanctuary for 
such foreign money. Thus the Temple had become a great exchange bazaar, 
the profits of which were, no doubt, shared with the priests. 

On the first day of the Passover, when the bustle of preparation had given 
place to active trade, and the Temple and its courts contained a medley of 
lowing herds, cooing doves, bleating sheep, and above all, the voices of inviting 


430 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


brokers, came Jesus to the place to perform His vows and to teach the people. 
In a moment, as He perceived the desecration, and vile uses to which the 
Temple had been put, His brow beetles with indignation, and seizing a whip 
of small cords, possibly used by a driver of cattle, He plies it vigorously upon 
the desecrators until they flee from His scourgings;. the brokers’ tables are 
then overthrown, the money scattered over the marble pavements, and the 
place speedily cleansed of the unclean things which defiled it. As the ava¬ 
ricious hucksters made good 
their retreat Christ called to 
them in these words: “ Take 
these things hence! Make not 
my Father’s house an house of 
merchandise! ” 

The superiority of Jesus 
was manifested over the priests 
of the Temple by the fact that 
no one offered to interfere with 
Him, though in thus harshly 
driving out the merchants He 
revoked, arbitrarily, a privilege 
which had evidently been gran¬ 
ted by those having authority. 
Instead of His action exciting 
anger, it appears to have raised 
expectancy among the Jews who 
had already heard, but probably 
received the rumor as an idle 
tale, that Jesus was the Mes¬ 
siah. They therefore said to 
Him: “ What sign showest 

Thou unto us, seeing Thou 
doest such things ?” Which 
question bore the same mean¬ 
ing as that afterward addressed 
to Him, “ If thou be the 
Christ, tell us plainly.” But 
to this He only replied, “ Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will 
raise it up.” Not understanding that He spoke with a hidden meaning, and 
that he referred to the temple of his body, in their astonishment they said: 
“ Forty and sixty years was this Temple in building, and wilt Thou rear it up 
in three days?” Though Jesus gave His questioners no satisfaction, and with¬ 
held from them an acknowledgment of His Messiahship, yet the manner of 
.His speech, while it puzzled the priests, seemed to have served an excellent 



“ye have made my father’s house a den of thieves.” 













ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


431 


purpose, for the cunning of His words impressed both priests and people with 
the superior wisdom which He possessed. Crowds besieged Him to hear Him 
preach, and thousands became at once converted. But this conversion was 
chiefly among the common people, the priests appearing outwardly as if con¬ 
vinced of the great truths which he declared, but secretly they held him in 
contempt. 

CONVERSION OF NICODEMUS. 

There was a ruler of the Jews, a Pharisee, named Nicodemus, who was 
more affected by Christ’s teaching than either the priests or people, but under¬ 
standing the ill favor with which He was regarded by those high in authority, 

was restrained from making an open confession of his faith lest he should be 

made the object of scoffing. Revolving the matter in his mind for several 
days, he at length went to see Jesus in the night, when none that knew him 
might discover his visit, and hailing Christ as u Master,” said: u We know 
that Thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles 
that Thou doest except God be with him.” To this Jesus replied in language 
disguising His true meaning, as He had answered the others: “ Verily I say 
unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 
Nicodemus thereupon asked an explanation of what had been spoken, by con¬ 
fessing that he knew not how a man could be born again when he is old. 
Perceiving that the heart of His questioner was inclined to an acceptance of 
His mission as it had been declared by John, Jesus told him that unless a 

man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom 

of God, and therefore made plain to Nicodemus that it was the spiritual 
second birth which was essential to salvation. But this consolation was not 
all that Jesus gave to Nicodemus, for to this humble ruler was first declared 
what sacrifice was to be made to save the world, in the following glowing and 
glorious promise: 

“ As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son 
of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but 
have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting 
life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but 
that the world through Him might be saved.” 

To Nicodemus, therefore, Christ vouchsafed the first confession of His real 
mission, and the bitter sacrifice which was to be made as an atonement for the 
sins of all mankind. The impression made upon Nicodemus by the speech of 
Jesus was both profound and exalting, though he is only mentioned three 
times in the history, but in the last of these he manifests how truly convinced 
he is of Christ’s power and love. Though at first seeking Jesus under the 
cover of night, his fears of the loss of popularity by acknowledging Him never 
came to Nicodemus afterward. On the other hand, when the end of Christ’s 
ministry was near, and enemies sought His life, in the supreme hour of His 


43J 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



humiliation Nicodemus arose, solitary and alone, as a member of tbe Sanhe¬ 
drim, and amid the clamors of his compeers, who, having prejudged the Lord, 
were only awaiting his arrest to pronounce sentence, confronted them with a 
question which brought the blush of shame to their cheeks as judges: “Doth 
our law judge any man before it hear him, and know what he doeth ? ” 

But yet again came Nicodemus, to manifest his love and faith in Jesus, 
when, after the crucifixion, the disciples were confounded and were afraid to 
acknowledge that they were fol¬ 
lowers of Him who had been 
condemned; when the mere 
suspicion of sympathy for 
Christ was sufficient to bring 
a man to judgment, Nicodemus 
shows his fearlessness, and rev¬ 
erence for his dead Lord. 

“ And there came also Nicode¬ 
mus (which at the first came 
to Jesus by night), and brought 
a mixture of myrrh and aloes, 
about an hundred pound 
weight,” with which to anoint 
the precious body. Timid in 
the beginning, in the end he 
showed a courage greater than 
that manifested by any of the 
disciples. 


How long Jesus remained 
in Jerusalem we know not, but 
perhaps for only a few days, or 
weeks at most. He found a 
strong prejudice prevailing 
against Him there, chiefly be- = 
cause He had not been brought J ESUS ’ discourse with nicodemus. 

up in the synagogue and instructed in the law, and, therefore, the priests were 
jealous because He received more attention from the people than they. Another 
cause of their ill-favor is found in the self-holiness which they, as Pharisees, arro¬ 
gated to themselves, and their condemnation of any one who pretended to as many 
virtues, or attempted to declare a better doctrine. These influences decided Jesus 
to withdraw from Jerusalem to the country districts in Judea, where be began 
preaching and baptizing the people—though the actual administration of this 


THE ARREST OF JOHN THE 
BAPTIST. 










, ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


433 


rite was performed by His disciples. John was at the time preaching at Enon, 
and baptizing his converts in the small streams near that place, while Jesus 
confined His work to the banks of the Jordan, where there came to Him great 
gatherings of people and hundreds were baptized daily. So numerous were 
His converts that some of those who made confession under John began to 
inquire why Jesus should meet with the greater success, and thus a spirit of 
rivalry was apparently about to spring up. John, however, though assailed by 
a temptation which few could resist, took occasion to bear a final testimony to 
Christ, no less remarkable for explicit statement of the gospel than for its 
profound humility and self-renunciation Reminding both parties to the con¬ 
troversy that he had always insisted on the superiority of Christ to himself, 
as being the very purpose of his mission, he marks this as the divinely 
appointed order:—“ He must increase, I must decrease.” And to this law he 
not merely submits, but derives from it unbounded satisfaction. Likening him¬ 
self to the bridegroom’s friend at a wedding, rejoicing at the bridegroom’s voice, 
while Christ rejoiced over His pure spouse, the Church, about to be redeemed, 
he declares, “This my joy therefore is fulfilled.” Though himself destined to 
remain outside of the Christian Church, he concludes his testimony by pointing 
his disciples and all his hearers to the way within it. 

SELF-RENUNCIATION OF JOHN. 

To avoid any appearance of rivalry, John left the vicinity of Enon and 
advanced northward into Galilee, where he continued to preach to immense 
crowds, and where his influence became so great that Herod Antipas, who was 
now ruler of Judea, went out to hear him. Herod had married Herodias, the 
self-divorced wife of his half-brother Philp, against which act there had been 
complaint by the people, that was silenced only 
by the threats of Herod. But John was not a 
man to be easily intimidated, and in an impetu¬ 
ous, fiery manner which was so characteristic 
of him, he preached against the unlawful 
marriage of Herod, and to his face declared, 

“It is not lawful for thee to have her.”. This 
speech, so well calculated to inflame the peo¬ 
ple, who were now laboring under intense 
religious enthusiasm, not only angered Herod, 
but impassioned Herodias the more, and at 
her instigation John was seized and cast into 
prison at Peraea. His execution would no 
doubt have followed at once but for the fear 
which Herod had of the people, who had 
accepted John as the forerunner of Christ, 
and hailed him as the re-incarnated Elijah. 



HERODIAS 




434 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



Perhaps Herod him* 
self was also impressed 
with the true pro¬ 
phetic nature of John, 
as his conscience is 
said to have troubled 
him, and this fact in¬ 
creased his reluctance 
to punish with death 
a prophet who had 
declared what he 
knew to be true, and 
what God had, per¬ 
haps, prompted him to 
pronounce. John 
therefore remained in 
prison several months, 
an object of Herodias’s 
hatred, and of the 
Pharisees’ jealousy. 

More than once this 
wicked woman was 
baffled in her designs 
upon John’s life, but 
at length an occasion 
arose which gave her 
opportunity to satisfy 
the bitter resentment 
which she felt. A 
court festival was 
kept at Machserus in 
|»honor of the king’s 
birthday. After' sup¬ 
per the daughter of 
Herodias came in and 
danced before the com¬ 
pany, and so charmed 
was the tetrarch by 
her grace, that he 
promised with an 
oath that he would 
give her whatever she 
should ask. Salome- 






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(435) 



















































































































































































































436 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


prompted by her abandoned mother, demanded the head of John the Baptist. 
The promise had been given in the hearing of his distinguished guests, and so 
Herod, though loth to be made the instrument of so bloody a work, gave instruc¬ 
tions to an officer of his guard, who went and executed John in the prison, and 
his head was brought to feast the eyes of the adulteress whose sins he had 


denounced. 



HERODIAS RECEIVES THE HEAD OF JOHN. 

“ And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel.” 


Meanwhile Jesus, turning to the people, vindicates John from any suspicion 
of wavering or time-serving that his message might have raised, and bears testi¬ 
mony to his true character as “ a prophet, yea, more than a prophet.” They 
had gone forth to the wilderness to see him, and what had they beheld? Ne 
pliant reed, that would bend before the wind of adversity; no dainty courtier, 
to fear a king’s frown or a queen’s hatred. No! he was the very Elijah pre- 




































































































Christ and the Woman of Samaria. 

“Jesus Saith Unto Her, Give Me to Drink”—John 4:7 








ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


137 


dieted by the prophets as the Messiah’s herald; but their childish fojly, never 
knowing what to ask for or expect, vented itself in discontent and unbelief 
alike against the stern asceticism of John and the winning love of Jesus. “ But 
wisdom is justified of all her children.” And now the time was already come 



TOMB OF JOHN THE BAPTIST AS IT APPEARS AT THE PRESENT TIME. 


for Christ to reveal Himself as a judge , to those who would not accept Him as 
Saviour. 

JESUS DISCOURSES WITH THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 

Shortly after John’s departure from Enon into Galilee, Jesus found the 
prejudices of the Pharisees so great against Him that He too left Judea and 
















438 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


iourneyed to the retired districts of Galilee, where he would be removed from 
the Tews who were seeking his downfall, if not destruction. In making this 
iourney, from a point far north on the Jordan, His nearest way was through 
the district of Samaria, and by way of a pass that led into the valley of She- 
chem near which were the graves of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, and 
over which road Jesus had before passed during his childhood. 

In this vale of Shechem Jacob first pitched his tent after his parting from 
Esau in safety, and here he purchased a field in which he erected an altar to 

God. And here also assembled 
all the tribes of Judah before 
Joshua, to receive their allot¬ 
ments. On the north stood 
the lofty peak of Ebal, and to 
the south was Gerizim. Here 
the tribes were divided, some 
standing on the base and sides 
of one mountain, some upon 
the other, while the ark, priests 
and Levites stood between; 
there it was that the nation, 
with a dramatic solemnity un¬ 
paralleled in history, entered 
into a covenant with God. 

To this sacred place Christ 
now journeyed, His mind, no 
doubt, filled with solemn reflec¬ 
tion, and contemplation of the 
great events that had transpired 
on this once hallowed ground, 
since profaned, however, by 
those sent by the king of 
Babylon, seven hundred years 
before, to replace the Jews. 
Here now were the hated Sam¬ 
aritans, who being repelled by 
the Jews from participating in 
the worship at the Temple in 
Jerusalem, had built a temple of their own on Gerizim, for which they claimed 
a greater sanctity. Thus sprung up a hatred between the Jews and Samaritans 
that time had not diminished, but rather rooted more deeply. 

At the foot of a low spur which crops out near the northeastern base of 
Mount Gerizim was the celebrated well of Jacob, dug by that patriarch two 
thousand years before to water his vast herds. The centuries had not touched 










ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


439 


it with their corroding fingers; the well still remained as when first dug, 
eighty-five feet deep, through the solid rock, and eight feet in diameter, while the 
water continued its grateful flow as in the early years of Jewish freedom. She- 
chem, once the capital of Judah, where kings were crowned, was near by, but 
no longer a royal city; it alone showed signs of decay, but the poor people 
still came out from its broken gates to draw water at the famous well, uncon¬ 
scious, though, of the portentous events that had transpired about the place. 

It was in the vale of Shechem, beside the hoary but inviting well of Jacob, 
that Jesus came with His disciples, in the heat of the day, and rested for a 
while. The disciples tarried but a few moments, for they had no food with 
them, and went on into the city to buy provisions. While they were gone a 
woman of Sychar, which was a village near by, came to draw water at the 
well, and as she carried a water-pot and rope Christ asked her to draw and 
give Him drink. Perceiving at once that he was a Jew, the woman replied, 
“ How is it that Thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, who am a woman of 
Samaria?” Conscious of the absence of any outward appearance of Divinity in 
His nature, Christ gave the woman such an answer as was calculated to excite 
in her a curiosity to know something concerning Him : “If thou knewest the 
gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, ‘ Give Me to drink/ thou wouldst 
have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water.” 

Believing that Christ had reference to fresh water from the well, but evi¬ 
dently impressed by his august address or the benign expression of his coun¬ 
tenance, she addressed him most respectfully, saying, “Master, Thou hast 
nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; from whence then hast Thou that 
living water?” 

Having gained her respect, and doubtless excited her curiosity, Jesus 
increased her confusion of mind by saying, “Whosoever drinketh of this water 
shall thirst again ; but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him 
shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well 
of water springing up into everlasting life.” Eager with anticipation, she asks, 
“ Master, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.” 

Seeing that she was incapable of understanding the import of His words, 
Christ determined to reveal His nature to her in a more direct manner, and 
accordingly asked her to call her husband, knowing what reply she would 
make. Confused the more by His request, she answered, “ I have no husband.” 
This gave to Christ the opportunity which He foresaw to show her how per¬ 
fectly He knew the heart and mind of all through the Divine power within 
Him : “ Thou hast well said, ‘ I have no husbandfor thou hast had five hus¬ 
bands ; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband : in that saidst thou 
truly.” In other words, He told the woman that she was living in a condition 
of unlawful cohabitation, and so explicitly revealed her life that she saw her 
questioner must be more than mortal, and gave expression to this belief by 
saying to Him, “ Master, I perceive that Thou art a prophet.” A discourse 


440 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Slewed, wherein Christ taught the woman the difference between an outward 
worship of God through impressive ceremonies in fine temples, and the worship 
of Him in the heart and spirit. “ But the hour cometh, and now is, when the 
true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the 
Father seeketh such to worship Him.” Moved by what the Lord spoke, and 
catching, as it were, the shadow of His Divine nature, the woman spoke, “ I 
know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ. When He is come, He will 
tell us all things,” whereupon Jesus replied, u I that speak unto thee am He. 

At this moment, when the conversation was most interesting, and the heart 
leaps with expectation for another revelation, the disciples who had been sent 
to Shechem for food returned and expressed in mute astonishment their sur¬ 
prise at finding Jesus in familiar conversation with so lowly a person. The 
woman, however, transported with enthusiasm, put down her water-pot and 
hastened away to tell her people of the wonderful man she had met at Jacob’s 
Well. To her friends she exclaimed, “ Come, see a man which told me all 
things that ever I did: Is not this the Christ?” 

While the woman was gone the disciples offered the food which they had 
brought and besought Jesus to eat, but He only answered, “I have meat to 
eat that ye know not of.” Not understanding the import of His words the 

disciples, in their simplicity, inquired 
if, during their absence, any man had 
brought Him food, to which He an¬ 
swered that His meat was to do the will 
of His Heavenly Father. Then lifting 
His eyes toward the green fields which 
stretched away down that beautiful val¬ 
ley and suggested to Him the exquisite 
parable, He spoke, “ Say not ye, There 
are yet four months and then cometh 
harvest ? behold I say unto you, Lift 
up your eyes, and look on the fields ; 
for they are white already to harvest. 

And he that 
reapeth recei¬ 
ve th wages, 
and gathered 
fruit unto life 
eternal.” 

The woman 
soon return¬ 
ed to Jesus, 
followed by a 
number of 


























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


441 


her townspeople, who surrounded and entreated Him to return home with them, 
accepting Him at once as the long-promised Messiah. For two days He tarried 
with the Samaritans, and though it is not recorded what He said to them, the 
effect of His teaching was to make many believe that He was indeed Christ, 
the Saviour of the w T orld. 

The familiarity which Jesus exhibited with the Samaritans, those most 
bitterly detested by the Jews, was the first lesson He taught that all people, 
regardless of race or training, were equally favored of God, provided the heart 
inclined to truth and righteousness; it was also a sign which Jesus chose to 
give that the exclusiveness of the Jewish Church was offensive to God, and that 
Divine sympathy and love extended to all mankind, not excepting such 
degraded creatures as He knew the woman at the well to be. 

healing of the nobleman’s son. 

After tarrying two days in the vicinity of Shechem, Jesus and His disci¬ 
ples resumed their journey into Galilee. It would appear that some desired 
that He should go to Nazareth, for as He travelled, conversing of the people 
and their spiritual needs, He says, in sorrow, “ A prophet hath no honor in 
his own country.” Evidently this must have been His reason for not going 
to Nazareth, which lay so near by His route as He journeyed on to Cana. 
His fame had so rapidly in creased and gone before Him that as He came into the 
gates of Cana vast throngs greeted Him, many no doubt led by curiosity, but 
others believing that He was indeed the promised Messiah. 

Among these latter who came earnestly to seek Him was a member of the 
court of Herod Antipas, miscalled a “nobleman” in the translation. This man 
rode down from Capernaum to ask Christ’s blessing upon his son, who lay 
sick near unto death, the physicians who attended him having given him over 
to die. This courtier was like nearly all the others who came to see Jesus; 
while they had some faith, certainly more than a hope that He was Christ, yet 
they were moved by a curiosity to behold the proof in miracles rather than in 
instructions which pointed them to the way of eternal life. When the courtier, 
therefore, asked Jesus to come down and heal his son, he evidently expected 
that Jesus could really perform such a miracle and that He would esteem it ar 
honor to work His powers before the people upon a person of rank. But 
instead of immediately responding to the request, Jesus answered: “Except ye 
see signs and wonders, ye will not believe,” which was in the nature of a 
reproof for the curiosity which was displayed, and which was well merited. 
However, the courtier was too anxious for the life of his son to waste time in 
listening to pious reflections, and in the agony of suspense he implores Christ, 
“Sir (equivalent to master), come down ere my child die! ” Thus appealed to, 
in language which manifested his faith in the ability of Jesus to save his boy, 
Christ dismissed the trustful courtier with these grateful words: “Go thy way: 
thy son liveth.” That the man of rank believed from that hour his son would 


442 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


recover, is attested by the fact that he re¬ 
turned home at once, but travelled so slowly 
that though Capernaum was but twenty-five 
miles distant from Cana, he did not reach 
his house until evening of the following day. 
As his servants saw him approaching they 
ran out to greet him with the joyful tidings, 
“ Thy son liveth,” or, more properly, “ Thy 
son has recovered.” Then he asked them 
what hour he began to amend, and they 
replied at the seventh hour of yesterday did 
the fever leave him. As this was the hour 
when Jesus had promised that his son should 
be healed, the courtier knew it was to Christ 
he owed his restoration, so he and all his 
house believed on Jesus and glorified Him. 
After this, Christ preached in the syna¬ 
gogues and converted all who came to hear 
Him about Cana. 

THE PEOPLE OF NAZARETH SEEK HIS LIFE. 

When the fame of Jesus had spread 
throughout all Galilee, and He was called 
by the people of many cities in Palestine to 
come and preach to them, just as the services of popular ministers of to-day are 
in great demand, His heart, yearning for Nazareth, where his boyhood was spent, 
prompted Him to go from Cana to that town. He dismissed His disciples, how¬ 
ever, and journeyed on alone, healing and preaching by the way. Arriving at 
Nazareth, he spent some time with His mother and went to the synagogue to 
worship with His people, without, however, exhibiting Himself as a teacher, or 
appearing in any respect other than as an humble man, careful of His conduct 
and pious in His demeanor. 

The Jewish synagogue in Christ’s day was a very plain building, though 
often built of the purest marble. On one side of the entrance were seats for 
the men; on the other, behind a lattice, the women, wrapped in their long 
veils, sat and worshipped. At the end was the tebhah , or ark, of painted 
wood, which held the rolls of Scripture, and at one side of this was the bema , 
an elevated seat for the reader, who was any one who had a reputation for 
learning, and had been invited by the chief of the synagogue to take that 
part of the service. In the chief seat sat ten or more u men of leisure,” one 
of them the chief of the synagogue. The chazzen , or “ angel,” was the man 
who had the care of the Scripture rolls, handing them to the reader. After 
the prayers two lessons were always read, one from the Law, or books of 
Moses, and one from the Prophets. 



















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


443 


The fame of Jesus, as the promised Messiah, did not reach Nazareth, it 
appears, until a time after His visit to the place, subsequent to performing 
His miracles in Cana. Report had no doubt been made often to the Naza- 
renes that He was in the line of the priesthood, and therefore entitled to 
teach in the synagogues, but very few believed it, and were the less disposed 
to give the claim credence from the fact that He was not brought up in the 
schools wherein candidates were prepared for the priesthood, but spent His 
early years assisting His father at his trade as a carpenter. However, when 
it was told in Nazareth how Jesus healed the courtier’s son, and of the enthu¬ 
siasm inspired by His teachings at Cana, He was invited by the rabbis to 
read the second lesson on a certain Sabbath. In compliance with this request 
He ascended to the seat prepared for the reader, and taking the sacred roll, 
opened it and read the following prophetic words of Isaiah, peculiarly appro¬ 
priate to the occasion: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath 
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the 
broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight 
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable 
year of the Lord.” When Jesus had thus read He returned the roll to the 
keeper, and sat down and began to preach, saying, among other things that 
excited the wonder of His hearers, “ This day is this Scripture fulfilled in 
your ears.” This declaration, taken in connection with the reports of His 
Messiahship, led the people to desire of Him some evidence that He was the 
promised Christ, for, said they, “ Is not this Joseph’s son ? ” Anticipating 
their desire, He forestalled it by saying, “Ye will surely say unto Me this 
proverb: * Physician, heal thyself;’ whatsoever we have heard done in Caper¬ 
naum (or Cana), do also here in this country; but I say unto you, no prophet 
is accepted in his own country.” In proof of this He reminded them that 
Elias (Elijah) came to the succor of only one widow in the days of the famine 
in Sidon, though there were thousands suffering; so were there many lepers in 
Israel, in the time of Eliseus (Elisha), but the prophet healed only Naaman, 
who was a Syrian. 

When the people saw that He would perform no miracle to gratify their 
curiosity, and that He answered their requests in this wise, while denouncing 
their sins, all the congregation arose in wrath and, seizing upon Him as a 
blasphemer and infamous pretender, they carried Him by force out of the city 
and to the Trow of a high eminence which overlooked a rugged gorge covered 
with rocks deep below. Here they determined to wreak their full vengeance 
by casting Him headlong, that He might be dashed in pieces on the stones 
and His carcass be given to the ravens. But His hour had not yet come. In 
a moment the wild cries subsided, the voice of anger was hushed; a calm stole 
upon the mad throng, and amid the silence of the stricken crowd, palsied by 
the breath of Omnipotence, He walked out from among them and went peace¬ 
fully on His way. Thus was a miracle wrought before their eyes, but their 
hearts were not softened. 


444 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES. 

The scene of Christ’s next labors and miracle was beside the Lake of 
Galilee, -in the vicinity of Capernaum, a town which had many attractions for 
Him, perhaps, because of His invariable good treatment by the citizens, not 
less than the romantic picturesqueness of the place. This lake is variously 
called in the Scriptures, Sea of Galilee, of Tiberias, and of Gennesaret, and 
became the scene of many of the Lord’s miracles. Here He spent a greater 
portion of His ministry, devoted to preaching, relieving the sick, and casting 
out devils. It is here that Christ is first presented to our view as preaching 
to such vast multitudes that He was forced to take His station in a boat on 
the lake, pushed off from the shore, so as to face all the people. To gain 
this position He had recourse to one of two fishing boats that were drawn out 
upon the beach, while the owners, two brothers, named Simon and Andrew, 
were washing their nets after several ineffectual hauls. After Christ had 
preached awhile from the boat He called to Simon and Andrew, and bade them 
push off in the other boat to deep water and to let down their nets. In reply 
to this request Simon responded, “ Master, we have toiled all the night, and 
have taken nothing; nevertheless, at Thy word, I will let down the net.” 
This answer was equivalent to replying that he knew there were no fish to be 
taken in the lake at that place, but, if Jesus desired it, he would cast the net 
to show how useless had been their toil. In making this demonstration, how¬ 
ever, instead of bringing up an empty net as before, Simon and Andrew found 
the net so filled with fish that in the strain to draw them in the lines broke, 
and they had to call for help from some fishermen in another boat some little 
distance away. These other fishers were John and James, the sons of Zebedee, 
who was also a fisherman of Galilee, and they came quickly to the aid of their 
astonished partners. When the fish of this single haul were secured they were 
thrown into the two boats, which were loaded to the point of sinking. This 
miraculous draught was made in the presence of all the vast multitude, and 
so impressed was Simon with the sight that he fell down upon his knees, 
exclaiming, “ Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord,” thus, by direct 
prayer and confession of sin, recognizing for the first time Christ’s divinity. 
In response to this prayer Jesus said to Simon: “Fear not; from henceforth 
thou shalt catch men.” The impression made upon Simon was no greater 
than the effect produced upon his brother, Andrew, and John and James, for 
the four brought their boats to land, and leaving them, loaded as they were, 
with a catch which might have yielded them a sum very considerable in the 
eyes of men so poor as they, followed Jesus and became His disciples. 

CHRIST DRIVES A DEMON OUT OF A MAN POSSESSED. 

On the Sabbath following the miraculous draught of fishes Jesus went up 
to Capernaum, on the north shore of the lake, and preached there in the syna¬ 
gogue. While conducting His discourse a man interrupted Him with the excla 


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445 


mation, which brought great surprise to the congregation: “ Ha I What have I 
to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us?” 
Christ instantly perceived that this poor creature was a lunatic, with probably 
only a ray of reason left to remind him that Jesus had been called an impostor 
by the Nazarenes. Whether, however, it was the irony of lunacy which prompted 
the victim to add, “ I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God,” or 
whether this speech was-suggested by an evil spirit that possessed the man, 
we are left to form our own conclusions, but since in either view of the case 
the demonstration of Christ’s power remains the same, any controversy concern¬ 
ing these points becomes hypercritical. We have already seen, in the tempta¬ 
tion of Jesus, how powerless Satan was in the presence of the Holy One; and 
in the miracles which were afterward performed Christ shows His power over 
evil spirits. 

It was evident from the text, however, that the people believed the disturber 
of their worship was possessed of a devil, or unclean spirit, and therefore 
Christ chose rather to indulge this belief than to excite a controversy which 
might diminish the effect of the lesson He sought to teach. Accordingly, He 
spoke to the man, “Hold thy peace, and come out of him.” Instantly reason 
was restored to the sufferer, and he turned from his delusions and frenzies to 
worshipping Jesus. 

This miracle astounded the congregation, as well it might. They had thus 
seen a manifestation of the Divine mind over that of a deranged being, and 
perceived that with a word Christ could perform such wonders as only one 
who possessed the power from God, or was leagued with the Prince of Dark¬ 
ness, could accomplish. They gave expression to their surprise by asking one 
another, “ What thing is this ? What new doctrine is this ? For with what 
authority commandeth He even the unclean spirits and they obey Him?” But 
though they did not fully understand through what influence Christ cast out 
devils—which all crazy persons were supposed to possess—they were satisfied 
that He was no ordinary man, and they therefore spread His fame until all 
Galilee was excited and the crowds that flocked to see Him continued to 
increase. 

HEALING THE SICK AND CASTING OUT DEVILS. 

When Jesus came out of the synagogue He went to the house of Simon 
Peter, who had extended to Him the hospitality of his humble home, which 
must have been poor indeed, since he was a fisherman, dependent upon his 
daily catch of fish for subsistence. When Christ entered the lowly abode, one 
of the first things He saw there was a sick woman, consumed with a fever, 
and unable to raise her head. She was the mother of Simon’s wife, being cared 
for by a dutiful daughter, whose distress was great, but whose parental love 
brought sunshine into the home of poverty. Jesus went immediately to the 
bedside, and taking the sick mother’s hand, gently raised her up, probably at 
the same time passing His healing touch over her hot brow, when suddenlv 


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the fever left her and she arose, restored to health and full of thanksgiving. 
So great was the excitement now in Capernaum that people from the country 
about came hastening to Him; they crowded the fisherman s hut, poured out 
into the yard, filled the streets, probably gathered on the house-tops to catch a 
glimpse of His gracious form. Many came out of curiosity, others as believers 
in His Messiahship, and yet others were brought suffering from all manner of 
ills, the sick, the lame, and those afflicted with insanity—possessed of devils. 
These were speedily healed by a touch of His magic hand, and sent on their 
way praising God for the gift of a blessed Saviour. . When the Sabbath day 
had been thus spent dispensing blessings upon the sick, and in giving hope 
to those who sought the means of salvation, Jesus rested and slept under 
Simon’s roof until the early hours of morning, when He stole out before the 
crowds began to assemble again, and retired to a lonely spot to pray and hold 
communion with His Heavenly Father. But the anxiety of the people was 
such that, with Simon, they went out, about the break of day, to search for 
Jesus, and when He was found they greeted Him with the persuasive plea; 
“ All men seek for Thee.” His reply was, “ Let us go into the next town that 
I may preach there also; for therefore came I forth.” This was equivalent to 
telling the people of Capernaum that He had done enough to convince them 
of His mission and to show them the way unto salvation; that it was now His 
duty to declare Himself, by divine works, in other places. So He went into 
all the towns of Galilee, preaching and healing the sick, while crowds continued 
to follow Him wherever He went. So general had become His fame as The 
Christ, attested by so many miracles wrought before the eyes of multitudes, 
that thousands came to hear Him from Syria, Decapolis, and the region beyond 
the Jordan, including all Judea. 

JESUS HEALS A LEPER. 

While preaching in a certain city, the name of which none of the apostles 
have given us, a man afflicted with leprosy came to Jesus beseeching, and 
kneeling down to Him, said: “If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.” 
Leprosy has always been, and is to this day, regarded as the most terrible of 
all diseases that mankind is subject to. In the time of Christ, however, to its 
loathsome and incurable virulence was added the belief that leprosy was the 
type of inveterate sin, so that the sufferer was not only excluded from the 
society of his fellows, but was also denied the ordinances of religion. But 
outcast as he was among men, the leper found fellowship with Christ, for the 
Divine One had compassion on him, and stretching forth His hand He touched 
the sufferer, saying: “I will; be thou made clean,” and immediately the man 
was cured. In healing the leper, therefore, Christ proved that He could purge 
the soul of sin as easily as He could drive disease from the body, but yet He 
carefully regarded the law, and charged the leper to repair to a priest and offer 
a thank-offering, as appointed by Moses, for his restoration; he was also 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


447 


admonished against telling any one of what had been done for him, but to go 
directly to the priest and offer himself for cleansing. Instead of obeying this 



“THY SINS BE FORGIVEN THEE.” 

injunction of the Lord, the leper, unable to repress his joy and thankfulness, 
went “blazing abroad 1 ' the miracle of his healing. The report spread rapidly, 
















































































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and thousands of cripples, sick, lepers and infirm so besieged Jesus that to 
escape their importunities, for a necessary rest, He withdrew for a time into the 
wilderness. 

THE PERSISTENCY OF THE FAITHFUL. 

After Jesus had rested a short while in the wilderness, He returned to 
Capernaum and began again His gracious ministrations to the sick. Many 
Pharisees came now to hear Him, as well as others learned in the law who 
were attracted partly out of curiosity, but chiefly by a desire to manifest theii 
learning and to accuse Him of violations before the people. While Christ was 
teaching before the great crowd so mixed with carpers and the faithful, oppor¬ 
tunity was afforded for Him to manifest His power, and at the same time 
impart a wholesome lesson to the Pharisees. The house in which Jesus was 
preaching was not only filled, but the crowd outside and at the door was so 
dense that neither exit nor entrance was possible. Four friends of a palsied 
man had sought in vain for an entrance, desiring to reach Jesus with their 
charge, but being unable to penetrate the crowd they at length drew the suf¬ 
ferer up on to the housetop, and removing the tiling from the roof, they thus 
made an opening through which they lowered the palsied man on his bed to 
where Christ stood. By this act perceiving how - great was the poor man’s 
faith, Jesus turned to the bedridden paralytic and said: “Thy sins be forgiven 
thee.” Horrified at these words, which sounded so blasphemous to the Phari¬ 
sees, in a protesting spirit they incpiired: “ Who can forgive sins, but God 
alone?” In reply to this cavilling inquiry He asked: “Which is easier, to say, 
Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, Rise, take up thy bed and walk ? ” To 
demonstrate, therefore, His divine prerogative, He said: “ But that ye may 
know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, I say unto 
thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go unto thy house.” Immediately the 
paralytic was infused with new life, and with a gleeful bound he got up, and 
taking his couch upon his shoulders like the strong man which he had thus 
suddenly become, walked out of the house giving praise to God. This sight 
was a convincing demonstration even to the Pharisees, who now also glorified 
Jesus, and being filled with fear, said to one another: “We have seen strange 
things to-day.” 

JESUS ILLUSTRATES HIS DISCOUSE BY PARABLES. 

After healing the paralytic, Jesus went out of the house where He had 
been preaching and repaired to the shore of Lake Gennesaret, whither the great 
multitude of people followed, anxious to hear every word He might speak and 
to see every wonder He might perform. As He walked toward the lakeside 
He saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at a stand where he received taxes 
from the Jews. 

These tax gatherers were called publicans, and were under-officers of the 
Roman government, whose arbitrary exactions made them objects of intense 



The Sermon on the Mount—Matt. 5:1 





















449 


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loathing to the Jews. There were some, however, as we find in every obnoxious 
vocation, that were possessed of humane feelings, and who, while their calling 
was despised, were personally liked. Such a one seems to have been Levi, after¬ 
wards called Matthew. This man received the Lord’s favor, probably because 
ot his good reputation among the people of Capernaum, and he was accordingly 
called by Jesus to follow Him. What the nature of this call was we are only 
able to determine by subsequent events, for we know that Levi (Matthew) 
became from that moment one of his disciples. 

When Christ had preached again on the shores of the lake, generally 
called the sea , He returned to Matthew’s house and sat down with him to eat; 
so persistent was the crowd, however, that several followed Him into the house, 
some of whom were doubtless Matthew’s neighbors or friends, and a number 
sat down at the table with Him. When the Pharisees saw Jesus thus eating 
with Levi, the publican, and with Gentiles, whom they called sinners, they 
turned quickly to the disciples among them, and in an accusing voice said, 
“ He eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners.” To the implacable 
character of the Jews, who were the greatest of sticklers for the letter of their 
laws, this commingling with sinners,_ and with the obnoxious tax collectors, 
was unpardonable, and to them an evidence of Christ’s moral delinquency. 
Hearing their complaints, Jesus condescended to explain to them that it is not 
those in health who need a physician, but the sick ; and that His mission was 
not to call the righteous, but the sinful to repentance, which answer was so 
apt and convincing that the Pharisees were confused. When after this confu¬ 
sion they asked Him why it was that, while John’s disciples fasted accord¬ 
ing to the law, His own disciples disregarded such observance, He replied to 
them by parables which illustrated that the spiritual power of His own king¬ 
dom was not confined within forms and traditions that appealed only to the 
eye but rather to the heart, the seat of conscience. 

When the Sabbath day arrived Jesus and his disciples were on a journey 
toward another part of Galilee, still followed by a large body of men, not a 
few of whom were Pharisees. These self-righteous bigots had often beheld the 
power that had been given Him, and were ready to confess the more than 
human agency which He employed, but were still quite as ready to condemn 
any infraction of the old Jewish law as before; so when His disciples began to 
pluck the ears of corn which grew in a field through which the route lay, 
these Pharisees exclaimed in their holy horror, “ Behold, why do they on the 



29 















450 


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Sabbath day that which is not lawful ? ” But Jesus only answered, by remind¬ 
ing them of how David, to appease his hunger, had entered into the house 
of God and eaten the shew-bread, which it was unlawful for any but priests to 
eat; that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath; more 
than this He declared that the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath. 


THE PHARISEES DEMAND HIS PUNISHMENT. 

After this Jesus entered into a synagogue and began to preach on a 
Sabbath to a large congregation; while He was thus teaching a man approachec 
having a withered hand, which he extended and begged the Lord to restore. 

The Pharisees were all attention in a moment, wondering if He would 
do such a gracious miracle on the sacred day in the synagogue devoted exclu¬ 
sively to worship. Jesus knew how the bigots in their hearts desired to accuse 
Him, and addressing them He therefore said, “ Is it lawful on the Sabbath 
day to do good, or to do harm ? to save life or to kill ? ” But none of them 
answered Him, whereupon, seeing how embittered were their feelings toward 
Him and that they had set their regard upon the strict letter of the law, even 
though it were in conflict with the noblest instincts in nature, He said to the 
man, “ Stretch forth thy hand.” Immediately the man had extended his arm, 
in obedience to the command, his hand was fully restored. Though a miracle 
was thus performed in their presence the Pharisees and Herodians accused 
Jesus of violating the law, and they set up a fierce cry against Him, demanding 
that He be stoned, or otherwise severely dealt with as a blasphemer and criminal. 

To the reader who knows nothing of the austerites of the Jewish 
laws, or of the extraordinary bigotry of the Pharisaic sect, a refusal 
to accept the miracles performed by Christ as an evidence of His 
Divine nature, appears contrary to human nature. But it was to 
the tenacious principles of the race that a rejection of Christ was 
due, and to those understanding the Jewish nature and tradition, 
that rejection is perfectly natural. The Pharisee devoted all his 
spare time to a religious study of the traditions of the rabbis, 
which he considered far more important than the Scriptures 
themselves. For this reason, the declarations of the rabbis 
were held in greater veneration than the words of the pro¬ 
phets. A thousand foolish stories were told, and implicitly believed, 
of how certain rabbis had manifested their power over the elements 

and made 
inanimate ob¬ 
jects obedi¬ 
ent to their 
will. 

The Phari¬ 
see was dis- 



ftaj Rarertv , and irelievelh 

that pent me HATH everlasting li^e, and 
. . . (passed Jrom. dealt, pmto 












ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


451 


tinguished by the broad fringe to bis dress, the great size of the four 
tassels on his cap, and the large phylacteries, or little boxes contain- 
ing Scripture 'texts, which he wore strapped on his forehead and right 
arm. They prayed aloud, and took care that all should hear of any alms 
they gave. Some of them were sincere, devoted men—Pharisees from love to 
God—but, as a class, they were hypocrites, as Jesus called them, making num¬ 
berless laws for the common people, and secretly breaking them themselves. 
One can better understand how these Pharisees bound heavy burdens on men’s 
shoulders (as Christ said), by learning a few of the laws which they made as 
to the Sabbath. The day began at sunset on Friday and ended with sunset 
on Saturday ; and, as the disappearance of the sun was the only mark of the 
time, its commencement was different on a hill-top and in a valley. If it were 
cloudy, the hens going to roost was the signal. The beginning and the close 
of the Sabbath was announced by a trumpet. All food must be prepared, all 
vessels washed, and all lights kindled before sunset. The money girdle must be 
taken off, and all tools laid aside. On Friday, before the beginning of the 
Sabbath, no one must go out of his house with a needle or a pin lest he forget 
to lay them aside before the Sabbath opens. Every one must also search 
his pockets at that time to see that there is nothing left in them with which 
it is forbidden to go out on the Sabbath. To wear one kind of sandals was 
“ carrying a burden,” while to wear another kind was not. It was unlawful to go 
out with wooden sandals or shoes which had nails in the soles, or with a shoe and 
a slipper, unless one foot were hurt. It was unlawful for any one to carry a 
loaf on the public street; but if two carried it, it was not unlawful. The quan¬ 
tity of food that might be carried on the Sabbath was settled by the rabbis ; it 
must be less in bulk than a dried fig; if of honey, only as much as would 
anoint a wound; if water, as much as would make eye-salve; if ink, as much 
as would form two letters. To light a fire, or even to put out a dangerous con¬ 
flagration on the Sabbath, was considered a grave crime. No one might admin¬ 
ister physic to the sick, set a broken bone, or put one back that had slipped out 
of joint on the Sabbath. Even if a person were buried under ruins no one might 
attempt to uncover him. There were also set rules for washing on the Sabbath. 
Water must be drawn on the previous day, and when used on the Sabbath it must 
be only for sprinkling the hands. For a long while a heated discussion was 
carried on between two Pharisees as to whether or not it was lawful to eat an egg 
that had been laid on a Sabbath. There was no dispute, however, on the point 
as to whether an egg could be thus eaten if laid by a hen that was kept for no 
other purpose. Such an idea was monstrous in the eyes of both; but if it had 
been decided that a hen should be killed and eaten on the day following, and 
by chance she lay an egg on the Sabbath ? That was the question. One rabbi, 
Schammai, said such an egg might be lawfully eaten, but another rabbi, Hillel, 
held otherwise, and the egg was accordingly condemned. 

There were thirty-nine principal occupations forbidden to the Jews on the 


452 


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Sabbath. A traveller must stop at the hour of midnight on Friday regardless 
of the wilderness or weather he might be in. The lame were permitted to 
use a crutch, but the blind could not lawfully carry a cane. A person could 
not carry a fan or whip to drive off the flies ; a handkerchief must not be 
carried loose in the pocket, though it might be carried if tied to a girdle at 
the waist. 

Though so many small things were forbidden to be done by a Jew on the 
Sabbath, it was lawful for his Gentile servant to do them for him, by which 
loop-hole through the law the rich Jew did not have to deny himself many 
privileges. Not only did they adopt many devices for indulging what the law 
forbade, but their hypocrisy extended so far that the Pharisees made of the 
Sabbath a day of feasting and social enjoyment, during which a bounteous hospi¬ 
tality was practised by the wealthy. 

Amidst such austerities, subtleties, superstitions and bigotry, it is small 
matter for surprise that Jesus should become the object of hatred to the 
Pharisees, whose hypocrisy He was constantly exposing; but though they 
cried out in threats against Him, He passed them by and went up to Jerusalem 
to attend the celebration of the Passover. 

CHRIST HEALS THE CRIPPLE AT BETHESDA’S POOL. 

Soon after Christ came within the gates of Jerusalem He repaired to the 
pool of Bethesda (signifying the house of mercy), which was near the sheep- 
gate on the northeast side of the Temple. 

It is said that the waters of this tank were connected with those of the 
pool of Siloam by subterraneous channels, through which there were sudden 
flushes that made the water bubble up in commotion. At such seasons the 
water was supposed to have healing virtues, confined, however, to the first 
who stepped down into the tank, around which porticos were built to sheltei 
the multitude of sick and cripples who came to take their chance. The doubts 
that have been cast upon the prodigy do not in the least detract from the 
use made of it by Christ. On the contrary, the supposition of its being a 
delusion sets the truth of His miracle in a more striking light, as being the 
reality of that power which was there vainly sought. In any case, the miracle 
itself displayed the power, which Jesus displayed in a subsequent discourse, of 
exercising authority both over the laws of nature and the positive institutions 
of religion. The case chosen by our Lord was among the most hopeless of 
all that lay in the house of mercy. The cripple had been paralyzed for 
thirty-eight years, the very period that his forefathers had wandered in the 
wilderness; and the burden of his infirmities was aggravated by the conscious¬ 
ness that they were the natural reward of his sins. Thus he was a fit type 
of the people, in whom Jesus fulfilled the words of Isaiah, “ Himself took our 
infirmities and bare our sicknesses.” Jesus healed him, not by helping him to 
the water, nor by any other visible agency, but by the very command to use 




Christ Healing the Sick—Matt. 8:16 

































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


453 


the powers that had been so long suspended: “ Rise, take up thy bed and 
walk! ” 


When the man, restored upon the moment, took up his pallet and started 



POOL OF BETHESDA. 

“ For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water.”— John v. 4. 

with it toward his home, the Pharisees stopped him on the way, saying, “ It is 
unlawful for thee to carry thy bed on the Sabbath.” To which he responded, 
with that confidence born of the miracle which had been done for him, that 

















































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he had been bidden to carry it by the Great One who had healed him. When 
these Jews knew that it was Jesus who had again counselled the violation of 
their austere law, they made angry threats against Him and sought His life, 
but Christ defended His act by declaring to them that it was through God 
alone He was able to perform such wonders, and that as the Son of God He 
had been given the power to raise the dead and to call sinners to repentance. 
He thereupon announces to them that the hour was coming when the dead 



“arise, take up thy bed, and walk.” 


should hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. 
“ They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have 
done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” “ The works which the Father 
hath given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me 
that the Father hath sent Me.” 

After thus announcing the new law to the Jews, and explaining to them 




























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


45o 


from whence the power had come that enabled Him to do such great works, 
Jesus retired to a desert place on the mountain, and spent a night in prayer 
and communion with God. Early on the following morning a vast crowd 
assembled as usual to hear Him preach, but before discoursiug to them He 
called twelve persons from the assemblage whom He designed should become 
His special messengers on earth and to bear testimony to all His acts. These 
messengers He called apostles , and were selected from among those who had 
already been His intimate friends and followers during the first year of His 
ministry in Galilee. Their names were as follows: Simon Peter and Andrew 
his brother; James and John his brother, sons of Zebedee; Philip; Barthol¬ 
omew, who was first called Nathanael; Thomas; Matthew, who as a publican 
was called Levi; James the son of Alphseus; Simon the Canaanite, called 
Zealot; Judas Iscariot, and Thaddeus. Though the call of all alike proceeded 
from their Master’s grace, we cannot fail to notice those personal qualifications 
which He Himself condescended to own and use in his service: the firm faith 

ot Peter (the Rock ) ; the energy of the sons of Zebedee, whom He surnamed 

Boanerges (Sons of Thunder *), united in John with that spirit of love that 
made him the beloved disciple; the fraternal and friendly affection of Andrew 
and Philip; the devotion and guileless sincerity of Nathanael; the self-sacrifice 
of Matthew; the practical godliness of James, and the firm resolve of his 
brother John to “contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints;” 

and, at the opposite extremity of the moral scale, that love of the world, 

which made Judas Iscariot an awful example, that even one of those chosen 
by Christ to live with Him and hear His word could yet betray his Master, 
A nd prove to have been all along “ a son of perdition ”—for “ He knew from 
the beginning, who should betray Him.” 

Having appointed the twelve disciples, and conferred upon them the Holy 
Spirit, by which, in His name, they were instructed to teach and heal the 
sick, Christ withdrew from before the multitude, and taking his beloved 
messengers higher up upon the mountain he there assembled them—after the 
manner of Moses when he took the heads of the twelve tribes to Sinai’s peak 
to expound to them the law—and instructed them in the new dispensation 
which they were to proclaim to all mankind. 

' Under the eye of God, Christ preached to His disciples “ as one having 
authority,” and revealed to their wondering, but no less admiring, senses what 
they should do in order to produce fruit meet for sinners, and who were really 
to be called blessed. Blessed, said He, are those who mourn, are patient, and 
are those who hunger after righteousness, so are they also blessed who are 
merciful to others, pure in heart, and they that keep peace among men. 

Besides these assurances of happiness through patience and humility, the 
Lord taught His disciples to practise forbearance and self-sacrifice even in the 
face of wrongs which they might suffer at the hands of persecutors, for by this 
they might learn to appreciate the sacrifice which He was born into the world 


456 


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to endure. His instructions, however, were summed up in the one general law 
which should constitute the golden text of every Christian’s life: * Thoxi shalt 
love the Lord thy God, and thy neighbor as thyself,” or “ Do unto others as 
you would have others do unto you.” He counselled them especially against 
worshipping after the manner of the Pharisees, who did their good works pub¬ 
licly with the view of gaining the praise of men; but to build their hopes and 
faith upon the rewards promised by God, who bestows His favors openly upon 
those who worship Him secretly. He illustrated His counsels by reciting the 
parable of the wise and foolish builders. The former built his house upon a 
rock, where the foundation was so secure that neither wave nor wind could 
move it; while the latter reared his habitation upon the sand, which yielded 
under the first assaults of the elements and was swept away. The former He 
likened unto the true Christian, whose foundation was truth and righteousness 

and a trust in God, while 
the latter represented the 
hypocrite, whose prop was 
vainglory and the applause 
of the world. 

THE CENTURION’S FAITH IS 
REWARDED. 

While Jesus was preach¬ 
ing in Capernaum, after 
appointing His disciples, a 
centurion, or captain of a 
company of Roman soldiers, 
sent to him by some of the 
Jewish elders asking Him 
to come to his house and 
heal a favorite servant who 
was at the time lyiug very ill. The Jewish messengers accordingly 
besought the Lord to do this favor for their friend, whom they pronounced 
to be a very excellent man, although a Roman, for he had shown great 
compassion for the Jews and had even built a synagogue with his own money, 
in which they might, worship. The request was at once responded to, but 
while Jesus was on His way to see the sick man He met other messengers 
that had been sent on the same errand as the first, who addressing Him, said, 
c< Lord, the centurion has not come himself to ask you this favor, esteeming 
himself as unworthy to approach your presence; nor does he regard himself 
so well as to merit your coming to his house, and in his humility, therefore, 
believing that Thou hast all power in the name of God, he begs that Thou 
wouldst will that his servant recover, being sure that in so doing it would be 
accomplished.” 



















Raising of the Widow’s Son—Luke 7:11 





















































































































































































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457 



vVhen Jesus had heard this message, the exhibition of implicit faith 
astonished Him, and turning to those who were with Him He declared that 
in all Israel He had not found one who had such belief as this Roman officer. 
He told them also that at the day of judgment many people of other nations 
who believed in Him would be saved, while the unbelieving Jews would be 
lost, since it was neither the forms of worship nor the race that God took account 
of, but the heart of every man. 

When the messengers re¬ 
turned to the centurion they 
found that the Lord’s will 
had been done, for the sick 
servant was suddenly made 
well. 


JESUS RAISES THE WIDOW’S 
SON. 


On the day after restoring 
the centurion’s servant, Jesus 
went to Nain, a small town 
of Galilee not far from Caper¬ 
naum. As He drew near to 
the gate of the city He was 
met by a funeral party bear¬ 
ing the body of a man away 
for burial. Beside the body 
walked a woman violently 
weeping, whose grief excited 
such compassion that Jesus 
stopped the cortege, and ap¬ 
proaching the woman, bade her 
not to weep. She told Him 
that on the bier was the body 
of her onfy son, by whose 
death she had been left with¬ 
out a staff to lean upon, and 
praised his virtues in life as only a fond and sorrowing mother could. 
While she was thus crying, Jesus went to the bier, and taking the hand of 
the dead boy, said, “ Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.” Picture in imagina¬ 
tion the surprise manifested by the funeral attendants, and the beatific joy of 
the loving mother, when they saw the dead thus restored, by a word, to life 
again, the pallor of death giving place to the rosy blush of health and strength! 
We cannot wonder that all who saw this marvellous sight were afraid, for in 
the midst of death the soul of the living seems burdened with an affinity for 


)ESUS RESTORES THE WIDOW’S SON TO RIFE. 










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THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


the immortal, and becomes leagued with melancholy. To behold, therefore, life 
burst forth anew from the dead, and throw off the cerements that already seem 
heavy with the odor of the grave, would produce a reaction so spontaneous as 
to convulse the soul. But in another moment the restored young man had 
spoken, and the spell of fear was broken; a joyful mother springs forward to 
convince herself that her son is really living, and as she clasps him to her 
bosom she finds a responsive heart beating measures to her own. And all who 

saw this miracle praised God. 

Some time after the raising 
of the widow’s son, we know 
not when, for the Bible does 
not pretend to describe the 
ministry of Jesus in the natu¬ 
ral sequence of events, Christ 
was invited to share the hos¬ 
pitality of a Pharisee named 
Simon. This man was some¬ 
what better than the sect to 
which he belonged, for he was 
impressed, by what he had 
seen, that Jesus had about 
Him many of the Divine at¬ 
tributes, though he could not 
reconcile His teachings with 
the Mosaic law, which he still 
reverently regarded. Thus was 
the Pharisee in conflict with 
himself, but he sought to know 
more of Christ, and therefore 
invited Him to his house. A 
sumptuous dinner was provided 
—which was a feature charac¬ 
teristic with the Pharisees—to 
which Jesus, the host and other 
friends sat down; but before 
the meal was begun a womar 
named Mary, of Magdala, having heard of the Saviour’s presence, came into the 
room bearing an alabaster box filled with holy ointment. Distinguishing Hirr 
at once she fell upon her knees and begged the Lord to have compassion anc 
to forgive the sins with which her soul was burdened. She then washed the 
feet of Jesus with her tears and wiped them with her hair, after which she 
anointed them with the precious balm which she had brought 

The Pharisee, knowing the woman to be a sinner, a lost sheep from the 










ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


459 


social fold, looked with horror upon what was being done, for it was the 
Pharisees’ boast that they suffered no sinner to touch them. In his heart he 
therefore said, “ If this man is indeed sent of God, he would know that this 
woman is a sinner, and would have sent her away.” Knowing that the Phari¬ 
see was revolving these thoughts in his mind, Jesus said to Him, “Simon, I 
have something to say to theewhereupon He propounded to the Jew 
this question: Two men owed another man money; one owed a large sum, 
while the other’s debt was small, but as neither was able to pay any part of 
his indebtedness the creditor 
freely cancelled the obliga¬ 
tions of both. Tell me, now, 
which of the two men should 
be the more thankful ? To 
this Simon replied, Surely 
the one whose debt was 
largest. Thou hast answered 
rightly, said Jesus. To illus¬ 
trate his meaning, and teach 
a practical lesson the to Phar¬ 
isee, He called Simon to bear 
witness to his own short¬ 
comings, for, said Christ, 
compare thyself with this 
woman; I entered into thine 
house, thou gavest Me no 
water for My feet; but she 
hath washed My feet with 
tears, and wiped them with 
the hairs of her head. Thou 
gavest Me no kiss; but this 
woman since the time I came 
in hath not ceased to kiss 
My feet. My head with oil 
thou didst not anoint; but 
this woman hath anointed 
My feet with ointment. 

Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she 
loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And 
He said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with Him 
began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also ? 

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. 

Heretofore, possibly in the first two years of His ministry, Jesus had 
given practical proof of His Divine nature, not only by the wisdom of His 














4G0 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


discourse, which confounded the rabbis, but by wondrous miracles that fully 
attested His powers. While many were convinced and sought Him as their 
Lord the Saviour, others of the Pharisaic order, and members of what we may 
term the Temple party, the priests, and arrogant scribes, vain with riches, 
refused to accept His works as evidence of His Godly nature. Admitting, as 
they were forced to do, that He healed the sick and cast out devils, yet they 
vociferously declared that it was not through the gift of the Holy Spirit, but 
by virtue of a league which He maintained with Satan, which made Him more 
worthy of death as a blasphemer and necromancer or witch. For this reason 
they pursued Him with malice and insult, seeking every way possible to indame 
the people against Him. 

Notwithstanding the taunts, rebukings and revilings of these self-righteous 
hypocrites, the popularity of Jesus continued to increase, and multitudes poured 
in upon Him from all parts of Palestine and Syria, and probably from Egypt, 
Arabia and Rome also. But He now began to change the character of His 
preaching, and adopted an objective style of teaching, by which He hoped to 
illustrate His discourse for the more perfect understanding of His hearers. 
Accordingly, he taught them by parables. 

On a certain day, it is related, Jesus went and sat by the seaside, but 
being soon surrounded by a great multitude anxious to receive His instruction, 
He went into a boat, and anchoring it a short distance from the shore, deliv¬ 
ered to them the parable of the sower. “ Behold,” said He, u a sower went 
forth to sow: and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the 
fowls came and ate them up; some fell among stony places, where they had 
not much earth, and forthwith they sprang up, but when the sun was up 
they were scorched, because they had no root. And some fell among thorns, 
and the thorns choked them; but others fell into good ground, and brought 
forth fruit, some an hundred, some sixty, and some thirty-fold. Who hath ears 
to hear, let him hear.” 

When the disciples asked Him to explain the meaning of this parable, He 
answered them by likening the sowing of seeds to the teachings of the truth. 
There are some who hear but cannot understand, and though they may be 
inclined for a time to believe, yet evil promptings arise to make them speedily 
forget their obligations to God; others receive the truth with understanding and 
rejoicing, but after cultivating it for a time succumb to tribulations or perse¬ 
cutions ; while yet others, like seed among the thorns, endeavor to receive 
righteousness and worldly pleasures into their souls at the same time, but 
which being irreconcilable, righteousness is crowded out to give place to vanity. 
But the seed that falls upon good ground is like the teachings of godliness, 
that find permanent lodgment in the heart and understanding, where, in such 
goodly soil, they bring forth the fruit of righteousness. 

Jesus also gave the multitude other parables, which brought directly home, 
to them that heard, the lessons which they needed most to learn. 




CHAPTER XXX. 

JESUS CALMS THE TEMPEST. 

k HEN Jesus had given these parables to the multi- 
titude He departed in a vessel for the other 
shore of Gennesaret, accompanied by His disci¬ 
ples and several sailors; but they had not 
gone far when a tempest arose which grew 
fiercer until there was danger of the boat found¬ 
ering. Wearied by preaching so long, and min¬ 
istering almost night and day to the countless 
crowds that thronged about Him, He took ad¬ 
vantage of the quiet hour afforded on board the 
vessel and sought repose. Here He slept, unmind- 
of roaring wind and lashing wave which rocked 
with the safety that a mother lulls her babe to 
there was fear upon those who were cradled with 
they saw not the hand of God outstretched above the 
craft, but looked upon the lowering clouds as so many 
fingers of a destroying demon, moving towards them with relentless fury and 
a savage fierceness that would pall any save those having a heart filled with 
abiding faith. Wave after wave dashed over the frail shallop, while deafening 
blasts rent the sails. With the energy of despair the sailors manned the 
pumps, but their labor was as futile as though they had been baling the sea. 
Hopeless, exhausted, the crew ceased their battling and rushed to where Jesus 
lay peacefully sleeping, crying, “ Master, Master, carest Thou not that we per¬ 
ish ? ” Did they believe there was a hand to save ? No! It was a cry like, 
Wake, wake, the vessel is sinking; every man now for himself; seize whatever 

461 



























4(52 THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

is near that will float, and trust to fate for salvation. But as Jesus awoke, fie 
gazed about for a moment upon the pale faces and hurrying feet of the 
stricken crew, and without moving from His seat bade the wind cease, and with 
a calm voice spoke to the raging sea, u Peace, be still.” In a moment the 
elements, obedient to His will, hushed their wild ravings and sunk their white 
crests beneath a placid surface, while the whispering winds went back into 
their cavern homes, and u there was a great calm.” u And He said unto them: 
Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” In their wonder 
and thankfulness the crew could make no answer, but looking into each other’s 
eyes they said within themselves, u What manner of man is this, that even the 
wind and the sea obey Him ? ” 


JESUS COMMANDS THE TEMPEST AND IT OBEYS. 

DEVILS CAST OUT OF TWO DEMONIACS. 

When Jesus passed over Lake Gennesaret, He landed in the country on 
the east side called Gergasa, where, it appears, the people were awaiting Him. 
He had scarcely landed when two demoniacs came out of the “ tombs,” in the 
language of the Scriptures, but in reality out of their cave dwellings on the 
hillsides of Gadara, and in fierce words, disputing His way, cried out, “ What 
have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God ? Art Thou come hither to 
tormeiV us before the time ? ” At that moment a large herd of swine were per¬ 
ceived Ceding on an adjacent hill, and the devils besought Him that if Hp cast 
them out He would permit them to enter the swine. The request was granted, 










Raising of Jairus’ Daughter—Luke 8:54 






































. 

■ 






ILLUSTRATE?) BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


463 


and immediately the devils .ert the demoniacs and entered the swine, which, 
being thus possessed, ran down the hill and plunged into the lake, where they 
speedily perished. The swineherds, astounded and angered by the sudden loss 
of their animals, ran quickly to Gadara and reported what had occurred, which 
brought out the entire population of the town in protest. They, fearful of His 
power, begged Him to leave their coast. 

We can only understand the importance of this miracle by considering the 
circumstances under which it was wrought. The Gadarenes were what would 
have been called “ tomb dwellers ” at the time, but which have since been 
classed as troglodytes , or “ cave dwellers.” These so-called u tombs ” were exca¬ 
vations wrought in limestone rocks, which even to this day dot the hills of that 
country, known as the mountains of Gilead, and which are about sixteen miles 



TIBERIAS. 


from Tiberias. The people were given to acts of outlawry, so that it was 
extremely dangerous for a person not well protected to travel through the 
country. Their chief pursuit was the raising of swine, for which they had 
infinitely greater regard than for their souls, hence the destruction of the herd 
of swine was in the nature of a punishment for their cupidity. Jesus found 
the Gadarenes so densely ignorant, treacherous, and self-willed in their degra¬ 
dation, that He remained in the country but a short while, and returned by 
ship to the other side of Gennesaret, where he was immediately surrounded by 
a great crowd anxious to hear His teaching. 

THE RAISING OF JAIRUS’S DAUGHTER. 

Scarcely had He touched the beach when one of the rulers, or chief priests, 
of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came beseeching Him to heal his little 
daughter, who was at that time lying at the point of death at his house, a 










464 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


little way off. Hearkening immediately to the distress call, Jesus started for 
the priest’s house, followed by the throng of people. As He was moving along 
the way, there came up stealthily behind Him a poor woman who had an issue 
of blood’ for twelve years. The exact nature of her affliction is a matter for 
conjecture, but that her disease was of a most exhausting and painful nature 
we are assured by the narrative, which tells us that she had suffered many 
things and had spent all her possessions upon physicians without gaining any 

relief. She heard of Jesus, of 
His gentle ways, and the cures 
which He had performed, and 
now sought Him; not, how¬ 
ever, as one expecting to com¬ 
mand His immediate atten¬ 
tion, but as a lowly, though 
faith-inspired aspirant for His 
grace and favor. Believing 
in His Divine nature, from 
whence all goodness emanated, 
she stole up behind Him and 
touched His garment, saying 
within herself, “If I may 
touch but His clothes, I shall 
be whole.” Nor was her sus¬ 
taining faith misplaced, for the 
moment she had touched Him, 
the panacea of His holy nature 
was poured out graciously upon 
her, and forthwith she felt the 
rej uvenating, health-imparting 
influence, and knew that she 
was made whole. 

The moment of the pious 
contact Jesus knew that some 
afflicted, but faithful person, 
had sought His holy catholi¬ 
cs raises the daughter of jairus. C on, an d turning to His disci¬ 

ples, asked who had touched His clothes. To this they made answer, “ Thou seest 
the multitude thronging Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me? ” The poor 
woman, with joy in her heart for her restoration, but with tremblings upon 
her lips, came, and throwing herself at Christ’s feet, told Him, in faltering 
accents, of what she had done, and implored His loving compassion. The 
confession of her faith and acknowledgment of unworthiness brought forth 







ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


465 



another blessing from Jesus, who, with fatherly affection, took her by the hand 
and lifting her up, said, “ Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole.” 

Scarcely was the woman dismissed when .some of Jairus’s servants came 
running to meet him, bringing to his sad heart the crushing news of his 
daughter’s death, and saying, She is dead, wherefore trouble the Master (Jesus) 
any further? 

As Jairus fell to weeping, Jesus bade him dismiss his sorrow and to only 
believe, for all should be 
well. Requesting the mul¬ 
titude to halt and abide in 
that place, Christ took with 
Him only Peter, James and 
John, and following on be¬ 
hind Jairus, He soon reached 
the house of death and 
mourning. As He came in 
at the door, loud lamenta¬ 
tions reached His ears, and 
to quiet the weeping house¬ 
hold He asked, “ Why make 
ye this ado, and weep ? the 
damsel is not dead but sleep- 
eth ! ” This declaration, in¬ 
stead of abating their grief, 
elicited only their scorn, for 
had not the physicians pro¬ 
nounced her dead, and had 
not the loving hands of mo¬ 
ther, sisters and friends felt 
the cold brow, the hushed 
heart-beat, and their eyes 
beheld the pallid face, the 
seal of death ? But Jesus 
heeded not their rebuke ; He 
bade all go out of the house 

, r . - “who touched ME? ’ 

save the father, mother and 

His three disciples; then with these He repaired to the death-chamber 
where the pulseless form of the girl lay under the pall of a winding-sheet, 
awaiting the resurrection call. Jesus went forward, and taking hold of the 
cold hand, spake, “Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise.” Magic voice! Wondrous 
words! The girl immediately threw back the pall, and responding to.the touch 
of the blessed Saviour, straightway rose up and walked into the embrace of 
her mother’s arms. Oh! what joy was there in this house; what faith was 

30 










466 


DAUGHTER, thy FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOEE. ! 




























































































































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


46? 





there awakened,, 
what hope created 
the hearts of 
those who were 
thus given to 
know that Jesus 
was indeed the 
Christ, the resur¬ 
rection and t h e 
life! Refusing the 
adulations which 
the house offered,. 
Jesus charged 
them to tell no- 

one of what He had done, but to set food before the 
young girl, for she was hungry. 

JESUS FEEDS THE MULTITUDE. 

Jesus now made a third circuit of Galilee, each time 
the crowds which followed Him becoming greater. “ He 
went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their 
synagogues, and preached the gospel of the kingdom, and 
healing every sickness and every disease among the peo¬ 
ple .’ 7 The multitude, drawn from every part of Judea, now 
became so large that He could not talk to all of them, the 
sea of faces growing every day like waves from a disturbed 
lake running from a common centre, until His voice fell short of the- 
outer circle. To reach all who were thirsting for knowledge, therefore, 

. Christ told His disciples to go out and preach the word to all people. He 
had found a fulfilment of His prophecy made to His disciples at Sychar ~ 
the spiritual harvest had become too great for the 
laborers. So, after bidding them to pray the Lord 
to send forth more laborers, He commissioned them 
for their work and sent them forth, two by two, to 
preach. To them He gave power to cast out devils, 
heal diseases, and bind up wounds. But He charged 
them not to go . among the Gentiles or Samaritans, 
whose stubborn resistance to God made them like 
seed sown among thorns, and He also bade them to 
take neither purse, scrip nor changes of raiment, nor 
to abide two nights in any man’s house, but to rely 
upon God for their protection. Thus would they be in constant remembrance 
of their mission, and not be drawn away from the object for which they were 


























40b 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



called, by temptations of selfish interest. Following these instructions, the apostles 
went through the towns “preaching the gospel everywhere.” “They cast out 
many devils and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” 

About this time 
news came to Jesus that 
Herod Antipas, hearing 
of His wonderful teach¬ 
ings and miracles, and 
believing Him to be the 
risen John whom he had 
so foully caused to be 
murdered at the solicita¬ 
tion of Herodias, resolved 
to visit Him. Jesus knew 
how rankled in the breast 
of Herod a jealousy 
which was seeking ven¬ 
geance upon His head, 
and to avoid meeting the 
king He withdrew by 
ship with His disciples 
into “ a lonely place.” 
Whither He went we 
are not told, but most 
probably He retired, as 
He had frequently done 
before, to some seques¬ 
tered spot where He 
might pour out His soul 
in prayer, and where He 
might talk confientiallyd 
with His disciples and 
arm them against the 
snares laid for their de¬ 
struction as well as for 
His own. He was not 
long in solitude, however, 
for the multitude sought 
Him by day and night, 
giving themselves neither 
rest nor food, and scouring all the lakeside retreats until He was discovered 
near the town of Bethsaida. But by this time the long fast to which, in their 
excitement, they had been subjected, began to tell on them, and there was a 









ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


460 


cry set up for food. The disciples now asked Jesus to send the crowd away 
to the towns nearest by, where they might procure food and lodging, but He 
said to them. “ Give ye them to eat.” 

At this command the disciples were much surprised, for they assured Him 
that all the food at hand was only five loaves of bread and two small fishes, 
with which to feed the multitude that numbered five thousand persons. But 
Jesus knew all this. He ordered them, nevertheless, to divide the crowd into 
fifties and make them sit down in companies; the order being obeyed, Jesus took 
up a basket containing the loaves and fishes, and first offering a blessing for the 
feast, He commenced to divide the bread and fishes, and gave the disciples to set 
before the multitude. Though piece after piece was given yet the supply did not 
diminish, until at length all that were present had eaten their fill and scattered 
so much food besides on the ground that when the feast was concluded, twelve 
baskets of fragments of bread and fishes were gathered up. 

At the time of this miraculous feast the Passover was being celebrated at 
Jerusalem, which Jesus did not attend because of fears, which He very properly 
entertained, of Herod, Pilate, and the Jewish rulers, who, while acknowledging 
His miracles, were vehement in their declarations that it was through the power 
of Beelzebub alone He operated. The miracle of feeding the people, therefore, pos¬ 
sessed a double significance, for, while giving the multitude this heaven-descended 
food in the desert, the brethren at Jerusalem were eating unleavened bread of 
human manufacture. The distinction between the observance in Jerusalem and 
the works which were made perfect through Jesus, was revealed in a subsequent 
discourse where He showed Himself to be the true bread of life that had 
come down from heaven. 

JESUS WALKS ON THE SEA. 

After feeding the multitude Jesus sent them away, and ordered His dis¬ 
ciples to get into a boat and cross over to the other side of the lake, while 
He went apart by Himself to pray. It is very affecting to observe how, the 
more Christ multiplied miracles before His Galilean followers, the further they 
were from receiving His spiritual teachings. The personal benefits they had 
now so long been in the habit of receiving came to be everything to them; 
and the witness which the works bore to Christ was only valued as exciting 
selfish hopes in them. It was to see and to profit by more miracles that they 
ran after Him round the lake; and this last wonder of His feeding five thou¬ 
sand men, besides women and children, with five barley loaves, and two small 
fishes, leaving twelve baskets of fragments to be gathered up, while it con¬ 
vinced them that He was the prophet predicted by Moses, excited proud hopes 
of independence instead of humble faith in Him, and they were ready to take 
Him by force and make Him king. On this first mention of such a design^ 
we may well consider what it involved. It was no offer of a peaceful succes¬ 
sion, made by a united people. With Judea governed by a Roman procurator, 


470 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


and Galilee held by Herod at the pleasure of the emperor—with factions among 
the Jews themselves ready to support the Idumean dynasty, and even to cry 
out, “We have no king but Caesar”—His consent would have been the signal 
for a war such as burst out under Nero. And here we may doubtless see one 
of those occasions in which Jesus Himself was tempted, though without sm. 
The people of Galilee repeated the offer which Satan had made on the Mount 
of Temptation; and from Satan it came this time also, though made through 
them. History furnishes memorable examples of how hard such an offer is to 
refuse; and that there was a real conflict in our Saviour’s mind is proved by 
His departing alone into a mountain to pray. But first, while He sent away 
the people, the disciples, who, we may be quite sure, were ready to take the same 
part, were directed, not without great reluctance, to cross Gennesaret to Bethsaida. 

In the lonely watches of the night that followed, Jesus was on the moun¬ 
tain, praying for guidance from the Heavenly Father as to how He should best 
act for the establishing of God’s kingdom on earth. From the eminence ot 
His position He looked out upon the sea and watched the tossing bark in 
which were his disciples, until toward midnight. A storm had now come up 
which grew rapidly portentous of evil, until the disciples were in danger of 
being wrecked ; to still their fears, and bring to their minds the assurance of 
His constant care and protection, Jesus went out to them walking on the angry 
waves. Ami; the lightning flashes the disciples discerned the form of a man 
approaching, and seeing that he trod the sea as though walking upon firm 
ground, they believed it was a spirit and their fears were intensified by what 
they conceived to be a premonition of destruction. But to their cries of 
despondency Jesus answered with reassuring words, “Be of good cheer; it is I. 
Be not afraid.” Reluctant to credit their own eyes, Peter desired a proof that 
it was indeed Jesus, and he therefore cried out: “ Lord, if it be Thou, bid me 
come unto thee on the water.” To which request Jesus responded by stretch¬ 
ing out his hands and saying: “ Come.” ‘‘And when Peter was come down 
out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw 
the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, 
Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caughi 
him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt t 
And when they were come into the ship the wind ceased; then they that were in 
the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God. 

“And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 
And when the men of that place had knowledge of Him, they sent out into 
all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; 
and besought Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment; and 
as many as touched were made perfectly whole.” 

THE TRUE BREAD OF LIFE. 

When the multitude which Jesus had dismissed had sought for Him a 
long while, they took shipping and came to Capernaum, where they were 



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472 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


rejoiced to find Him again teaching and healing the sick. Their first words 
manifested the surprise which they felt at seeing Him on the other side of the 
lake, not understanding by what means he had come across, though possibly 
conceiving that His transportation had been effected by some miracle. To 
their inquiry, “ Master, when (or how) earnest thou hither ? ” Jesus replied by 
rebuking them for their selfish interest which prompted them to seek Him. 
Said He, “ Verily, ye seek Me, not because ye love Me, but because ye did eat 

of the loaves and were filled. 
Labor not for the meat (food) 
which perisheth, but for that 
meat that endureth unto ever¬ 
lasting life, which the Son of 
Man shall give unto you.” 

The people did not under¬ 
stand the true meaning of His 
words, but influenced alone by 
their carnal natures, they con¬ 
strued His declaration to mean 
that He could give them bread 
which would fortify their bodies 
against death, hence they be¬ 
sought Him with great eager¬ 
ness to give them this won¬ 
drous life renewing food. But 
to this request Jesus replied 
by saying, I am the bread 
of life; he that cometh to Me 
shall never hunger, and he 
that believeth on me shall 
never thirst. . . . And this 
is the will of Him that sent 
Me, that every one which seeth 
the Son, and believeth on Him, 
may have everlasting life ; and 
I will raise him up at the last 
day.” 

Upon hearing Him declare Himself to be “ the bread of life,” the Jews 
were very angry and asked one another, “ Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, 
whose father and mother we know ? ” To these murmurings Jesus answered 
by repeating His declaration, and by reminding them that though their fore¬ 
fathers were fed in the wilderness by manna sent them from heaven, yet this 
food did not prolong the period of their natural lives; but that “ the living 
bread” which he now offered them was the spirit of perfect righteousness 












ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


473 


made manifest in Himself. “ I am the living bread come down from heaven ; 
if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever, and the bread that I will give 
is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” To their obtuse 
understanding the words of Jesus were an enigma, but they chose to construe 
His sayings literally, and argued among themselves, saying, “ How can this 
man give us His flesh to eat ? ” But to make their surprise even greater 
Jesus answered them: “Verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the 
Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My 
flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life; I will raise him up at the last 
day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that 
eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me and I in him.” 

Not only were the people confounded by His declarations, but even the 
disciples were puzzled, and unable to discover the true meaning of His words, 
asking among themselves: “This is a hard saying; who can hear (understand) 
it ? ” Though clothed in the character of a symbol, the true meaning of His 
words is so apparent that we are astonished at the simpleness of His hearers, 
though, singular enough, the question then raised as to the verity of the use 
of Christ’s real blood and flesh has caused infinite tears and suffering. In one 
period of church domination it was esteemed a capital offense to deny that, in 
celebrating the Eucharist, the wine offered was not the real blood of Jesus, 
and that the unleavened bread administered was not His real flesh. Men 
have been burned at the stake for declaring that this wine and bread was but 
the symbol of Christ’s blood and flesh, and represented His spiritual essence. 

When Jesus saw that His disciples were averse to an acceptance of the 
spiritual doctrine, so manifest under the symbol which He gave them, He 
rebuked their shallowness of heart and mind and plainly declared to them that 
there were some among them harboring an unbelief. This was quickly proved 
by several of the disciples deserting Him, until only twelve remained faithful. 
But among this remnant Jesus knew there was still one whom He could not 
rely on for faithfulness, and in speaking to the twelve He warns them that 
“one of them had a devil,” evidently alluding, by prophetic foresight, to the 
treason of Judas Iscariot. 

JESUS PREDICTS HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION. 

Among the followers of Jesus during these ministrations we have repeated 
mention of “the Jews,” a term which, in the records of His controversial 
teachings, generally denotes the leaders of the two great parties, and more 
especially the Pharisees and scribes, for the Sadducees seem as yet to have 
regarded the new teacher with scornful indifference. Many of these came from 
Jerusalem and Judea expressly to watch Him; and their hatred must have 
been inflamed afresh by such teachings as that just related. The words of St. 
John imply that a new conspiracy against Jesus was formed by the rulers at 
this Passover, for which reason He remained in Galilee six months longer, 


474 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


till the Feast of Tabernacles. Disappointed by His absence, more of the 
scribes and Pharisees went to meet Him on His own ground; and their fault¬ 
finding gave him the opportunity of denouncing their own traditions, by 
which they annulled the spirit of the law, while adding to its burdensome 
obligations. 

Upon departing from the eastern side of Lake Tiberias, Jesus went up the 
Jordan, followed by His disciples, until He reached the source of that stream 
at Caesarea Philippi. On the way, however, He stopped for awhile at Beth- 
saida, and signalized His short stay there by miraculously restoring the sight 
and speech of a blind mute. -It was at Caesarea Philippi that Peter first hailed 
him as Christ, the Son of God, and where Jesus first spoke to His disciples 
of laying the foundation for His Church in the hearts and affections of His 
true followers. “ From this time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples 
how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and 
chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” 
When Peter had heard Jesus utter this gloomy prediction, his heart sank with 
fear, and he sought to prevail on the Lord to forego His determination of going 
up to Jerusalem, where His life would be in such great danger. But Jesus 
recognizing in Peter’s appeal a new temptation, said, “ Get thee behind Me, 
Satan,” following his command with an explanation that in doing the will 
of God He must not consult the weakness of the flesh, as men do who regard 
only their own comforts, but must be willing to suffer for righteousness’ sake, 
saying, u If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up 
his cross and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and 
whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. For what is a man 
profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul.” 

Six days after this conversation, Jesus called three of His favorite disciples, 
John, Peter and James, and led them to the top of a high mountain, possibly 
Mount Tabor, but certainly near Caesarea Philippi, where He gave them to 
behold a vision of His heavenly glory. Upon reaching the lofty peak, in the 
oppressive stillness of nature, which perpetually reigned there, Christ bowed 
Himself in prayer. What that prayer was we are left to imagine, but this is 
not difficult, for already He was under the ban of a mortal prejudice and 
almost beneath the shadow of the cross. Already He knew that His betrayal 
was near at hand, and we may therefore well suppose that His prayer was— 
not for strength or courage to bear His sufferings, or for deliverance from a 
terrible death—for Divine compassion upon His enemies, and for the remission 
of the sins of those whose hearts had rejected Him. And as He thus prayed 
His face and clothing suddenly became illuminated, as if He were clad in bur¬ 
nished armor, upon which the sun reflected a dazzling splendor. As He thus 
stood, radiant with glory, there appeared, to the astonished gaze of His disciples, 
the spirit forms of Moses and Elias and they talked with Jesus, while from out 
a bright cloud that hovered over their heads came a sweet voice saying, “ This 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY 


475 



is My beloved Son; hear ye Him.” Carried away with excitement and righteous 
fervor at beholding so glorious a vision, Peter said to Jesus, “ It is good for us 
to be here; and let us make three tabernacles (as it had long been the custom 
among the Israel¬ 
ites to designate 
holy ground by 
the building of a 
memorial of some 
kind thereon), one 
for Thee, one for 
Moses, and one for 
Elias.” But as 
Peter was thus 
speaking the beau¬ 
tiful vision disap¬ 
peared, and Jesus 
told His disciples 
to return to the 
multitude below 
that was waiting 
their coming, but 
He charged them 
particularly to tell 
no one of what they 
had beheld on the 
mountain top “ fill 
the Son of M a n 
were risen from the 
dead.” This re¬ 
quest they could 
not understand, for 
they did not yet 
know that He 
would be resur¬ 
rected on the third 
day after His death, 
nor did they, prob¬ 
ably, fully believe 
that He would be 
offered up after the 

manner of His own prediction. As Jesus and His three disciples came down 
from the mountain they observed a large multitude of people, who were deriding 
and scorning the nine disciples that had been left behind. But the people 


THE TRANSFIGURATION—FROM THE GREAT RAPHAEL PAINTING. 

















476 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


left off their abuse as they beheld Jesus approaching, and saluted Him respect¬ 
fully. Perceiving that there was some disturbance, Jesus asked the scribes the 
cause, whereupon, before they could make answer, a man spoke, saying: “Mas¬ 
ter, I have brought unto Thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; he foameth, 
and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to Thy disciples 
that they should cast him out; and they could not.” 

Jesus had before sent out His disciples to preach to all people, and had 
given to them the power to cast out devils and heal all kinds of sickness in 
His name, but here, almost at the outset of their labors, nine of these disciples 
had failed utterly in an attempt to manifest the power bestowed, and, as a 
consequence, had been made subjects for ridicule by haughty scribes and jeal¬ 
ous Pharisees. Jesus was not indifferent to the abuse that was directed against 
His disciples, but He felt that it was in a large measure deserved, for He 
knew that their failure was due entirely to the faithlessness of the people and 
the lack of conviction in the disciples themselves. Since this result was a 
reflection upon His own nature and power, we cannot wonder that He was 
chagrined. For this reason He answered the father of the lunatic by a general 
remark to the whole multitude, “ O faithless generation, how long shall I be 
with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto Me.” When the 
afflicted son was brought into the Divine presence, he fell to wallowing on the 
ground, foaming at the mouth, and presenting a shocking, but pitiful spectacle. 
When Jesus asked how long the young man had been thus afflicted, the father 
answered that he had been so since a young child; that in his paroxysms he 
had often thrown himself into the fire, and into water as well, in his efforts 
to destroy himself. Jesus was much affected by the sight of the poor lunatic, 
and no less by the father who besought Him so earnestly for compassion on 
the sufferer. To inspire him first with hope, Jesus said, “ If thou canst believe, 
all things are possible to him that believeth.” Though not so fully assuring, 
the fond father grasped at this small promise, and in the emotions of mingled 
fear, hope and desire, he cried out amidst a flood of tears, “ Lord, I believe: 
help Thou mine unbelief.” The crowd came now running and pressing about 
Jesus, before whom He spoke to the lunatic and drove out the distemper of 
brain which vexed him. Immediately the sufferer fell again upon the ground 
and there lay as one dead, until many believed that his life was truly destroyed, 
for he neither moved nor gave any signs of life whatever. But when he had 
thus lain for a time, Jesus took the young man by the hand and lifting hint 
up with gracious words, returned him to his overjoyed father, sound in mind. 

After this miracle, Jesus departed with His disciples, and passed through 
Galilee by night, lest He might be taken by His enemies. During this journey 
He again told His disciples that He would soon be delivered into the hands 
of men who would kill Him, but that after lying dead for three days He would 
rise again. His disciples, however, did not understand the meaning of His 
words, but were afraid to ask Him for an explanation. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


*77 


CHRIST TEACHES FORGIVENESS AND GIVES THE PARABLE OF THE GENEROUS KING. 

As they journeyed together toward Peraea, another portion of Judea, north 
of Galilee, and from thence to Jerusalem, to attend the Feast of Tabernacles, 
the disciples questioned Jesus on *many things important for them to know as 
preachers of the gospel. Among other questions which they asked was: “Who 
is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven ? ” To make His answer more plain 
to their poor understanding, Jesus called a little child, and placing it in their 
midst, told them that little 
children were greatest in His 
Father’s kingdom, for in the 
infant there is no sin; there¬ 
fore, said He, unless ye be 
converted and become as 
blameless as little children, 
you cannot enter the kingdom 
of heaven. “Take heed, there¬ 
fore, that ye despise not one 
of these little ones; for I say 
unto you, that in heaven their 
angels do always behold the 
face of My Father.” The care 
of the Father for His children 
Jesus thus illustrated by cit¬ 
ing a parable of the lost sheep: 

“If a man have an hundred 
sheep, and one of them be 
gone astray, doth he not leave 
the ninety and nine, and 
goeth into the mountains, and 
seeketh that which is gone 
astray ? And if so be that 
he find it, verily, I say unto 
you, he rejoiceth more of that 
sheep than of the ninety and 
nine which went not astray. 

Even so, it is not the will 
of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. ’ 

Jesus sought to teach His disciples humility by comparing them with little 
children whose hearts have not yet become corrupted by evils and temptations 
common to the worldly-minded; but He did not neglect the opportunity to give 
them practical instruction in their duties toward their fellow-men, and what 
should be their conduct when assailed by wrongs, calumnies and oppressions. He 
exhorted them to bear with meekness all the faults of others, and not to attempt 








478 


THE WORLD’S LIBLE AUXILIARY. 


by violence the correction of any sin, since it is better to bear a wrong - than 
to take in our own hands the punishment of the wrongdoer. This advice 
prompted Peter to ask: “ Lcrd, how oft shall my brother (fellow-man) sin 
against me, and I forgive him ? Seven times ? ” “ Yes,” said Jesus, “ not only 

seven times, but seventy times seven.” In other words, that we should place 
no limit upon our pardon. 

To illustrate more clearly the practical benefits of charity for the faults of 
others, Jesus gave to His disciples the following parable: A certain king, on 

taking account of the debts 
that were due him, found 
that one of his subjects had 
been owing him, for a long 
time, a large sum of money 
which he seemed to have 
made no effort to pay. 
Enraged at the dishonesty 
of the man, the king com¬ 
manded that the delinquent, 
together with all his family, 
be immediately sold, and the 
proceeds applied to the pay¬ 
ment of the debt. When 
the debtor was thus brought 
to a condition of threatened 
slavery, he fell down upon 
his knees before the king 
and, with tears and entrea¬ 
ties, besought his sovereign 
to have patience a little 
while longer, and to spare 
his family, for their sake, 
the horrors of enslavement, 
promising to pay the debt 
in a short while, if his free¬ 
dom were not taken away. 
So strong and heart-moving 
were the poor man’s pleadings that the king’s compassion was excited, and he 
not only gave the debtor his liberty, but cancelled the debt also. Soon after, the 
forgiven debtor went out and met a fellow-man who owed him a sum of money 
not above two dollars. Seizing the authority which every creditor then had, this 
man who had so recently been the recipient of the king’s bounty and compassion, 
laid violent hands upon the throat of his debtor and sought to force immediate 
payment of the two dollars. The man fell upon his knees and begged for 








ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


479 


compassion with entreaties quite as moving as the first had uttered to the 
king, but with different effect, for the hard-hearted wretch stifled the pleadings 
of his victim and carried him away to prison, there to languish until the debt 
was paid. The harsh conduct of the unforgiving creditor was presently known 
to the king, who at once sent for him and said, “ O thou wicked man ; I for¬ 
gave the debt which you owed me, because you begged so earnestly for your¬ 
self and family, and I had a belief that in your heart there were some honor and 
charity; but almost at ouce 
upon your release you con¬ 
demn one of your fellow-men 
to the hardest punishment 
because he could not pay 
you the smallest debt.” So 
saying, the king delivered 
the man over to the tormen¬ 
tors until he should pay all 
the large debt which had been 
cancelled. 

“ So likewise,” said Jesus, 

“ shall My Heavenly Father 
do also unto you, if ye from 
your hearts forgive not every 
one his brother their tres¬ 
passes.” 

HEALING THE TEN LEPERS. 

As Jesus and His disci¬ 
ples continued on their jour¬ 
ney toward Jerusalem, they 
came in the evening time to 
a Samaritan village and 
sought shelter for the night, 
but the Samaritans, knowing 
them to be Jews, denied them 
entertainment, on which ac¬ 
count the disciples became 
very angry. James and John were particularly vehement in their denunciation 
of the Samaritans, their anger being increased by the natural hatred which 
existed between the Jews and Samaritans, and they asked permission of Jesus 
to call down fire from heaven to destroy those who had denied them shelter. 
But Jesus rebuked them soundly for their vengeful dispositions, and gave them 
to understand that His mission on earth was not to destroy men, but to save 
them. So they turned away from the place where they had been refuse'' 














480 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


entertainment, and went on toward another village. As they were thus pro¬ 
ceeding on their way they met ten men who were all afflicted with leprosy. 
This disease was so loathsome that those who contracted it were not permitted 
to associate with the healthy, and were compelled to remain isolated from all 
other persons, not excepting even their kindred. 

Therefore, before Jesus had approached very near to them, they drew 
off and cried out: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,” evidently recognizing 
Him either intuitively, or from having beheld Him at some of the towns in 
Samaria during His visits to and miracles in that country. To the cry of the poor 
lepers Jesus returned answer: “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” This order 
was in fulfilment of the command given by Moses, who ordered that whenever 
a leper was healed he should go and show himself to the priest, that he might 
have permission to associate again among the people who were well. 

As the ten lepers started away they discovered that they had been suddenly 
cured of their affliction ; only one of them, however, returned to give thanks to 
Jesus for the benefits He had miraculously conferred, and this one was a Samaritan. 
Inference, from the text, leads to the belief that the other nine were Jews, but they 
hastened away without so much as uttering thanks for their restoration, and 
thus was Christ able to show to His disciples that a good deed was not to be 
measured by popular prejudices, but that His mission was to do good to all people,, 
regardless of race, creed or condition. 

JESUS DISCOURSES IN THE TEMPLE, AND RELATES THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD 

SAMARITAN. 

The feeling against Jesus, in all the region about Jerusalem, was so 
intensely bitter, that to escape His enemies, who were setting snares for His- 
feet, He left His disciples and travelled by a secret way for a short while, until 
suddenly He appeared in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. Here 
were assembled so many of His friends that even the officers dared not lay 
their hands upon Him. When the congregation had gathered, there were so 
many anxious to hear Jesus that He consented to talk to them, and thereupon 
delivered to them a wise discourse, though not in such words as were easily 
understood by a majority of those present. He told them that His stay on 
earth would soon be ended, and that it was nearly time for Him to return to 
the Father that had sent Him. “ After I am gone,” said He, u you will look 
for Me, but will not find Me, and where I go you cannot come.” To those 
who believed on Him He gave the glorious promise of eternal life, but those 
who believed not He declared should die in their sins. 

The Pharisees contended with Him and denied that He had power to 
bestow eternal life, for, said they, “ Did not Abraham and all the other righteous 
prophets die, and do you consider yourself greater than they ? ” But Jesus 
explained to them that the life which He had power to bestow was not the life in 
the body, but in the soul; that spiritual life which endureth in heaven, and 


Vsv*.v\vv.ummwuu' 


























































482 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 




which 8 veil 
eth evenno'’f 
with G c d . 
The J ews , 
however, 
were not 
pleased with 

His reply, and being angered at His pretensions would have 
stoned Him, had He not passed out from them. 

Again there was a certain lawyer, appointed probably by 
the Pharisees, to ask questions, who came to Jesus and said, 
“ Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life ? ” To which 
Jesus answered, u What is written in the law?” “ Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor 
as thyself.” Jesus said, “ Thou hast answered right; this do 
and thou shalt live.” 

“ But,” asked the lawyer, “ who is my neighbor ? ” Where¬ 
upon Jesus answered him by relating the parable of the good 
Samaritan : A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, 
and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and 
wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by 
chance there came down a certain priest that way; and when 
he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a 
Levite, when He was at the place, came and looked on him and passed by on 
the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he 
was ; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, 
and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own 
beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow 
when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and 
> said unto him, Take care of him ; and whatsoever 
f thou spendest more, when I come again I will 
repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest 
thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves ? 

And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then 
said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise, for 
all men are our neighbors and our duty is to help 
all mankind, since we are as one in the Lord. 

MARTHA AND MARY. 

When Jesus left Jerusalem He went to Bethany, 
less than a day’s journey toward the east, where He 
was invited by a woman, named Martha, to her house that she might receive 
His counsel. When the Lord came to the house, Mary, a sister of Martha, 
received Him, and sitting down at His feet, besought Him to teach her how she 













Jesus in the Home of Mary and Martha—Luke 10:39 





























































































































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


483 


migiiL do His will and become entitled to a share in the joys promised the 
naithfui. So engrossed was Mary in a delightful conversation with Jesus that 
she forgot her duties in the household, so that the preparation for supper was 
left wholly with her elder sister. Somewhat vexed at this, Martha came in 
and, rebuking Mary, said also to Jesus, “ Lord, dost Thou not care that Mary 
hath left me to do all the work alone? Bid her, therefore, that she come and 
help me.” But Jesus answered by counselling her not to trouble about the 
household work, when there 
were other matters of more 
importance requiring her at¬ 
tention. The concern of her 
soul was the better part chosen 
by Mary, and this care would 
bring her due reward, for there 
is consolation in that which 
can never be taken away 

After this, and before 
leaving the neighborhood of 
Jerusa*em, Jesus chose seventy 
disciples m addition to the 
twelve first appointed, and sent 
them out to preach the gospel, 
giving them the power to per¬ 
form miracles and to do all 
things in His name. Before 
going away, however, they 
asked Him what manner of 
prayer they should offer to 
receive the Holy Spirit, to 
which He answered, Thou 
shouldst pray after this man¬ 
ner : “ Our Father who art in 
heaven, hallowed be Thy 
name. Thy kingdom come, 

Thy will be done on earth as 
it is in heaven. Give us this 
day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who 
trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from 
evil; for Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amtn ” 
He admonished them against praying like the Pharisees, who sought the 
most public places and lifted up their voices to such a pitch as to attract the 
attention of all who might be near, for this was to gain the favor of man 
rather than of God. Therefore He bade them to retire into some secret place 



JESUS IN THE HOME OF MARTHA AND MARY. 











484 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



when they 
wished to 
pray, that 
their minds 
might be 
concentrat- 
e d upon 
God, whose 

favor alone it was becoming to desire. From the text, 
5* ^‘§1 J although there is no pretension to sequence in the 
'JVOTTt recorc * s wor ^ s ) R would appear that Jesus re- 



As lesiis 

p/BSED BY 


E iSAVY' A MAM, 


turned to Jerusalem from Bethany, and that He again 
discoursed in the Temple. His teachings continued to 
attract and favorably influence the masses, which served 
to increase the jealousy of the Pharisees and scribes, 
who perceived their own power waning and passing to Christ. Afraid 
to wreak the vengeance upon Him which they harbored in their 
hearts, on account of the number of His friends in the assemblage, 
they tried to catch Him in technical violations of the Mosaic law and 
thus hold Him up to the people as a blasphemer, and unworthy of 
the influence which He exerted. Thus, while He was teaching in 
the Temple one morning, His enemies brought to Him for judgment 
a woman who had been caught in the act forbidden by the seventh 
commandment. Making their accusation against her, they reminded 
Him that the law of Moses required that such an offense be punished 
by stoning the offender, and they asked Him to pronounce judgment. 
The snare in which they hoped to catch Him lay in the fact that, 
though a violation of the commandment was punishable under the 
Mosaic law with death by stoning, yet the law had always remained 
a dead letter, with a very few exceptions during the wanderings in 
the wilderness. Hence, had Christ insisted on an enforcement of the 
law now, He must have incurred public odium for rendering so harsh 
a judgment, while to decide otherwise would subject Him to censure 
as one who disregarded, or held in contempt, the Mosaic law, which 
would lay Him under the ban of blasphemy. 

But between these two dangers Jesus was able to steer with con¬ 
summate adroitness, without infringing the law or subjecting Himself 
to criticism for harshness. Stooping down, He wrote with His finger 
upon the ground, in the Temple court, the law of Moses applicable to 
cj the case before Him, after which He rose up and said, “ He that is 
without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” This same law which 
condemned the guilty to death, required the witnesses of the act to cast the 
first stones, but in the present case the accusers had themselves so frequently 














“GO, AND SIN NO MOKE "—John 8:11. 













































































































































































































































































































He that Is Without Sin among You, Let Him First Cast a Stone at Her—John 8:7 







































• • 


























































HE THAT IS WITHOUT SIN UET HIM CAST 



( 485 ) 



























































































































































































































































































































































































486 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


violated the same law that they felt the quiet rebuke which Christ had given 
them and slunk away. When they had all gone away abashed with confusion, 
Jesus turned to the woman and asked where were her accusers, and seeing no 
man near to respond, He said, “ Since there are none to condemn thee neither 
do I condemn thee; go and sin no more.” 

As Jesus was returning on a Sabbath from the Temple to His lodgings at 
the Mount of Olives, which was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, he met a blind 
beggar sitting at a gate in His way. The disciples who accompanied Him seem 
to have first discovered the afflicted man, for they, seeking instruction from the 
example, asked Christ to whom should the sin which rendered the man blind 
be laid, whether to his parents or to himself, to which Jesus replied by deny¬ 
ing that the condition of the sightless one was due either to his own folly or 
to the evil conduct of his parents, but revealed to them that it was an instance 
of God’s manner of dealing with those who love Him, in that the blind man 
had been set in the way that he might bear witness to the power and mercy 
of God made manifest in the Son ; whereupon Jesus took up some clay from 
the ground, and mixing it with His spittle, made a poultice with which He 
bound up the blind man’s eyes, and then told him to wash in the Pool of 
Siloam. The man went away at once to the pool, and when he had washed 
the clay from his eyelids his heart leaped for joy at finding he had recovered 
his sight. 

The miracle wrought on the beggar became quickly noised throughout 
Jerusalem, so that hundreds came to see the man and to ask by what means 
his sight had been restored. To all these questions he replied by a simple 
recital of the facts, and by giving all the credit to Jesus, though he did not 
at the time appear to know who Jesus was. 

The Pharisees and scribes were quick, as usual, to find something in the 
gracious act to condemn. Hence they at first said, “This man is not of God 
because He keepeth not the Sabbath day.” But there were others who reasoned 
on the matter, and who asked, in admiration and surprise, “ How can a man 
that is a sinner do such miracles ? ” Thus there was a division of opinion 
among the people, which soon grew into a serious dispute. Some of the more 
vindictive and jealous of the Pharisees refused to believe that any miracle ha^ 
been performed. They accordingly called the beggar’s parents and questione 
them, to which inquiries they received assurances that he was indeed their son, 
and that he had been born blind, but they, afraid of the clamor that had been 
raised over the miracle, disclaimed any knowledge of how he had recovered his 
sight, saying, “ He is of age; go and ask him.” To the blind man himself 
the Jews next spoke, telling him that to God alone he should give praise, for 
Jesus was a sinner and a blasphemer. But he, more courageous than his 
parents, answered, “ Whether He be sinner or no, I know not; one thing I 
know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” And when the Jews annoyed 
him with their repetitions as to how he regained his sight, the beggar in turn 



B l DA. 


THE MAN BLIND FROM BIRTH 









































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


487 


began to argue that Jesus, by the miracle He had performed, had given proof 
of His power to do those things which can only be performed by a special gift 
from God. Said he, “ Since the world began was it heard that any man opened 
the eyes of one that was born blind ? If this man were not of God, He could 
do nothing.” 

This testimony to the works and goodness of Jesus so incensed the Jews 
that they laid hands on the blind man and cast him out of the city, and refused 
him permission to enter their synagogues. Up to this time, though convinced 
that Jesus was a wonderful man, who must needs have derived this power 
from God, he did not know, nor did he even suspect, that Jesus was the 
promised Messiah. But a few days after his rejection by the Jews, he met 
Jesus, who accosting him, asked. “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” 
To which the beggar replied, “Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him ?” 
Then Jesus revealed Himself to him as the one who had restored his sight, and 
also as the promised Saviour. And the beggar believed on and worshipped Him. 


PARABLE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 

Many of the Jews were now more kindly disposed toward Jesus, but still 
they had their doubts, increased by their jealousy, and especially by the per¬ 
sistent abuse heaped upon Him by the Pharisees and scribes. 
As He was walking on Solomon’s porch, which was the 
palace in Jerusalem built by that great and wise king, 
some of the half-believing Jews put directly to Him the 
question, “ If thou art the Son of God, whom the 
prophets said should come into the world, tell us 
so plainly.” Jesus replied that He had already told 
them so, but they would not believe, and He there¬ 
fore gave to them the parable of the Good Shepherd. 
“ Verily I say unto you, he that entereth not by 
the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some 
other way, the same is a thief and a rob- 
•. But he that entereth in by the 
door is the shepherd of the sheep. 



A>;H 0y 


the porter openeth ;« 
the sheep hear his 
voice : and he calleth 
his own sheep 
by name, and 
leadeth them 
out, and when 
he putteth 
forth his own 
sheep, he 





488 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


goeth before them and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice, and a 
stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the 
voice of strangers.” The Jews, failing to understand the meaning of this para¬ 
ble, J esus explained to them that He was the door of the sheepfold, that who¬ 
soever came through Him should become one of the heavenly fold; that He 
was also the Good Shepherd who would give His life for His sheep, for He 
knew all His sheep and would bring them safe within the fold at the last 
day. “Therefore,” said He, “doth My Heavenly Father love Me, because I 
lay down My life, that I may take it again. No man taketh it from Me, 
but I lay it down of Myself: I have power to lay it down and to take it again. 
This commandment have I received of My Father.” This prediction of His 
death the Jews only partly understood, but His defense of the claims which He 
set up as to His being equal with God increased their anger to such an extent 
that they would have seized Him with violent hands, forgetful of the works 
He had done and the promises made in the parable of the Good Shepherd to 
protect His flock. But before they could execute their dire intent, Jesus sud¬ 
denly disappeared from their midst and went away to a place beyond the 
Jordan where John had baptized. 

RAISING OP LAZARUS. 

While preaching at the baptizing place of John—possibly where the 
Saviour had Himself been baptized—Mary and Martha sent Jesus word that 
their brother, Lazarus, was lying very ill at Bethany, and begged Him to come 
and minister to him. But though Jesus regarded the two sisters and Lazarus 
as His very dear friends, He did not respond at once to the call for His ser¬ 
vices, having a wise purpose in view to prompt Him to delay. He therefore 
continued preaching in the same place two days longer, at the end of which 
time He said to His disciples: “ Let us go into Judea again.” The disciples, 
however, remonstrated against His going again into that country, reminding 
Him that it was only a short time before the Jews there sought to stone Him, 
and to return now must expose Him to great danger. But Jesus calmed their 
fears by assuring them that to Him was given the knowledge of what should 
:ome to pass, and again by telling them that Lazarus was now sleeping (dead). 
and that He must go and raise him out of his sleep (restore him to life), by 
which He should again give proof to them that He was indeed the Resurrec¬ 
tion and the Life. 

Thomas, called Didymus, did not receive with satisfaction the assurances 
given him by Jesus, but his devotion was such that he determined to go with 
his Lord and, if need be, die with Him at the hands of the hate-inspired Jews. 
While on their way to Bethany, which was less than two miles to the east 
of Jerusalem, they learned that Lazarus was already dead, as Jesus had fore 
told, and had been laid away in a sepulchre for four days. The neighbors had 
offered such comfort to Mary and Martha as they were able to give, but in the 



BIDA. 


JESUS LEADING THE BLIND MAN 

























































































































































. 











ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


489 


bitterness of their afflictions the two sisters refused all consolation, feeling in 
their hearts that their beloved brother might have recovered had Jesus responded 
promptly to their call. As He approached near, Martha was first to discover 
Him, and running out of the house she greeted Jesus, crying: “ Lord, if Thou 
hadst been here my brother had not died. But I know that even now, what¬ 
ever Thou wilt ask of God, He will give it Thee.” Jesus received her 
kindly and sought to console her with the promise, “ Thy brother shall rise 
again.” Then Martha thought that Jesus referred to the resurrection on Judg¬ 
ment day. Mary had not yet shown herself, being oppressed so by grief that 
she remained closeted, but when Jesus asked for her she came upon a summons 
from her sister, and kneeling at the feet of Jesus said, as had Martha, “ Lord, if 
Thou hadst been here my brother 
had not died.” The scene was 
so moving that all those near fell 
to weeping, mingling their sor¬ 
rowing sympathy with the pro¬ 
found grief and trustfulness of 
the two sisters. With eyes suf¬ 
fused with tears Jesus asked where 
the body of Lazarus had been 
laid, whereupon they answered 
him, “ Come and see.” At this 
Jesus fell to weeping, thus pour¬ 
ing out His great soul in loving 
sympathy, which the Jews per¬ 
ceiving, said, “ See how He loved 
him ! ” And again they asked, 

“ Could not this man, who opened 
the eyes of the blind, have saved 
Lazarus from dying ? ” Jesus, 
followed by the two sisters, His 
disciples, and many friends of the deceased, went forward until He came to the 
sepulchre, which according to the custom of the times, was an excavation in 
the side of a hill before which a stone was rolled to hide the body from view. 
Among the more wealthy it was customar}^ to fit a stone before the sepulchre 
and to cement it in such a manner as to exclude the air, after which a private 
seal was placed on the stone. In the burial of Lazarus it appears from the 
text that a grave had been excavated, over which a slab was placed which 
might be easily removed, for the family was too poor to give the body a better 
sepulchre. As the party reached the grave, therefore, Jesus ordered the cover¬ 
ing to be removed; but Martha, whose faith was not so unbounded as she 
had declared, said “ Lord, Lazarus has been dead now four days, by which time 
his body must be decayed and offensive.” 





490 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


Jesus rebuked her by saying in reply, u Did I not tell thee that if thou wouldst 
believe in Me, thou shouldst see how great God’s power is ? ” So the stone 
was removed and Lazarus was exposed, wrapped in his burial garments, with 
a linen napkin bound about his head, as was the custom of burial among the 
Jews. Jesus now called in a loud voice, “ Lazarus, come forth ! ” whereupon he 
that was dead immediately uprose, with the winding cerements still about him, 
and stood before the Resurrector with the flush of life full upon him; the 
grave clothes were speedily removed from his feet and hands, and Lazarus 
stood forth to thank God and receive the joyful manifestations of his sisters. 

The Jews who were witnesses of this wondrous miracle were moved to a 
confession of Christ, and went away telling it to all whom they met. When 

the Pharisees 
heard what had 
been done they 
were more jealous 
than before, gath¬ 
ering together and 
asking one anoth¬ 
er what should be 
done to counteract 
the influence 
Jesus was exerting 
among the people. 
“ If we let Him 
alone,” said they, 
u all the 4 people 
will believe on 
Him and make 
Him their King. 
This will arouse 
the Romans to 
anger, and Caesar 

will send an army into our country to reduce us to subjection.” Thus they 
conspired among themselves to destroy Jesus, and sent emissaries out to make 
charges against Him. 

Caiaphas, the high-priest, who was leader of the rulers, before a council 
that had been summoned, argued the political expediency of putting Christ to 
death as a substitute for the whole people, for, he contended, it were manifestly 
better that Jesus should be executed than that through His influence the 
people be committed to acts which would invite the wrath of Rome. This 
proposition came as a prophecy, evidently prompted to utterance by God Him¬ 
self for His own good reason, though Caiaphas knew not the full measure of 
his words. 

















“WOMAN, THOU ART MADE WEED OF THY SICKNESS.” 


491 
























































































































































































































































































































































































































492 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


JESUS ESCAPES TO THE WIEDERNESS OF EPHRAIM. 

On account of the plots formed against His life Jesus retired out of Beth¬ 
any to the wilderness of Ephraim, whither He was accompanied by His disci¬ 
ples. After remaining in Ephraim a short while He travelled through Peraea, 
preaching in the villages which lay in His route, and afterwards turning 
toward Jerusalem, where He should be offered up for the sins of all people. 
We are not told through what cities His route now lay, but it is evident that 
He chose a populous district, where He would be sure of large audiences, ano 
where also the people were inclined to give ear to His teachings. 

As He was preaching in one of the synagogues on a Sabbath, He per¬ 
ceived an old woman in the audience who was afflicted with what had been 
pronounced an incurable disease, for a period of eighteen years. Walking was 
extremely painful to her; yet, so anxious was she to see Jesus, that the bur¬ 
den of her affliction and the pangs which shot through her feeble body with 
every movement of her limbs, did not restrain her from going to the syna¬ 
gogue, though she had entertained no hope of being cured by the Great Phy¬ 
sician. Seeing that she was concerned chiefly about her soul, Jesus called out 
to her, saying, 11 Woman, thou art made well of thy sickness.” He afterward 
laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was restored to perfect health 
and began praising God. 

The ruler of the synagogue, however, was very angry at Jesus for having 
performed this good miracle on the Sabbath day, for, like all others of his class, 
he was a stickler for the Mosaic law in its literal construction, giving no 
regard to the spirit and intent of the law-giver. Jesus administered to him 
a stinging rebuke, to which the ruler could make no reply: “ Thou hypocrite, 
doth not each one of you, on the Sabbath, take his ox or his ass from the 
stable and lead him out to water him ? And if it is right to do what is need¬ 
ful for the ox or the ass, is it not right that this woman, who has been suf¬ 
fering for eighteen years, should be made well on the Sabbath day ? ” 

PARABLE OF THE GREAT SUPPER. 

And Jesus now spoke many parables to the people, for He saw that they 
could comprehend His teachings more readily by giving them practical illus 
trations and bringing the moral of each directly home to their understanding. 
Thus, on one occasion, while He was visiting at the house of a chief Pharisee, 
who was almost persuaded and yet not quite willing to give over his wordly 
way of living, Jesus related the parable of a man who had provided a great 
supper: When the table had been made ready for a large number of invited 
guests, the host sent his servants out to bid those who had been invited to 
come to the feast, but one after another made excuses, assigning as many 
reasons as there were guests invited, why it was inconvenient for them to 
accept. The man was very angry when he found that none of those whom 
he had asked to dine with him would come to his feast, but that the victuals 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


493 


provided might not spoil, he ordered his servants to go out quickly again into 
the streets and to invite every person they might meet, particularly the poor, 
lame and blind. When the servants had thus brought in a great number of 
unfortunates, the man found that there was still room for many more at the 
table, and he accordingly ordered his servants to go out again and invite as 
many more as his tables would accommodate, but he enjoined them not to 
bring any one of those whom he had first invited, for he declared that now 
they should not taste of any of the meats and good things that he had pre¬ 
pared. By this parable Jesus impressed His hearers with the means God had 
provided for salvation. The man who had made the feast was God Himself, 
whose servants were the ministers of the gospel. These had first invited the 
Jews, but as they would not come, the invitation had been extended to all 
people who would receive His teachings, regardless of their poverty and 
infirmities. 

PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON. 

There was a certain man who had two sons; the younger of whom, having 
grown to manhood’s estate, came to his father and asked for his share of the 
inheritance, that he might go out into the world and henceforth pursue his 
own way. Accordingly, the father made a division of his property and gave 
the younger son his share. The young man, having a large sum, and reckon¬ 
ing nothing of how it had been accumulated, so that he knew not its value, 
went to a far country and there, instead of wisely investing his inheritance, 
entered upon a course of riotous living whereby his substance was soon squan¬ 
dered, and he was left friendless and in poverty. His misfortune was greatly 
increased by reason of a famine which now prevailed in the land to which he 
had travelled, so that he was in danger of starving. To appease his growing 
hunger the young man engaged himself as a swineherd, and while attending 
his charge he sought to stay his craving with the swill and grain upon which 
the hogs fed. 

In his reduced condition the prodigal began to think of the conduct which 
had brought him to this sorry plight, and, though appreciating his faults, he 
thought of the care and comfort which the servants of his father had, and of 
the bread they had to spare, with plenty abounding on every side of them. 
So he resolved to return to his father, acknowledge his faults and his unworthi¬ 
ness to be called the son of so good a man, and to beg that he might be 
permitted to engage as one of his hired servants. Carrying this resolution into 
effect the young man left the land of famine, and after a long time of journey¬ 
ing, and innumerable hardships, he came at last within sight of the old home¬ 
stead. Ragged, dirty, emaciated by hunger, begrimed with dust of the road, 
unshorn, and misery written in every feature, yet the returning prodigal was 
not without recognition; for even when he was yet a great way off his father 
recognized him; not in the soiled clothes, unkempt hair, and beggarly garments, 
but in that fatherhood which knows its own by voice; yea, by intuition. And 


494 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


perceiving that it was his son, the forgiving father ran out to meet him, and 
when he drew near he fell upon the boy’s neck and with kisses, and tears of 
compassion, welcomed him back with a joy which the heart may feel but tongue 
cannot express. 

Overcome with shame for bis unworthiness, the erring son freely confessed 
his sin, and begged that he mignt be received only as a servant, which humble 



place he did not even deserve. But the rejoiced father made no other reply 
than to order the servants to bring quickly the best robe with which to adorn 
him in place of the tattered raiment that disfigured his precious body; to put 
a ring upon his hand and shoes upon his feet; “ana bring hither,” said he, 
“ the fatted calf, and kill it: and let us eat and be merry; for this my son w r as 
lost and is found again.” So then a general rejoicing began among the servants 
and family, and there was music and dancing and laughter, until the noise 






































































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


495 


reached the elder brother, who was out in the field. Wondering what was the 
cause of this great jubilee he came hastily toward the house, and meeting a 
servant eagerly inquired of him what it all meant. To this the servant 
answered with some show of pleasurable excitement, “ Thy brother has come ! 
and thy father had killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe 
and sound!” Stung with jealousy, because of the marked favors bestowed 
upon his brother, while he himself had not even been invited to the welcoming, 
the elder one refused to go in, whereat his father came out and entreated him 
to give over his jealousy and extend a brotherly hand of greeting to him who 
had been lost. But he answered, u Father, for all these many years of my life 
have I served 
thee faithful¬ 
ly; neither 
have I at any 
time wilfully 
disobeyed any 
of your com¬ 
mands ; and 
yet you never 
gave me so 
much as a lit¬ 
tle kid with 
which I might 
make a feast 
for my friends, 
but so soon as 
my brother 
returns, after 
squandering 
his inheri¬ 
tance in every 
form of wan- 

ton riot, you receive him with such display of affection as you never bestowed 
on me, and have killed for him the fatted calf, that should have been reserved 
for a more deserving feast. 

Though all the elder son had said was true, the good and loving father 
•was all the more pained, and with beseeching speech he prevailed with his 
jealous son, saying . u Thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother 
was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. 

By this parable Jesus illustrated the compassion of God, and the joys of 
His Heavenly Father when any that are lost in sin shall renounce the evil of 
•their way and return to Him, the source of all love; for the good He has 












496 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



always with Him, hence that greater joy must be manifest when the evil are 
reclaimed. 

PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 

The Pharisees, though outwardly affecting great respect for the Mosaic 

law, praying loudly in 
public places to excite 
popular belief in their 
great piety, were at heart 
base, treacherous, selfish,.- 
and above all, given to 
every manner of luxury 
which wealth could pro¬ 
vide. To picture these 
faults in unmistakable 
colors, that would expose 
them to themselves as 
well as to His followers, 
Jesus related another par¬ 
able, as follows: There 
was once a very rich 
man, who, having no care 
for further acquisition, or 
heed for those less blessed 
than himself, spent his. 
time dressing with fastid¬ 
ious care in the finest of 
linens, to be admired of 
men, and in dining with 
such sumptuousness as 
to excite the envy of his 
neighbors. And there was 
a certain beggar, named 
Lazarus, who, covered 
with sores and other 
afflictions which rendered 
him helpless, was laid by 
his little more favored 
friends at the rich man’s 
gate that, perchance, he 
might subsist off the 
crumbs thrown to him by the servants from the great feasts. While lying 
thus exposed, and dependent upon a doubtful charity, the poor man was visited 
py dogs, that came to lick his sores, and which were alone lowly enough tc be 


THE SWINEHERD. 





ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


407 



his companions. But soon the despised unfortunate died, and the touch of grief 
never once swept across the strings of the human heart, but in heaven there 
was a tear of pity wept, and there was the minstrelsy of rejoicing, too, at a 
soul released from its sorrowing tenement: and so angels came to carry away 
the soul of Lazarus, where it might repose in the bosom of an unspeakable 
delight, wrapped in the mystery, but goodness, of God. 

And soon the rich man also died; and there were wailings over the costly 
cerements which hid his poor 
body of senseless clay; dirges 
of music flooded the room 
wherein he lay, aud floated out 
among the naves and lofty 
arches of the great palace, to 
an assemblage that had come 
to pay its last homage to the 
rich man. And now the crowd 
divided to permit a passage 
for the pall-bearers as they 
filed solemnly by, carrying the 
body to its final bourne, an 
imposing sepulchre carved out 
of the rock, where neither 
thieves nor prying eyes could 
penetrate. But while all this 
pomp and circumstance of 
wailing, homage and burial 
was being enacted, the soul 
of Dives was already in another 
world paying the penalty of a 
wasted life. From out the 
sleep of death the rich man 
was awakened by the torments 
prepared for the wicked, and 
as he raised his eyes in agony, 
lo! afar off he saw the spirit 

r T , i r LAZARUS BEFORE THE RICH MAN’S DOOR. 

of Lazarus m the arms ol 

Abraham, revelling in the joys of righteousness; and Dives cried out, “ Father 
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of 
his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” 
But to this appeal Abraham could only answer, “ Son, remember that thou in 
thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, while Lazarus, in all the misery of his 
poverty and afflictions, was suffered to remain at thy gate without attention 
either from thee or thy servants. Now, he is in paradise, and thou art in the 
32 


















498 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


torment of the selfish and worldly-minded. But even were Lazarus disposed to 
respond to thy cry, there is a wide gulf between thee and him, which no soul 
may pass, either to go or come.” 

Upon hearing this, Dives besought Abraham that he might send one from 
the dead to warn his five remaining brothers against the sins which had brought, 
him to this place of torment; but the prophet answered that so engrossed were 
they in the evils which wealth provokes, and so wedded to the course of a 
luxurious and selfish life, that even if one were sent from the dead to tell of 
their folly and danger, yet would they not repent. 

THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 

Jesus re-enforced His illustrations of Pharisaic hypocrisy by relating another 
parable, no less appropriate at the time, and quite as applicable to the present 
age: Two men went up into the Temple to repeat their prayers according to 
their customs, one of whom was a Pharisee and the other a publican. The 
former, arrayed in rich raiment, which was a mark of his vanity, stood in an 
open place, and thus poured out his selfish cant and boasting; “ O God, I 
thank Thee Thou hast not made me as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adul¬ 
terers, or even as this publican, who comes also at thL time to offer up his 
petitions. I am more devout than other men, and fulfil the law, because I fast 
twice each week and give the tenth of what I possess to the support of the 
Temple service; therefore am I deserving of all Thy favors.” The publican 
however, entertained no selfish motives, nor did he seek to justify his actions 
before God, but realizing how much he owed to his Maker, and the unworthi¬ 
ness of every man before God, humbled himself aud cried out, in his desire 
to be made better, “ God, be merciful to me a sinner.” “ I tell you,” said 
Jesus, “this publican was justified rather than the Pharisee; for every one 
that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall 
be exalted.” 

THE RICH YOUNG MAN. 

Scarcely had Jesus ceased speaking to them these parables illustrating the 
vanity of riches, when there came running to Him a young man, who, kneel¬ 
ing at the Lord’s feet, asked, “ Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal 
life?” To which Jesus answered, “Why callest thou Me good? There is none 
good but One, that is God.” Though He knew that the young man was 
insincere in his professions to humble himself or to forsake the luxuries and 
follies which his inherited wealth had accustomed him to, Jesus yet conde¬ 
scended to answer him, rather for the example which He might make to 
those about Him. Thus said He: “Thou knowest the commandments; hast 
thou observed all these?” “Yea,” replied the young man, “I have obeyed all 
of these from my youth.” Jesus now looked upon him with compassion, for 
He knew that the harder sacrifice had not been made, and hence the observance 
which the young man confessed was in letter rather than the spirit of self- 
denial and worshipful heart. Jesus therefore said to him: “ One thing thou 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


4 ( J9 


lackest yet: go thy way, sell wnatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou 
shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, take up thy cross and follow Me.” 
But the young man was grieved to hear these hard conditions, for he was very 
rich, and turned away, for he would not accept them. 

Thus was an example in real life offered, whereoy Jesus was able to show 



“AND THE YOUNG MAN TURNED AWAY SORROWFULLY. ’’ 


to his disciples the persistency with which a man will cling to his worldly 
possessions, even though it be at the sacrifice of his soul. Therefore those 
which are first in this world, honored of men for their accumulations and the 
vain-glorious display which they make to excite praise, shall be last in the 
Kingdom of Heaven. 

While Jesus was thus teaching, many of the people who accepted Him as 

















5U0 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


the promised Messiah brought their little ones and begged that He might lay 
His hands on their heads and bless them. As the crowd pressed forward the 
disciples rebuked those who had brought their children, and bade them go away 
and cease interrupting the Teacher, whose mission was among men. But Jesus 
was angered by the rudeness of His disciples, and cried out to them and the 
waiting mothers as well: “Let the little children come unto Me, and forbid 
them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” And He took up the prattling 

babes in His loving arms, 
and laid His dear hands 
upon the heads of others and 
blessed them. 

PARABLE OF THE LABORERS. 

And H6 spake another 
parable saying: The King¬ 
dom of Heaven may be com¬ 
pared to a householder who 
went out early in the morn¬ 
ing to hire laborers to work 
in his field. The first men 
whom he met agreed to work 
for him for the wages of one 
penny per day. These he 
engaged, and then went into 
the market place and hired 
others, but without stipula¬ 
ting what he should pay 
them. Each hour of the 
day, from the first to the 
eleventh, the man went 
through the streets and en¬ 
gaged men to work in his 
fields, saying to each, “What¬ 
soever is right I will pay 
you.” When the day was 
done he ordered his stew¬ 
ard to call all the laborers and pay them their hire, beginning with the 
last engaged. Therefore those that were engaged at the eleventh hour were 
paid first, and each man received a penny. Seeing how liberal the man 
had been to those who had not worked above one hour, those who worked 
twelve hours expected to receive a sum proportionate to the time of their ser¬ 
vice, but upon receiving their pay they found that they, too, had received only 
the penny for which they had agreed to work. Thereupon they bitterly com- 

















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


501 


plained of their employer’s injustice, saying “These whom you first paid have 
wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, which have borne 
the burden and heat of the entire day.” But the man reminded the complain¬ 
ants that he had fulfilled his promise, and that they had no right to charge 
him with injustice when he had paid them the sum which they freely engaged 
to work for. Is it not lawful,” said he, “to do what I will with mine own ? ” 
This parable was recited to illustrate the character of God’s mercy; that 
the promise of eternal life was held out to all men, and that there were 
no measures of glory whereby men should be rewarded in proportion to the 
length of their service in God’s vineyard; but that all who were absolved from 
guilt, through the acceptance of the Holy Spirit, even if the change from sin 
to righteousness were made within the last hour, yet the reward was as great 
as the mercy of God could make it. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 


ZACCHEUS ACKNOWLEDGES CHRIST. 

)N His journey toward Jerusalem to attend the Feast of 
the Passover, Jesus passed through Jericho, followed by 
a vast concourse of people, some being attracted by 
curiosity, whilst others were become worshippers and 
became His followers because of their steadfast faith. 
There was a certain rich man in Jericho, named 
Zaccheus, who held the office of chief tax-gatherer, a 
place of appointment under the Roman government. 
This man, having heard much concerning Jesus, became 
very anxious to see Him, but on account of his extremely short 
stature he could not catch even a glimpse of the Divine Master, 
over the heads of the taller people who made up the crowd. To 
gratify his curiosity, therefore, Zaccheus ran before the moving 
mass of the people, and climbed up into the branches of a syca¬ 
more tree which he knew stood in the path over which Jesus 
must pass. When the Saviour approached near, He looked uj 
and perceiving Zaccheus, knowing also the reason of his lofty 
position, addressed him in a kindly manner, saying, “ Zaccheus, 
make haste and come down, for I must abide at thy house to- 
day.” The spirit of faith was immediately made manifest in Zaccheus, who, 
answering the summons, said, “ Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to 
the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I 
restore him fourfold.” This speech was an acknowledgment of the Messiah- 
ship, for Zaccheus well knew what implacable hatred the Jews felt for the tax 
gatherers, and knowing Jesus to be a Jew he sought to make amends for any 

( 502 ) 



















HOLMAN HUNT. 


THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 











(504) 


JESUS ENTERING JERUSALEM AMID HOSANNAHS. 

























































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY, 


005 


rejected the day of grace. Just as this affliction might be, Jesus was none the 
less sorrowful, and He wept while contemplating the woe which was foretold 
to Him should come to those who were His persecutors. 

Entering into Jerusalem and the Temple, He still met with the same 
reception, the people crying, “ This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee! ” 
and coming to Him in the Temple to be healed. What most incensed the 
chief priests and scribes was to hear the children crying in the Temple, 
u Hosanna to the Son of David ; ” and, as before, they asked Him to silence 
them; but He only reminded them of David’s words, “Out of the mouth oi 
babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise.” In the evening He returned 
to Bethany. 

PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD. 

Day after day the multitude which came together to hear Jesus continued 
to increase, until both the Temple and court were filled to overflowing. In 
addressing the scribes and Pharisees He usually confined Himself to an expound¬ 
ing of the law, but to the great majority He discoursed in parables which 
brought His teachings into bold relief to their simple comprehension, and 
thereby gave them practical demonstrations of the truths He proclaimed. Thus 
Pie recited the parable of the vineyard: 

There was a certain land owner who planted a vineyard upon his lands, 
and fenced it against depredations from roaming herds. He also built a wine 
press and suitable buildings for housing the workmen and caring for the 
vintage. Having thus prepared the soil and planted it, he let the lands to 
certain husbandmen, and leaving servants to collect the rents, he made a 
journey into a far country. 

When the fruits were ripe the land owner’s servants went to the hus¬ 
bandmen to demand the money which was due, but instead of the tenants 
making payments as they had agreed, they seized the rent collectors, one of 
whom they beat, another they stoned, and murdered another. Other collectors 
were sent to collect the rent, but they were likewise brutally treated and 
received nothing. At length the land owner’s son went in person to request 
payment of the money that was due, but when the wicked husbandmen saw 
him coming, and knew his errand, they said to one another, “ This is the heir; 
come, let us kill him, and seize on his inheritance. And they caught and slew 
him, and threw his body out of the vineyard.” 

Having related this parable, Jesus asked His hearers what the landlord 
should do when he returned and learned how the husbandmen had treated his 
servants ? And He explained to them that the landlord was God, and the 
husbandmen were those who had done -evil to His servants in the world’s 
vineyard; while the son whom they murdered was Himself, for it was the 
intention of the wicked to kill Him because He was the heir, sent about His 
Father’s business. 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


PARABLE OF THE WEDDING FEAST. 

And He gave them another parable, wherein He likened the Kingdom of 
Heaven to a certain king who desired to celebrate the wedding of his son. 



the; wedding guests. 


This king prepared a great ^number of invitations which he sent out by his 
Servants, that his friends might come and make merry with him in his horn 
of gladness. But none of the persons invited responded, whereupon he sent his 









ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


507 


servants for them, bidding them to say to those whose company he requested, 
“Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and 
all things are ready ; come unto the marriage.” But they refused the invita¬ 
tion and went about their business affairs, indifferent to the king’s wishes and 
commands. This treatment so offended the king that he sent his army to 
punish those who had insulted his servants and disobeyed his orders. Having 
done this he bade his servants go out again upon the highways and to summon 
to the feast all the people they 
could find, whether good or bad 
for the baked meats must be 
eaten. 

By this general invitation 
a very large number of guests 
were brought in who made 
merry with the king. Among 
those who had thus come to 
the feast however, was one who 
had not prepared himself with 
a wedding garment, and being 
discovered by the king he was 
commanded to tell why he had 
not observed the requirements 
of every guest at a royal mar¬ 
riage feast. The unfortunate 
man, not being able to furnish 
an excuse for his negligence, 
hung his head in shame, 
whereupon the king com¬ 
manded his servants to seize 
and bind him, and to throw 
him out, for he was unworthy 
to be of the company invited. 

In this parable God was 
represented as the king who 
had prepared the wedding 
feast, and the son was Jesus Himself, whom the Father desired to honor. 
Those first invited were the Jews that rejected Him, and those afterward 
brought in from the highways were the people of other nations who would 
receive His teachings and fulfil the law of righteousness. The man who 
neglected to provide himself with a wedding garment represented the hypocrite, 
who, while outwardly appearing like a true believer, was at heart without faith, 
and therefore unworthy of Christian fellowship. 
















/ 


508 THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 

THE POOR WIDOW’S MITE. 

While Jesus was preaching in the Temple, He perceived how the people 
made their contributions for the purchase of sacrifices, and for defraying the 
expenses of the Temple services. Large chests were provided, in the top of 
which an aperture was made to receive coins; into these the people, both rich 
and poor, deposited such sums as they were pleased to contribute. Some of 
the very wealthy made a display of their riches by depositing large sums in 
the presence of persons who they were sure would publish their great charity. 
Among the contributors Jesus observed a poor widow approach the box and 
with trembling hand, deposit two mites—equivalent to one cent of our money 
—which was all that she had. Jesus now called to His disciples, and taught 
them a lesson in true charity, no less valuable to us because it is old. Said 
He: “ Verily, I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than 
all they who had made their contributions to the sacred treasury; for while 
others gave of their abundance, she cast in all that she had, even to the last 
means of her living.” 

DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE FORETOLD. 

Every evening, after the teachings of the day were finished, Jesus went 
either to Bethany or the Mount of Olives to pass the night. On returning 
to Jerusalem one morning, Jesus addressed His disciples on the glory and 
magnificence of the Temple, which, builded by the hands of man, must, like 
all other human creations, perish in the mutations of time. He, therefore, 
told them that the day was coming when this beautiful house of worship 
would be demolished and of the ruins there would not be left so much as 
one stone upon another, but all its materials would be scattered wide apart. 
This prophecy alarmed the disciples, and when Jesus again returned to the 
Mount of Olives they began to question Him when these things should come 
to pass, for they believed He referred to the time when the world itself should 
be destroyed. Without correcting this impression, though His forecast of the 
Temple’s destruction referred to the capture and sack of Jerusalem in the wars 
which should be waged, He improved the occasion to prepare them for some 
of the momentous events which must occur, by which not only the Temple, 
but themselves also, would fall by the violent hands of the Lord’s enemies 
Said He: “ Take heed that no man deceive you; for many shall come in My 
name, saying: I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of 
wars and rumors of wars ; see that ye be not troubled ; for all these things 
must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against 
nation, and kingdom against kingdom ; and there shall be famines, and pesti¬ 
lences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of 
sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; 
and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake. And then shall 
many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


509 


And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because 
iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure 
unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall 
be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the 
end come.” 

PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS. 

To impress them more forcibly with the meaning of this prophecy, and 
the need of every man to prepare himself in the days that are allotted him 
for the call to judgment, 

Jesus gave them a parable 
in which He compared the 
Kingdom of Heaven to ten 
virgins who took their lamps 
and went out to meet a 
bridegroom. In those days 
it was customary, after a 
marriage had been celebrated 
at the bride’s house, for the 
bridegroom to bring his new 
spouse to his own home, in 
the early hours of the night, 
conducted by a procession 
of his friends. As the pro¬ 
cession approached, another 
came out to meet and con¬ 
gratulate the wedded pair, 
bearing in their hands lamps, 
or torches, as the symbols 
of the light of friendship to 
guide them in the path of 
life. In the parable that 
Jesus gave, he represented 
five of the virgins as wise, 
and five that were foolish. 

The former filled their lamps 
with oil before starting out 
to meet the bridegroom, besides carrying a quantity of oil with them to 
fill their lamps anew when they should be exhausted; but the latter were 
so neglectful that they took no other supply than that which was already 
in their lamps. At midnight, while waiting the expected procession, a mes¬ 
senger came, crying, “ Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet 
him.” Then the ten virgins rose up and trimmed their lamps, and prepared 
to receive the twain, but the five foolish virgins found that their lamps had 



THE FOOLISH VIRGINS. 



























510 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


now no more oil in them, and they therefore begged of their five wise com¬ 
panions a supply that they might light their lamps and thus meet the bride¬ 
groom and participate in the feast of congratulation. But the five who were 
wise answered : “ Not so ; lest there be not enough for us and you ; but go ye 
rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.” And the five that were foolish 
hastened away to procure oil to fill their lamps, but while they were gone 
the bridegroom came, and the five wise virgins with those that had accom¬ 
panied them went into his house and shut the door against any others that 
might want to enter. When the five that were foolish returned, with their 
lighted lamps, they found entrance to the feast denied them, and though they 
cried, “ Lord, Lord, open to us,” yet the bridegroom hearkened not to their 
pleadings, and declared he knew them not. 

parable of the talents. 

And Jesus spoke another parable to illustrate the duty which every one 
owed God, according to the abilities and advantages which he may possess: A 
certain rich man, having occasion to visit a far country, called his servants 
together and charged them what they should do until his return. To one he 
gave five talents, to another two, and to a third only one talent, charging 
them to make profitable use of the sums committed to their care and to 
employ the money wisely until his return, for he would demand of them an 
accounting. 

When the master was gone, he who had received the five talents cast 
industriously about for means to invest the sum which had been intrusted to 
his judgment, and soon found such profitable investment for his five talents 
that he gained for his master five other talents. The second servant was no 
less successful, for he used the two talents given him so wisely that he, too, 
doubled his fortune. But the third servant, being jealous of the preference 
shown for his two fellows, was indifferent to the interests of his master, and 
instead of seeking an investment of the single talent intrusted to him, went 
and buried it, and spent his time in idleness until his master’s return. When 
the rich man returned he called his three servants and demanded of them a 
report of how they had employed their time and the money intrusted to them 
during his absence. Whereupon the first servant said : “ Master, thou gavest 
me five talents, which I used so wisely that I have gained as many more; 
and here are the the ten talents which I therefore bring to thee.” And the 
second servant answered in like manner, and brought to his master four 
talents, having gained as much more as had been intrusted to him. But 
the third servant, with shame and regret, could only say: “Master, thou art 
a hard man, and fearing thy anger should I lose what had been given me 
to use, I buried it in the ground, and there kept it safely till thou shouldst 
.return. Therefore I now bring it to thee.” 

The rich man now rewarded each according to his deserts. To the first 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


fill 



two he said, “ Well done, thou good and faithful servants; since you have 
been faithful to me in this, I will promote you to the care of greater 
things, and you shall sit with me on my right hand.” To the slothful 
servant he said: “Since thou hast been unmindful of my interests, and 
wasted thy time in idleness, thy punishment shall be in losing that which 
was already thy own, for you deserve nothing, not even the care and pro¬ 
tection of a master.” So saying he gave the single talent to the two ser¬ 
vants who had been faithful; and ordered the slothful and jealous one out 
of his presence and into utter 
darkness, where there was 
wailing and gnashing of 
teeth. 

Jesus now described to 
His disciples and those gath¬ 
ered about Him the day of 
judgment, when God will 
demand of His servants an 
account of how they have 
used the opportunities which 
are given to each. “On that 
day the Son of Man shall 
come in His glory, and all 
the holy angels with Him. 

Then shall He sit upon the 
throne of His glory: and 
before Him shall be gathered 
all nations : and He shall sep¬ 
arate them one from another, 
as a shepherd divideth his 
sheep from the goats: and 
He shall set the sheep on 
His right hand, but the goats 
on His left. . . . Then 

shall He answer them, say¬ 
ing, Verily I say unto you, 
inasmuch as ye did it not 
to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me. And these shall go away 
into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. 


THE UNPROFITABLE SERVANT. 


DESIGNS AGAINST THE LORD’S LIFE. 

The teachings, no less than the miracles of Christ, so largely increased 
His popularity among the common class of people, that He was openly pro¬ 
claimed the true Messiah, and publicly worshipped as such. But as He grew 
















512 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


in popularity among the general public, so did the enmity with which He was 
received by the scribes and Pharisees correspondingly increase, and they left 
nothing undone to arouse prejudices against Him, and to bring charges that 
would put Him on a defense for his life. They were in fear of the populace, 

however, and had, therefore, to cover their wicked 
designs, so that they held secret meetings, at which 
plans for His apprehension were debated. The Feast 
of the Passover was not yet concluded, and knowing 
that in the evening Jesus retired to Bethany, the 
scribes met at the house of Caiaphas, the high- 
priest, to discuss the advisability of seizing Him, 
either on the way, or while He was reposing at His 
friend’s house in Bethany. 

While they were considering this plan, Judas 
Iscariot, the disciple whom Jesus had already declared 
would betray Him, came to them and offered, for a reward of thirty pieces of 
silver—which was the sum fixed by the law, for the life of a slave—to betray 
Him into their hands. 

On the evening before this compact was made, Jesus was in Bethany at 
the house of Simon, where also were being entertained several of His disciples. 
Simon neglected the hospitalities of washing his guests’ feet, but a poor woman, 
possibly a member of the household, observing the omission of this customary 
mark of respect, brought an alabaster box filled with the most costly ointment, 
and while the company sat at supper, she poured some of the precious unguent 
upon His head; whereat Judas objected to such an extravagant waste of an 
ointment that was so expensive, urging, with the hypocrisy which Christ well 
understood, that “ this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to 
the poor.” To this Jesus replied, “ Why trouble ye the woman ? for she hath 
wrought a good work on Me. For ye have the poor always with you; but Me 
ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, 
she did it for My burial. Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall 
be preached in the whole world, 
there shall also this, that this 
woman hath done, be told for 
a memorial of her.” Thus did 
He forecast the speedy termi¬ 
nation of His mission, and give 
a rebuke to him who was to be 
His betrayer. But Judas was 
angered, and the vengeful and jealous disposition of the man, no less than his 
conscienceless cupidity, tempted him to become the betrayer at the first oppor¬ 
tunity, and with this double purpose in view he therefore sought out the 
enemies of Jesus and proffered his traitorous enterprise. 









ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


513 


THE LAST SUPPER. 

The day now came for cele¬ 
brating the Feast of the Pass- 
over, which was the concluding 
service of the celebration which 
had occupied several days. This 
latter celebration was performed 
by each man of the observants 
taking a lamb to the Temple, 
where it was killed by priests, 
as a sacrifice before the altar. 

The fat was burned upon the 
altar, but the body of the lamb 
was carried home and after 
roasting was eaten by the fam¬ 
ily at night. Jesus and His 
disciples had arranged to keep 
the feast together, and when the 
time arrived some of the apos¬ 
tles asked of Him where they 
would meet to observe the feast. 

To this He answered, “ Go into 
Jerusalem to a certain man, and 
.say unto him , i The Master saith, 

My time is at hand, I will keep 
the Passover at thy house with 
My disciples. 7 ” The disciples 
did as they were bidden and 
made ready the lamb, and when the supper was thus prepared they sat down to 
eat, with Jesus occupying the seat of honor. After first asking a blessing for 

the food that had been set before them, He broke 
from a loaf twelve pieces of bread, one of which He 
gave to each disciple saying, “ Take and eat; this is 
My body.” And he poured out as many cups of 
wine, and as He passed the drink to His company 
He said, “ Drink ye all of it; for this is My blood, 
which is shed for the sins of the world.” They won¬ 
dered at the meaning of this ceremony, for they did 
not understand that this was given as a symbol of 
His sacrifice, which was now near at hand. And 
He told them that this was the last Passover He 
would celebrate with them until He should Himself become a sin-offering for 
all people. But still the disciples did not comprehend His sorrowful words, 

33 












514 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


though they each believed He was now ready to set up an earthly kingdom, 
and the time was therefore at hand for Him to declare His rulership. Thus 
believing, they fell to disputing as to who should be most favored with appoint¬ 
ments in this new kingdom. Seeing their selfish ambition and perceiving that 
none of the disciples understood His words, Jesus said, a Among those of this 
world the rulers are greatest, but it is not so in that kingdom which I come 
to declare, since he who would be chief must begin by being most humble, as 
if he were the servant of all.” 

Having thus spoken, Jesus arose from the seat of honor, and, casting, 
aside His garments, took up a towel, which He bound about His waist. Thus 



“lord, wilt thou wash my feet?” 


attired in the costume of a servant, He poured some water into a basin and 
began to wash His disciples’ feet, and to wipe them like a true serving-man. 
Some of the disciples offered no objection, but when Jesus came to Simon Peter 
that apostle said: a Lord, wilt Thou wash my feet ? who am unworthy to do 
Thee the honor of such a service!” To which Jesus replied : a What I do 
thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.” But Peter would not 
yet consent to being made the object of his Lord’s humility, and declared that 
he would not suffer it to be so. At which, Jesus partly rose up and fixing 
His great eyes of melting love and pity upon Peter, spoke with that sorrow** 
ing speech which echoes yet in every human heart, a If I wash thee not, then 






































































In the Garden of Gethsemane—Mark 14:32-42 




























































t 



































































































































































































































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


515 


thou hast no love for Me, nor sign of My brotherhood.” Then Peter submitted 
to be thus honored, and as an evidence of his devotion, he begged that his hands 
and head might also receive the signs of Jesus’ love. 

When He had thus washed the feet of all His disciples, Jesus resumed 
the clothes which He had laid aside, and seating Himself, again addressed 
them. He told them that the washing was a sign of purification, yet there 
was one among them whom he declared had not been cleansed of his sins. 
Said He: “ Ye call Me Master 
and Lord, which is proper, but 
if the Lord shall humble Him¬ 
self to wash your feet, why 
should ye not also wash the 
feet of one another? For I 
have given you an example 
that ye should do as I have 
done to you.” Continuing 
again, Jesus said: “ Though I 
have given you the sign of puri¬ 
fication, yet there is one among 
you that is not cleansed, for he 
it is who shall betray Me.” At 
this accusation the disciples 
were much surprised, and each 
in turn, anxious to prove his 
fidelity, inquired eagerly: 

“Lord, is it I?” When Judas 
likewise asked if it was he that 
should prove the traitor, Jesus 
replied softly, that the others 
might not hear His answer: 

“ Thou hast said it.” Peter was 
much grieved by this predic¬ 
tion, and besought John, who 
was leaning on Jesus’ breast at 
the time, to ask his precious 
Master who it was that would 
do so infamous a thing. To this inquiry Jesus replied: “ It is he to whom I 
shall give a piece of bread when I have sopped it in a dish.” Soon after the sop 
was given to Judas, and after eating the bread, he went out directly to the 
scribes and chief priests to accomplish the betrayal according to the contract 
which he had made with them. 

When Judas had gone from the presence of the disciples, Jesus talked 
with them for a while on the sad events which were now so near at hand* 



RISE UP AND UET US BE GOING.” 





516 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


and He said: “ Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him, 
Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek Me: and as 
I said unto the Jews, Whither I go ye cannot come; so now I say to you. 

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have 

loved you. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples.” 

Not understanding what Jesus meant by His declaration, that in a little 
while He would leave them, Peter asked : “ Whither goest Thou ? ” And Jesus 
mswered again, “Whither I go thou canst not follow Me now; but thou shalt 
follow Me afterward.” With the spirit of devotion to his Lord, Peter passion¬ 
ately asked: “Why cannot I follow Thee now? I will lay down my life for 
Thy sake.” To rebuke this display of attachment, which He knew was but 
the zeal of the hour, Jesus said: “Wilt thou indeed laydown thy life for My 
sake ? Thy passion is scarcely stronger than the mist of the morning, for 
before the sun riseth again thou shalt have denied Me three times.” But 

Peter protested that Jesus knew not the endurance of his love, declaring that 

though death should be the penalty of his devotion, yet would not he deny 
his Lord. 

Having instructed His disciples, Jesus and they sang a song of praise 
together, the benediction was then offered, and the holy party left the scene 
of the last Paschal feast and retired to the Mount of Olives. 

THE PASSION IN THE GARDEN. 

The Lord and His disciples went down from the place where they had 
celebrated the Passover, across the brook Kedron, and entered the Garden of 
Gethsemane (signifying the oil press), where, in the darkness of the deep 
foliage, they stopped and conversed a short while.. Jesus now took James, John 
and Peter, the three who had seen Him transfigured, apart from the others, 
and retired to another part of the garden. These three he set to watch for 
the coining of Judas and the' soldiers, while He went a stone’s-throw away 
and there, in the solitude, He poured out His great soul in prayer. Over¬ 
whelmed with terror at the burden which had been laid upon Him to bear, 
He gave voice to the agony of His human nature Falling upon His face, as 
a sign of His humility, He cried in sorrowing accents, “ O My Father, if it 
be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou 
wilt.” In this cry for God’s compassion we see the perfect blending of humanity 
with His divinity, in which we behold Him humble and obedient even unto 
death, as the representative of sinful man. So, in the triumph of resignation 
to whatever fate the Father might will He should meet, for the remission 
of sin, we behold the proofs of His divine nature. Even the foreknowledge 
of His death by crucifixion, at once the most painful and ignominious of 
executions, did not appal Him, when the divine nature was appealed to, 
though he shrank from the ordeal which His human attributes must pass 
through. 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


517 


When he had prayed long, and felt the strengthening grace of God, Jesus 
rose up and went to His three beloved disciples, whom he found wrapped in 
sleep. Awakening them He said, “ Why sleep ye ? Arise and pray, lest ye be 
tempted to do wrong.” So saying, He retired again and resumed His supplica¬ 
tion ; but when He had returned a second, and even a third time, He found 
the three disciples whom He set to watch sleeping, being weary with care and 
the night far spent. 

When Jesus aroused Peter, James and John for the third time, He said, 
“ Rise up, and let us be going ; behold, he who will betray Me is coming near.” 

JESUS TAKEN CAPTIVE. 


At the same moment, torches were seen among the trees, and a mul¬ 
titude appeared, consisting of officers of the Temple, and others, hastily armed 



GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE AND THE PASSTON TREE. 


with swords and staves, sent by the chief priests under the guidance of the 
traitor Judas; for he well knew the garden, where he had spent many an hour 
with Jesus. The Lord gave Himself into their hands in such a manner as 
to prove how entirely the surrender was His own act. Twice they recoiled 
from His presence, and fell to the ground before Judas took courage to give 
the signal to seize Him, by the traitor’s kiss. At the sight of the officers 
binding his Master, Peter drew his sword, one of the only two that the disciples 
had, and struck off the right ear of one of the high-priest’s servants. Christ 
rebuked his untimely zeal, in obtruding such puny help upon Him who 
could have commanded the heavenly hosts, and provoking violence from the 














V'V/YW:' 

v-m*', 

U yyj*S‘ / 

V&'/jir. 


(518) 


THE KISS OF BETRAYAL 



























































































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


519 


captors, at the same time healing the servant’s ear. Then turning to the 
officers, He remonstrated against their show of force, as if He was a thief, 
when they might have taken Him any day as He was teaching in the Temple. 
To both parties He explained that this hour of triumph was granted to them 
and to the powers of darkness, in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. 

The apostles were afraid to share or even watch His fate, as He had fore¬ 
told. “ They all forsook Him and fled.” The concern of Peter to make good 
his boast, and the love of John, induced them alone of all the rest to follow 
at a safe distance. 

The Divine prisoner was led first to the house of Annas, the father-in-law 
of the high-priest, Caiaphas; perhaps to avoid committing the rulers publicly, 
till it was decided whether they would risk a public trial. But there seems 
now to have been no wish to draw back; and Annas sent Him bound to 
Caiaphas, who had already openly advised His death. 

Peter and John continued to follow the procession until they came to the 
high-priest’s house, into which John ventured to enter, and to also request of a 
female servant at the door admittance for Peter also, which was granted. 
Directly upon the latter’s entrance the servant discovered that he was one of 
Jesus’ disciples, and being charged with the same, Peter rudely denied it. 
Alarmed and conscience-stricken, he retired to the porch, just in time to hear 
the first warning note—the cock’s crow. Soon after, another maid pointed him 
out to the by¬ 
standers, saying, 

“He also was 
with Jesus of 
Nazareth ; ” and 
Peter’s fears 
only led him to 
a more resolute 
denial. About 
an hour later the 
evidence against 
him was com¬ 
pleted by a kins¬ 
man of M a 1 - 
chus, the ser¬ 
vant whose ear 
he had cut off. 

This man de¬ 
clared that he had 
seen him in the 
garden. Peter’s 
continued de- 







520 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


nials only furnished fresh proofs for the by-standers by means of his 
Galilean dialect, and thus convicted, he added oaths and curses to the pro¬ 
testations, “I know not the man.” At that moment the cock crew again; 
Jesus turned and looked on Peter from the room where He was waiting in 
bonds, “and Peter went out and wept bitterly.” 

With all the zeal, earnestness and affected devotion which Peter had mani¬ 
fested, when the hour of real trial came he was like a majority of men, more 
-egardful for his own safety than for the One he professed to love above his 
)wn life. But in this denial he received a wholesome lesson that prepared him 
for harder sacrifices, and which led him thirty years later to follow Jesus in 
the path of martyrdom with a stoicism and fidelity that may well absolve him 
from the odium cast on the weakness of his denial of Christ. 


































Jesus Condemned to Death—John 19:16 













































































































































































































































































CHAPTER XXXII. 


THE TRIAL OF JESUS. 

HIEF priests, elders and all 
of the council, having 
brought Jesus to the 
priest’s palace, cast 
about for witnesses to 
convict Him. After 
many endeavors to hire 
false testimony, they found 
two men who were willing 
to testify, and being brought 
into the presence of Jesus, 
gave this evidence: “This 
fellow (Jesus) said: ‘I am 
able to destroy the Temple 
of God, and to build it in three days.’ ” At 
this Caiaphas arose and ashed Jesus what answer He had 
to make to chls accusation of blasphemy, but Jesus refused to 
make any reply, as He had no reason to do, since He knew 
the will of those leagued against Him for His life, and g 
also because the testimony thus given was not in the nature if 
of an accusation for blasphemy. 

Not being able to elicit an answer to his first inquiry, 
Caiaphas questioned Him again, saying: “I adjure Thee 
by the living God, that Thou tell us whether Thou be 
the Christ, the Son of God.” To this Jesus responded: 




( 521 ) 


J 























it 


(522) 


AND PETER WENT OUT AND WEPT BITTERLY.” 








































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


523 


“ Thou hast said so: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the 
Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coining in the clouds of 
heaven.” Not understanding the meaning of His words, and having already 
prejudged Him, the high-priest rent his clothes, as a sign of distress, and 
appealed to the council to condemn Him as a blasphemer, found guilty by His 
own declaration before them. Said he, “ What further need have we of wit¬ 
nesses? behold now you have heard His blasphemy. What judgment will 
you give ? ” And they with 
one voice answered, “ He is 
guilty; let Him be punished 
with death.” This verdict 
having been rendered, the 
officers in the court spat in 
His face, struck Him many 
vicious blows, and mocked 
Him by asking who it was 
that had offered Him these 
indignities. 

Jesus having been con¬ 
demned, the next step, accord¬ 
ing to the Mosaic law would 
have been to take Him out¬ 
side the city and there pub¬ 
licly stone Him to death, but 
the Jews being under Roman 
power, had no authority to 
execute the sentence of death 
upon any one, without first 
having the sentence con¬ 
firmed by the Roman procu¬ 
rator. Jesus was therefore led 
before this officer, Pontius 
Pilate, at the seat of justice 
called the prsetorium. It was 
early in the morning when 
Jesus was brought to this officer, who came out to ask them what charge had 
been brought against the prisoner. They replied that he was a malefactor, 
but refused to deal with Him as such upon their own responsibility, which 
forced Pilate to question Jesus so as to make up the charge himself and bring 
Him under the Roman law. Thereat Pilate asked Jesus, “ Art Thou King of 
the Jews ? ” To which the reply was made, “ My kingdom is not of this world, 
but of that which bears witness to the truth.” To the inquiries addressed 
Him Jesus made such satisfactory replies that Pilate was compelled to declare 



I FIND NO FAULT WITH THIS MAN.” 







524 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


to the Jews that he could find no fault in Him. At this the scribes and 
elders became very vociferous in charging Jesus with having stirred up the 
people from Galilee to Jerusalem, with the intention of setting Himself up as 
a king. 

On this new charge of sedition Pilate sent Jesus to Herod Antipas, gover¬ 
nor of Galilee, but who was at the time in Jerusalem, having come up to par¬ 
ticipate in celebrating the Passover. Herod rejoiced at obtaining the interview 
which he had long sought in vain, and put many questions to Jesus, in th 
hope of His working some miracle. Provoked, however, at receiving no answei, 
and seeing the vehemence of Christ’s accusers, Herod with his soldiers made 
a mockery of His regal claims, and sent Him oack to Pilate 
arrayed in the imperial purple. The occasion was seized 
for a reconciliation between the king and the procurator, 
who had long been at variance, and the words of David 
were fulfilled, “ The kings of the earth set themselves, and 
the rulers took counsel together, against the Lord and 
against His Anointed.’ 

Finding himself compelled to decide the case, Pilate 
tried an appeal to the generous feelings of the people. It 
was a customary act of grace, in honor of the Passover, 
for the Roman governor to release some prisoner whom 
the people chose. Knowing that the charge against Jesus 
sprang from the envy of the priests, and that the people 
had shown such enthusiasm fur Christ, he proposed to 
release Him whom they had so lately hailed as their king. 
But the plan was defeated by a cunning manoeuvre of the 
priests. There was another prisoner, named Barabbas, a 
murderer and robber, and the leader of one of those insur¬ 
rections against the Roman government which were fre¬ 
quent during the later days of Judah. The feelings of 
the people were easily inflamed in behalf of this patriot 
brigand, while they probably saw by this time that Jesus 
was not about to fulfil their hopes of a miraculous restoration of David’s king¬ 
dom. Pilate awaited their decision with an anxiety the more intense because 
while sitting on the tribunal he received a warning message from his wife, who 
had just awakened from a harassing dream about the “Just Man.” He repeated 
the question, “ Which of the two shall I release to you ? ” And they replied, 
“ Not this man, but Barabbas ! ” Again he tried to bring them to reason, and 
to revive their interest in Christ, by asking, u What will ye then that I shall 
do to Him whom ye call the King of theJews ? ” The answer was ready, “ Crucify 
Him .” Still Pilate made a third appeal—“ Why, what evil hath He done ? ” 
And, again declaring that he found no fault in Him, he proposed the strange 
compromise, to scourge Him and let Him go! But the loud cries of “ Crucify 



















ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


525 


Him! ” prevailed over reason and conscience; and Pilate released Barabbas, and 
yielded up Jesus to their will. 

But first a ceremony was enacted between the governor and the Jews, vain on 
his part, but of awful significance on theirs. Pilate washed his hands before the 
people, protesting, “ I am innocent of the blood of this just person ; see ye to 
it ; and they accepted the tremendous responsibility: “ His blood be on us and 
on our children.” Jesus was now handed over to the Roman soldiers, whose 
brutality was inflamed with contempt for the present king 
of the despised Jews. To the torture of the scourging, 
which preceded crucifixion, was added the mockery of the 
crown of thorns, the purple robe, and the reed for a 
sceptre, while the soldiers mingled their parody of the 
forms of homage with blows and spitting in His face. 

The scene seems to have suggested to Pilate one 
more effort to save Jesus, in which, if unsuccessful, he 
would at least indulge his levity by an insult to the Jews. 

As a proof that he believed Him innocent, he brought 
Him out and showed Him invested with the insignia of 
royalty. But the insult excited rage and not compassion, 
and the cry was again, “ Crucify Him ! ” “ Take ye Him, 
and crucify Him; for I find no fault in Him,” rejoined 
Pilate, knowing that they dare not take him at his word ; 
while they cried that He deserved death according to their 
law, because He made Himself the Son of God. 

Pilate’s reluctance had for some time shown a mixture 
of superstitious fear, which these words raised to the 
highest pitch. Leading Jesus back to the hall he asked 
Him, “ Whence art Thou ? ” but he received no answer. 

When he urged the question by speaking of his power to 
crucify or to release Him, Jesus told him that he could 
have no power at all over Him unless it were given 
him from above, and with Divine authority He therefore 
declared the guilt of His betrayers the greater. With 
all this clamor for Jesus’ life Pilate was resolved to 
release Him, and would have done so had not the cry 
gone up: “ If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s 
friend.” The dread of being thus denounced to Tiberius, for acquitting one 
charged with sedition and an intention of usurping the throne, was more than 
the selfish ambition of Pilate could endure; so, bringing the judgment seat trOm 
the praetorium to a public place on the pavement, he mounted it and p-ave 
sentence against the Precious One whom he had before declared innocent. But 
with the judgment he mingled an insult to the Jews by saying, “ Behold Tr our 
king! ” 



526 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



When the sentence of Pilate had been pronounced the Jews cried out: 
“Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “What!” said Pilate, “ shall I crucify your 
king ? ” But the mob shouted back, “ We have no king but Caesar! ” 

Jesus was now stripped to the waist, His hands bound to a pillar, so that 
He was forced into a stooping posture, and then beaten with heavy cords until 
great black welts rose on the tender skin, while blood flowed from many cruel 
cuts. He was next led into a room of the governor’s palace and divested of His 

clothing, in the place of 
which they put on Him the 
purple robes of royalty, as 
a mockery, and plaited a 
wreath of thorns, which they 
forced on His head as a 
crown. Into His hand, for 
a sceptre, they put a reed, 
and having thus clothed Him 
with a mock show of kingly 
power, they offered Him all 
' manner of indignities. While 
some cried, “ Hail, King of 
the Jews! ” others spat on 
Him, and the more cruel 
slapped Him with their 
hands and struck Him with 
the reed jerked from His 
grasp. 

Seeing them thus amuse 
themselves with an innocent 
victim, Pilate hoped that the 
Jews would be satisfied to 
let Jesus go, and therefore 
appealed to them again, say¬ 
ing, “ Behold the Man ! I 
bring Him out to you once 
more to declare that I find no 
fault with Him.” But to 
this plea for compassion 
and justice the chief priests only demanded more loudly than before that He 
be crucified, in compliance with which Pilate gave Jesus over to them. 

THE REMORSE AND SUICIDE OF JUDAS. 

When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, and that the chief priests 
were leading Him away to be crucified, the bitterest remorse seized him. The 
money which he had received as the price of his treachery became as coals of 


‘THEY MOCKED HIM, SAYING, HAIL, KING OF THE JEWS ! ’ 
















Bearing His Cross to Calvary—John 19:17 



















■ 







ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


527 



fire burning his hands, and as the sight of some nameless, dreadful thing to 
haunt his conscience. No doubt he had believed that the Divine power which 
Jesus possessed would protect him in the last hour, and thus while bringing 
no harm upon an innocent person he would be able still to enjoy the proceeds 
of his infamous compact. With trembling steps and sickened heart he there¬ 
fore hurried to the chief priests with whom he had bargained and tendered 
them back the hateful pieces of silver, at the same time urging the innocence 
of Jesus. But it was too 
late. They refused the 
money and reminded him 
that the responsibility was 
not theirs, but all his own. 

Crazed with self-condemna¬ 
tion, he dashed the coin 
upon the pavement of the 
Temple and fled from the 
presence of mankind to a 
high bluff near Jerusalem, 
where, hastily adjusting a 
rope about his miserable 
neck, he attached the end 
to a tree and leaped off into 
space. The traitor there 
hanged for a time, until his 
body fell upon the rocks 
below and was dashed to 
pieces. More awful than 
this self-inflicted punish¬ 
ment was-the sentence pro¬ 
nounced upon him by the 
Lord, while Peter expunges 
his name from the list of 
the apostles “ that he might 
go to his own place.” 

With scrupulousness 

1 • -I _ . . -i TUDAS CASTS THE PIECES OF SILVER AT THE FEET OF THE CHIEF 

which is a most stnk- J priest. 

ing example of religious 

formalism glossing over moral deformity, the chief priests decided that the 
thirty pieces of silver, as the price of blood, must not be put back into the 
treasury ; so they purchased with the money a potter’s field outside the city 
limits, to be used as a burial place for strangers, whereby was fulfilled the 
prophecy of Zechariah. It is most probable, and appears to be so implied by 
the text, that the field so purchased was the place where Judas hanged himself, 










b2 8 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


since it received the name Aceldama, which, in the Hebrew, signifies the fielt «■ 
of blood . 

THE CRUCIFIXION. 

The crucifixion of Jesus having been decided upon, and the day appointed 
for the execution arrived, He was clothed with His own raiment and led out 
by soldiers from the place of confinement and compelled to take up the cross 
upon which He was to suffer. After carrying it a short distance His strength 

failed and He fell beneath the 
burden. At this juncture there 
appeared a Cyrenian, named 
Simon, coming into Jerusalem 
from the country, and him the 
soldiers ordered to bear the 
cross to the place where it was 
to be set up. The procession, 
which numbered several thou¬ 
sands, contained many women 
who raised their voices in lam¬ 
entation, and to these Jesus 
turned and bade them to cease 
their weeping for Him, but 
rather to lament for the woes 
that were to follow. 

That the execution of Jesus 
might be attended by all the 
ignominy possible, there were 
brought at the same time two 
thieves also for crucifixion, that 
He might die as a common 
malefactor between them. And 
thus driven by soldiers, beside 
two notorious reprobates, our 
Lord approached the spot chosen 
for His death. This place, so 
sacred to the hearts of all who 
love God, is not definitely 
known, though it must have been near to one of the gates of the city. The 
spot was called by the Hebrew name, Golgotha (place of a skull), and by the 
iQur Evangelists, Calvaria, or Calvary; though tradition seems to fix it upon 
a hill, there is no proper reason for supposing this to be true ; on the contrary, 
considering the lay of the land about Jerusalem, it is most probable that the 
place of execution was upon a level stretch of ground. 

When the crowd reached the place appointed, the condemned were stripped 



‘and he, bearing his cross, went forth.” 










The Body of Jesus Taken to the Tomb—John 19:38 








































































































. 




























































































































- 

. 





























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


529 


and fastened to as many crosses, which were of the form familiar to us under 



the name of the Roman cross, though not nearly 
so high as commonly represented. The feet of 
the sufferer were only a foot or two above the 



ground — a fact of some weight, as showing that 
Jesus suffered in the midst of His perscutors, and 
not looking down from above their heads. The 

'Vfhe'ce 

Beared 

body was either nailed or bound by cords to the 
cross, or in both ways. Our Lord was nailed, both 



by the hands and feet, as the prophets had fore- 



told ; a method more exquisitely painful at first, 

Ml 

though tending to shorten the torture. When the 



cross was already standing, the sufferer was raised 



up and affixed to it; but otherwise, as in our 

IMS? 

V \ 

Saviour’s case, He was fastened to it as it lay upon 


\ ' 

the ground, and the shock when it was dropped 

- - ' L L A: .?. ■ 

jr\ 

into the hole or socket, must have been terrible. 

: 

/# 

To deaden the sense of these tortures, a soporific 
was usually administered ; but our Lord refused 

M 


the mixture of wine and myrrh, lest it produce 

W 


intoxication. He still observed the meek silence 



which Isaiah had foretold, till all the horrid details 

M 

f \ 

were accomplished, and He hung upon the cross 

mt§ 


between the two malefactors, on His right and on 

JHI ffj| 

1 j _ 

His left, being thus emphatically “ numbered with 

jpn 23 

/ / 

the transgressors.” It was then that He uttered 

Mi y i 

f f i 

the first of the seven sayings, which have ever 
been revered as His dying words, a prayer for His 
murderers —“ Father , forgive them , for they know 

m \ 


gal ' o'l 

not what they do.” 

/ . 

It was customary in executions of this kind to 


write the name of the culprit upon a scroll, and 

fl 

attach it to the cross above the head. In this case 


LHv 

Pilate took another opportunity of mortifying the 
Jews, for to the name of Jesus he added the words, 



“ King of the Jews,” in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, 

I 

into ^ place 

for which reason we have four different translar 


called tie 

tions of the words by as many apostles, Matthew, 

ljpsl 

Plgcfc 

a«M\. 

Mark, Luke and John. The priests sought to in¬ 
duce Pilate to change the title to, “He said , I am 


King of the Jews, but he retorted angrily, “ What 

I have written I have written.” For three hours 




Jesus hung on the cross exposed to the taunts and insults of the rabble °nd 


34 











530 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


rulers, while many asked Him to save Himself, or to fulfil His prophecy to 
restore the temple of His body in three days. Even one of the thieves hang 
ing upon a cross at His side joined in the cry against Him, bnt the ot cl 
reproved the revilings of his comrade, and while confessing the justice^ of his 
own punishment, bore witness to the innocence of Jesus, and cried out, “ Lord, 
remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” To this prayer Christ 
returned the gracious answer, “ To-day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise. 

Death on the cross was 
slow, sometimes not within three 
days, so while Jesus was hang¬ 
ing and bearing His mortal 
pains, soldiers remained to 
watch. They took the garments 
which had been stripped from 
Him and divided them among 
themselves, except His coat, for 
which they cast lots in fulfil¬ 
ment of the prophecy. 

Though toward noon the 
crowd which surrounded the 
suffering Saviour had greatly 
diminished, there still remained 
the three sorrowing Marys bath¬ 
ing His feet with their tears. 
To His mother He now spoke 
words of encouragement, and 
assured her that she would find 
another son in John, his beloved 
disciple, who would henceforth 
provide a home for her. 

It was now noon, but such 
a noon as had never been seen 
in Judea. The position of the 
Paschal full moon precluded the 
possibility of a solar eclipse; 
and yet a supernatural darkness rested upon all the land, from the sixth hour 
to the ninth hour, as if to veil the last agonies of the Redeemer from the eyes 
of man. But far deeper than that darkness was the gloom that weighed upon 
the Saviour’s soul, as He bore the whole burden of the Divine wrath for the 
sins of all men. To that awful mystery our only guide is in the words, with 
which at the ninth hour He broke the solemn silence, “ My God! My God! 
why hast thou forsaken me ? ” words already used prophetically by David in 
the great Psalm which describes the Messiah’s sufferings—words which nevei 



THE SORROWING WOMEN AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS. 













The Body of Our Lord Laid in the Tomb—John 19:42 





































































































































































































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


531 


since have been, nor ever will be again, wrung from any human being, except 
through sinful despondency or final impenitent despair; for He endured His 
Father’s desertion that we might never have to bear it. Their sense was lost 
on the bystanders, who, remembering the connection of the promised Elijah 
with Christ, caught at the sound “Eli” (My God) as a call for the prophet. 
At this moment the sufferer’s mortal frame endured its last agony of intense 
thrist, and, to fulfil one more prophecy, He exclaimed, Cl thirst.” One of che 
bystanders filled a sponge from 
a vessel standing near with the 
mixture of acid wine and water 
which was the common drink 
of the Roman soldiers, and lift¬ 
ing it on a stalk of hyssop, put 
it to His mouth, while the rest 
said, “Let us see if Elijah will 
come to help Him.” Though 
offered in derision, it was doubt¬ 
less refreshing to His sinking 
frame. 

And now all that man could 
inflict had been endured; all that 
the Son of God could do and 
bear for man had been done 
and suffered. The end of His 
agony and the completion of 
His redeeming work are both 
announced by the loud cry, 

“It is Finished;” the soul 
which had animated His mor¬ 
tal body is yielded back to God 
with those words of perfect 
resignation : “ Father, into Thy 
hands I commend My Spirit;” 
and bowing His Head upon His 
breast he expired. 

The death of Jesus was followed by the most awful portents, which threw 
the multitudes in Jerusalem into a condition of abject terror, and led many of 
His enemies to declare that a most holy one had been sacrificed. The priests 
of the Temple, as they entered the Holy of Holies at the very hour of His 
dying, saw the veil of the Temple rent in twain, while a mighty earth¬ 
quake shook loose the rocks on the bluffs about Jerusalem, and sent them 
thundering down the hillside to the city walls ; graves were also burst open, 
and many of those who died believing on Him were permitted to visit the earth. 










532 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


again and show themselves walking through the city. The soldiers who were 
on watch, abashed with fear, said one to another, “ Surely this man was the 
Son of God.” 

The following day was the Mosaic Sabbath, and chanced also to be the 
second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the first-fruits of harvest 
were offered in the Temple. For this reason the Jews were unwilling to let the 
bodies of Jesus and the two thieves hang on the cross, which would have been 

to them a desecration of the 
day. Accordingly, they asked 
Pilate to send soldiers and kill 
the three sufferers before the 
next day should begin. Pilate 
then sent some of his men to 
complete the execution by 
breaking the limbs of the 
victims. 

It was toward the ninth 
hour, or three o’clock, when 
the soldiers came to perform 
their disagreeable office. They 
found the two thieves still 
alive and suffering horribly, 
and dispatched them by the 
torture of breaking their legs, 
but when they approached 
Jesus they were astonished to 


v find Him already dead. It 
was, therefore, considered un¬ 
necessary to bruise the limbs, 
but to make sure of His death 
one of the soldiers pierced His 
HI side with a spear, and from 
the wound thus made flowed 
blood and water (serum). In 
this was a fulfilment of the 
prophecies, “A bone of Him 
shall not be broken,” and “ They shall look upon 'Him whom they pierced.” 

In the evening a rich man of Arimathsea, named Joseph, a member of the 
Sanhedrim, who had now come to believe on Jesus, went to Pilate and begged 
that he might receive the body for burial. The request being granted, Nico- 
demus, who had favored Jesus from the time the first complaints were made 
against Him to the Jewish council, brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes to 
^nbalm the corpse, after the manner of preparing the bodies of the Jewish 
kings for sepulture. 



THE I.AST TOOK OF TOVE). 









Mary Magdalene Weeping at the Tomb. 

“Woman, Why Weepest Thou? Whom Seekest Thou?’’—John 20:15 
































ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


533 


The near approach of the Sabbath left little time for the funeral ceremo¬ 
nies^ so Joseph took down the body of Jesus, and wrapping it hastily in fine 
linens, and bestrewing it with odoriferous spices, they laid it in a sepulchre 
which Joseph had recently had hewn out of a rock in a garden near by; then 
to secure it over the Sabbath day, a large stone was rolled against the opening, 
after which Joseph, Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the sister of Christ’s 
mother, all of whom had engaged in thus preparing the body for final burial, 
3 eparted for their several homes until the Sabbath was ended. The mother of 
Jesus was so overcome with grief that she was led home by John directly after 
the Lord’s death, and was not with the others at this temporary interment. 




CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 

EVER was the measure of sorrow so full as on the 
succeeding Sabbath day (Easter eve) of the 16th of 
Nisan, corresponding with April 7th of our reckoning, 
which was spent by the disciples and other of Jesus’ 
friends in overwhelming grief; a grief not only 
prompted by the loss of a beloved brother, teacher and 
friend, but by the greater oppression which sprung 
from the knowledge that He who had been crucified had 
died for all, that in His death and sacrifice the world 
might be redeemed to life everlasting. In their pro¬ 
found sorrow they were partially sustained by the hope that He 
would rise on the third day, as foretold; but with all their faith 
they do not implicitly believe in the 
fulfilment of a bodily resurrection. 

The chief priests and Pharisees, im¬ 
pressed by the wonderful events and 
portents that had accompanied His 
death, seemed now to have more confi¬ 
dence in the fulfilment of the prophecy 
of a resurrection than the disciples, and J8 
in their alarm they sought permission 
of Pilate to .set a watch of soldier about 
the sepulchre and even placed a seal upon the stone 
that covered the tomb, under a pretense that if not so guarded the body might 
be stolen away, and the disciples then claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. 
In the middle watch of the Sabbath night, suddenly there appeared to 

(534) 















































By special permission of the artist. 


AXEL ENDER. 


RESURRECTION MORNING. 



























ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


535 


the soldiers on guard at the tomb a dazzling light, out of which came an 
angel that broke the seal of the sepulchre, and then rolling away the stone, sat 
upon it. So great was the soldiers’ alarm at this wonderful apparition that 
they fell down 
in a faint, but 
soon recover- 
ing them¬ 
selves, they 
ran away from 
their post of 
duty to Jeru¬ 
salem and re¬ 
ported what 
had befallen 
them. 

The morn¬ 
ing of the 
third da}r, af¬ 
ter the Jewish 
Sabbath —the 
Saturday of 
our reckoning 
—had scarce¬ 
ly dawned, 
when the two 
Marys and 
certain other 
women,among 
whom was one 
named Joanna 
(or Salome, as 
some writers 
call her), 
started toward 
the tomb, tak¬ 
ing spices and 
linens with 
which to em¬ 
balm the body, 
contriving in 

their minds, as they walked thither, how they should remove the stone. It 
was Derore sunrise when they reached the sepulchre, the light of day having 
just begun to break in the eastern portals, and to throw athwart the high 



SEALING THE SEPULCHRE 












536 


THE WORLD'S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


heavens pencils of golden beams. As they came near, their surprise was very 
great to discover that the large stone had been rolled aside, by which they 
believed that some one had come in the night and taken away the precious 
body of their Lord. But to make sure, they stooped and peered into the 
half-darkened tomb when, behold, they saw an angel sitting at the far end of 
the grave clothed in a long white garment. Affrighted at the vision, they 
would have run away, had not the angel spoken assuring words, saying: “ You 

seek Jesus who was crucified. 
He is not here, but is risen. 
See the place where they laid 
Him. Go, therefore, and tell 
His disciples that Jesus is 
risen from the dead; He will 
go before you into Galilee, 
and there you shall see Him.” 

With mingled fear and 
joy the women hastened away 
to carry the glad news to the 
disciples, but as they went 
they met Jesus Himself, who 
addressed them, saying: “Re¬ 
joice ye, for it is I.” Their 
happiness was inexpressible, 
save in the manner in which 
they greeted Him, for with 
tears of joy they fell at His 
feet and worshipped Him, 
pouring out their souls in 
thankfulness. After this ten¬ 
der greeting, Jesus bade 
them, as had the angel, to go 
seek the disciples to tell them 
what had happened. Accord¬ 
ingly they carried the joyful 
tidings to John and Peter, 
both of whom, however, re¬ 
ceived the news with incredulity, but they, nevertheless, ran to the sepulchre 
to satisfy themselves. John was first to reach the tomb, which he found open 
but hesitated to enter, possessed of some indefinable fear. Peter, more ardent 
and excitable than his companion, immediately entered the sepulchre, where he 
found the linen clothes with which the body had been wrapped, and also the 
napkin that was used to bind about the head of his Lord. John now also 
entered the tomb, and seeing the things that had been left there, at once 









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believed all that had been told by the Marys, but Peter only wondered, for he 
had not fully understood the prophecies which Jesus had given of his resurrec¬ 
tion on the third day. 

The news of Christ having risen spread rapidly throughout all Jerusalem. 
The soldiers had made the first report, but this was partially suppressed by the 
chief priests, who gave them a sum of money to declare 
publicly that while they were asleep some friends of Jesus 
had entered the sepulchre and stolen the body. This report 
was circulated, but while it satisfied many of the Jews, and 
especially the enemies of Jesus, it did not check the rapidly 
spreading news that He had indeed risen, and appeared to 
the women who had gone to the tomb early in the morning. 

Mary Magdalene was next to visit the sepulchre, and as 
she stood weeping at the entrance and looked in, she per¬ 
ceived two angels standing, one at the foot and the other at 
the head, where the body of Jesus had lain. They asked her 
why she was weeping, to which she replied: “ Because they 
have taken my Lord away, and I know not where they have 
laid Him.” But as she was turning away in her despair she 
saw Jesus standing before her. Perhaps half-blinded by tears, 
or not observing particularly, she did not recognize Him, be¬ 
lieving that the person was a keeper of the garden, and 
therefore addressed Him as such. The one word “Mary” 
which Jesus now uttered, served to fully recall Himself to 
her, and the recognition being now complete, she rushed for¬ 
ward to embrace Him. He did not suffer her, however, to 
worship Him as she had desired to do, saying: “Touch Me 
not, for I am not yet ascended to My Father,” but He sent 
her to foretell to His disciples that He would soon ascend to 
heaven. With all this concurrent testimony, all the apostles, 

save John, 



vJ//, 



yfaY WttPEST THOU ? 


still doubted 
. the reports of 
Jesus having 
risen, but 
their disbelief 
was soon to 
be fully re¬ 
moved. 

On the 



evening of the same day that He was risen two of His disciples were jour¬ 
neying to Emmaus, conversing, as they went, of the crucifixion and reported 
resurrection of Jesus, and condoling with one another in their great sorrow. 

























538 


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While they were thus talking jesus overtook them, travelling on the same road, 
and asked what was the subject of their conversation, and why they appeared 
so sad. To this inquiry Cleopas, one of the two, answered, ‘ Art Thou a 
stranger in Jerusalem, that Thou hast not heard of the things which have 
happened there in the past few days?” “ What things ? inquired Jesus. Why, 
replied they, “ the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, 
and did great miracles before all the people; how the chief priests and rulers 

have taken and crucified Him.” 
Continuing, they said, “ We 
have hoped that He was the 
One who would set the chil¬ 
dren of Israel free from the 
Romans ; and, besides all this, 
to-day is the third day since 
He was put to death, and it 
is told us that He is risen.” 

Jesus now fell to talking 
with the two disciples, who 
failed to recognize Him be¬ 
cause, it is said, He was so 
greatly changed in His ap¬ 
pearance. He told them that 
the things of which they had 
spoken were only strange be¬ 
cause they had not understood 
what had been written by the 
prophets; “For,” said He, 
“ have not these spoken how 
Christ should be put to death 
and rise again on the third 
day ?” Finding that the two 
disciples were not learned in 
the history of the Jews, and of 
the prophecies that had been 
uttered, He recited to them 
all the things that were fore¬ 
told, and how the same had been fulfilled. Thus they conversed until it was 
very late in the evening, and they had gained their destination, and having 
found Jesus an interesting companion, they invited Him to spend the night 
with them. At supper time the three went together to eat, probably at an inn, 
where Jesus took up a loaf of bread, and after giving thanks, broke and gave 
to them. By this act, and the blessing which He invoked, they discovered 
that their mysterious companion was none other than Jesus Himself, but sim- 



ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS. 










ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


639 


ultaneously with this revelation He suddenly vanished from their sight, leaving 
them in a condition that was mingled with surprise, wonder, joy and confusion. 


Though the two apostles were fairly overcome with astonishment, and knew 
not what so strange an occurrence signified, their faith in the reports as to 
Christ’s resurrection was increased, and to inform themselves they rose up from 



“peace be unto you.” 


the supper-table and hastened back to Jerusalem to a house where the other 
apostles were gathered together. To these they related what had occurred, but 
tneir story was received with many expressions of disbelief. While they were 
speaking of these strange things suddenly Jesus appeared in their midst, who. 















540 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



seeing that they were much frightened, believing Him to be a spirit, addressed 
them, saying, “Peace be unto you. Why are you troubled ? and why do 
doubts arise in your hearts ? behold My hands and My feet, that it is 
Myself- handle Me and see; for a spirit hath no flesh and bones as you see 
Me have” Unable to reply, because of their astonishment, they sat mute, 
wondering and yet joyful, until He asked them for something to eat whereat 
they offered Him a piece of broiled fish and some comb-honey, which He ate 
before them. Having thus refreshed Himself, Jesus began to teach as He 
had before being crucified; reminding them again that as He had been sent 
by the Father to preach to the world, so now did He Himself send His 
disciples on a like errand. Having thus instructed them He disappeared, and 
soon after another disciple, named Thomas, who was not present with the 
others when Jesus manifested Himself, now entered the room. He was greeted 
with joyful cries from his companions, “We have seen the Lord, we have 
seen the Lord.” These assurances, added to the reports which he had already 
received from those who declared Jesus had risen, yet failed to convince the 
doubting Thomas, who said, “ Except I shall see in 
His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger 
into the wounds, and thrust my hand into His side, 
where the spear pierced Him, I will not believe He 
is risen.” 

Eight days after His appearance to all the dis¬ 
ciples Jesus again manifested Himself at another 
gathering of the apostles, at which Thomas was pres¬ 
ent. As He came into their midst Jesus spoke to 
Thomas, saying, “ Reach hither thy hand and thrust 
it into My side, and be no longer faithless, but 
believe that I have risen again.” Hearing that voice, as well as seeing His 
beloved form, was now enough to convince Thomas, who responded, in the 
fervor of his adoration, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus now taught his disci¬ 
ples again in their duties as holy messengers sent by God to teach the way 
to heaven. 

Some time after this, but how long the apostles fail to tell us, Jesus aga- 
showed Himself in Galilee at the Sea of Tiberias. There were, at this mai. 
festation, seven of the disciples together, who were engaged in fishing, and haa 
been casting their nets during the whole night before without success. In the 
morning, as they returned homeward in their boats, they discovered a man 
standing on the shore who called to them, saying, “ Children, have ye any 
meat ?” But they were compelled to answer “ No,” since they had been unable 
to take so much as a single fish in their hard labors over night. Christ bade 
them cast their nets on the right side of the boat, assuring them that by so 
doing they would be rewarded by a goodly haul. And they did so and caught 
such a large number of fish that they were not able to draw the nets. This 









ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


541 


wonderful result caused John to exclaim, “ It is the Lord! ” Upon hearing 
this, and perceiving that it must be so, Peter, who was naked, hastily put on 
his fisher’s coat, and casting himself into the sea swam to the shore to greet 
Jesus. The other disciples remained in the boat, and slowly dragged the great 
net filled with fishes to the land, reaching which they found a fire kindled and 
fish laid thereon cooking, while bread was provided for all to eat. Peter helped 
to secure the fish, which were one hundred and fifty-three in number, and of 
such large size that the disci¬ 
ples wondered the net was not 
broken. 

Forty days after His cru¬ 
cifixion, the last meeting of 
the Lord and His disciples oc¬ 
curred on a mountain in Gali¬ 
lee, an event that He had 
spoken of prophetically before 
the crucifixion. As He had 
begun His public teaching in 
Galilee, so was it appointed 
that in Galilee He should end 
it. Therefure all the disciples 
were called together upon a 
high hill near Bethsaida, and 
to them Jesus now delivered 
His last discourse. He re¬ 
minded them that God had 
given Him all power in both 
heaven and earth, but that His 
power was for good and not to 
do evil; this power, in mea¬ 
sure, He now delegated to the 
disciples, and bade them go 
and preach the gospel to all 
nations, and to baptize them 
in the name of the Father, 

Son and Holy Ghost, and to 
do all things heretofore com¬ 
manded. While He addressed His disciples many others came to the place, 
being, no doubt, attracted by rumors which they had heard of Jesus having 
risen, and particularly by the spectacle of twelve men assembled upon the 
mountain. To these, who numbered five hundred, it was given to know that 
Jesus had indeed returned in the flesh, and they therefore became witnesses 
to the truth of His resurrection. 



THE ASCENSION. 

“ And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and 
carried up into heaven.”— St. Euke xxiv. 15. 








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THE ASCENSION OF JESUS. 

After delivering to His disciples a solemn discourse on their duties as 
ministers of the gospel, He led them down the mountain and to Bethany, 
which was on the opposite side of the Mount Olives from the city of Jeru¬ 
salem. and there, having given them His parting blessing, a bright cloud inter¬ 
posed between them and Him, like the chariot and horses of fire that separated 
Eliiah from Elisha; and upborne by this car of golden cloud, He was earned 
awav to heaven. 

Meanwhile the disciples scarcely recollected that this was but what He had 
Himself foretold: “ What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where 
He was before?” They stood gazing up after Him as if He had been lost 
forever, till they were awakened from their stupor by the appearance of two 
angels standing by them, and declaring that this same Jesus, who was taken 
from them into heaven, should so come in like manner as they had seen Him 
go into heaven—words which can only refer to the final advent of our Lord, 
and which teach us that He shall be seen descending from the riven sky as 
plainly, and as unexpectedly, as He passed into it from their eyes. With 
this agrees His own warning of “ the sign of the Son of Man, coming in the 
clouds of heaven, with power and great glory,” and the words of the final 
Scripture prophecy, “ Behold He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him.” 

We cannot more fitly conclude this narrative of our Saviour’s life on earth, 
in which we aimed to bring into one view the records of the four Evan¬ 
gelists with as much brevity as possible, than by calling attention to the two 
points insisted on by St. John:—First, that we have only a small part of our 
Lord’s sayings and doings in the presence of His disciples, for the world itself 
could hardly have contained the record of the whole; but, finally, that all we 
do possess has been written with this sole object, “ that we might believe that 
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, we might have life 
through His name.” 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



FTER the ascension of Jesus the eleven apostles returned to 
Jerusalem, and fulfilling His command, awaited there a 
manifestation of the Holy Spirit. This period of waiting 
they spent in an upper room each evening, praying and 
giving thanks to God for the gift of His precious Son, and 
during the day they gathered in the Temple to preach the 
resurrection and ascension of our Lord. The meetings 


ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


the a P ostles were increased by one hundred and nine disciples 

ISIP' Wh ° CamC t0 J ° in in the P raise -g ivin &> so that the number of 
wors hipp ers was one hundred and twenty, who received the designa- 
tion of brethren . At one of these assemblages, Peter delivered an 
'vjgH? address, wherein he reminded his brethren that Jesus had stricken 
the name of Judas from the list of His chosen apostles, and desired 
that another be elected in his place. Therefore, said he, “ Of those 
who have been faithful unto Jesus since His baptism it is proper that we select 
one to fill the place of Judas, and who will go with us to preach the gospel as 
our Lord commanded.” This suggestion being received with approval, the dis¬ 
ciples selected two men worthy of the appointment, whose names were Joseph, 
also called Barsabas, and Matthias, and after praying the Lord to direct them 
in their choice, they cast lots to determine which of the two should be the 
successor of Judas. The result was favorable to Matthias, who was henceforth 
counted as one of the twelve apostles beloved of God. 

Ten days after the ascension was the Feast of Pentecost, which was the 
annual celebration of the harvest gathering, and as all faithful Jews observed this 
day, the disciples met together at one place to offer up their thanks While 


( 543 > 



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THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


thus engaged suddenly they heard a sound like the rushing of a great wind 
from heaven, which filled the house with lambent flames shaped like forked 
tongues and rested upon the head of each disciple. This was the manifestation 
of the Holy Spirit, as had been promised, and immediately each disciple began 
to speak in a foreign tongue, which was the sign given that they were now 
prepared to preach to all nations. 

Now there was present at this wonderful meeting many Jews and others 
who had come from far countries where different languages were spoken, si 
when they heard the disciples preaching in these several tongues they inquirec 
in their astonishment, “Do not all these men live in Galilee? How, then, are 
they able to speak the languages of those countries from whence we come? 
Some of those from Jerusalem, however, unable to understand what was spoken, 
made sport of the disciples and declared that they were drunkards, come to pro¬ 
fane the services. Peter rebuked them for this unjust accusation, and, address¬ 
ing himself to Israel, said, “ Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell in Jeru¬ 
salem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: These are not 
drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this 
is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: Jesus of Nazareth, a man 
approved of God among you by miracles and wonders, which God did by Him 
in the midst of you, as ye yourselves all know; Him have ye taken and by 
wicked hands have crucified. But God hath raised Him up and hath given 
Him power over death. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, 
that God hath made that' same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and 


Christ.” J i 

When the audience heard this declaration they became much distressed, 
and, grieving for what had been done, said to Peter and the other apostles, 
“ Men and brethren, what shall we do ?” The reply came thundering' back, 
loud but compassionate, “ Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the 
name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift 
of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children ; and 
to all that are afar off.” 

Many gladly received this promise and were baptized, and in the evening 
there were added to the original Church of one hundred and twenty souls 
three thousand redeemed Jews, and the number rapidly grew under the 
powerful preaching of Peter and the wondrous signs which God showed the 
people. 

THE FIRST MIRACLE OF JOHN AND PETER. 

On one of the days of this spiritual outpouring among the people, John 
and Peter were going together to the Temple to continue their exhortations, 
when reaching what is called the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, they saw a 
poor man who had been lame from his birth, lying there asking for alms. 
His appeal for help excited the compassion of the two apostles, who told him 
to look upon them, probably to scrutinize his countenance and discover if he 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


545 


were worthy of their assistance. Having thus satisfied themselves, Peter said, 
“ Silver and gold have I none ; but such as I have I give thee: In the name 
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk,” and taking the beggar by the 
hand he assisted him to rise, whereat the man immediately received strength, 
and felt so thoroughly restored that he began leaping and praising God, and 
followed the worshippers into the Temple. The people who saw this miracle 
performed were much excited and many at once confessed their sins, accepting 
it as an evidence of the Divine commission of the apostles, and of the truths 
they taught. The success of the apostles was therefore so great that the old 
spirit of jealousy was again excited in the priests and Sadducees, who resorted 
to extreme measures to prevent the further teaching that Jesus was the Christ, 
and through Him was the resurrection of the dead. The apostles were seized 
by soldiers and cast into prison, where they remained until the following day, 
when they were brought to trial for preaching what was called a pernicious 
doctrine. 

THE TRIAL OF THE APOSTLES. 

On the next day there was a meeting of the council, or Sanhedrim, before 
which Peter and John were summoned to answer the complaints made against 
them. To the inquiry first addressed them, concerning the healing of the lame 
man, “ By what power and in whose name have ye done this ?” Peter replied, 
that “ it was in the name of Jesus whom ye crucified, whom God raised from 
the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole.” “ This,” 
said he, “is the stone (Jesus) which was set at naught by your builders (chief 
priests), which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in 
any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, 
whereby we must be saved.” 

This fearless answer confused Annas and Caiaphas, the high-priests, which 
was increased by the healed man being brought before them, and the further 
proof of the true mission of Peter, knowing him to have been an ignorant 
man but now given to speak with the eloquence and wisdom of the most 
learned. With all this evidence, however, they would no doubt have condemned 
the apostles, save for the fact that there were now five thousand converts to the 
new teaching who stood ready to defend their faith and the lives of the 
preachers as well. 

The council was adjourned without taking further action, to give oppor¬ 
tunity for the members to discuss, among themselves, a plan for repressing 
the apostles. In debating the matter they admitted the miracle performed by 
John and Peter, and acknowledged that it was imprudent to attempt to deny 
it in the face of their own convictions and the thousands of witnesses who had 
testified to its performance. The only course left them therefore was to attempt 
intimidation. Accordingly, they called Peter and John again before them, and 
threatened to visit upon them an extreme punishment if they persisted in 
preaching to the people. Peter boldly answered, “ Whether it be right in the 
35 


546 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we 
cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” The council 
would gladly have made good their threats but for the ominous attitude ol 
five thousand persons that had been converted by the apostles, so, after renew- 
ing their warning, the council wisely let them go. 


THE DREADFUL PUNISHMENT OF ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA. 



The apostles, having been liberated, went immediately to their many 
friends and assembled them together to give thanks for their escape and for 

the numerous conversions that 
had blessed their work. While 
they were thus engaged in 
prayer the building in which 
they were gathered suddenly 
began to shake, whereat Peter 
and John knew that Jesus was 
with them and that He had 
thus manifested His presence 
and will to aid them in all 
things. 

After this the disciples 
preached even more boldly than 
before, and their labors grew 
constantly more fruitful. Of 
their many converts, a great 
number who owned houses or 
lands, sold their possessions and 
brought the money so obtained to the apostles for distri¬ 
bution among the poor. Among those who sought the grace 
of Jesus through this means was a man named Ananias, and 
his wife Sapphira, who sold their lands, but by agreement 
between themselves they brought only a portion of the 
money to the apostles, averring, however that they freely 
gave all that had been received. Ananias came first to Peter with the portion 
he had intended to give, and made his avowal that for the whole of his 
possessions this was all the money he had received. But Peter, having miracu¬ 
lous fore-knowledge of what was done, said to him : u Ananias, was not the 
land thine own before it was sold, so that thou didst not have to sell it ? 
And was not the money thine own after it was sold, to keep it if 

thou didst want it? Why hast thou let Satan tempt thee to lie to the Holy 

Ghost ?” And when Peter had thus rebuked him for falsifying to God with 

the belief that such falsehood would procure for him the position of a true 

disciple, Ananias fell down dead, punished with the Divine wrath. His body 
was speedily taken up by some young men present, who, after attiring it in 


ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA 
HIDING THE MONEY. 






ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


547 


grave-clothes, carried it away for burial. A few hours after this tragic event 
Sapphira, not knowing what had happened, came to the place where the dis¬ 
ciples were. And Peter asked her, saying, “Tell me, was the money thy 

husband brought us, all that you received for the land?” She answered, 

•‘Yes.” And Peter said to her, “Why have you agreed together to try and 
deceive the Spirit of the Lord ? Behold, the men are at the door who have 
just buried thy husband, and they shall also carry thee out.” Then she too 

fell down at Peter’s feet and died instantly. And the young men who had 

just buried Ananias returned in time to carry out her body also and lay it 
beside her husband. 

This summary vengeance taken by God inspired great fear among those 
who had been insincere, and prevented those given to worldly conceits from 
entering the Church, but its effects were salutary in the end, since it kept out 
those of impure motives, and increased the faith of others, so that the work of 
conversion continued. Daily the 
apostles assembled on the portico of 
Solomon’s Temple, and not only 
preached to the people but per¬ 
formed many miracles. Multitudes 
came into Jerusalem to hear Peter, 
who healed the sick that were 
brought to him, and many of those 
afflicted were restored to health by 
being carried upon their beds close 
enough to the apostle for his shadow 
to fall upon them. 

The jealousy and indignation of 
the Sadducees, at seeing the gospel 
spreading so rapidly, became so in¬ 
tense that at length they defied popular sentiment, and rudely seizing the two 
most prominent apostles, John and Peter, first thrust them into prison, where 
they were speedily joined by their no more fortunate brethren. On the same 
night, however, an angel opened the doors of the prison and set all the apostles 
free, and in the morning they were again on the portico preaching and healing 
as before. 

When the Sanhedrim met on the following day they received a report of 
the miraculous deliverance, which they themselves confirmed by an examination 
of the prison bars and the guards. Fearing to do them open violence the 
council had the apostles brought again before them and put the same question 
as before, “ Why speak ye of Jesus contrary to our commands ?” Then Peter 
and the other apostles answered and said, “ We ought to obey God rather than 
men. That Jesus whom you slew on the cross, God has raised up again, as a 
Saviour, to give the Jews new and penitent hearts, and forgive them their sins. 
And we, His apostles, are sent to tell you of these things.” 











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When the high-priest and the rulers heard what the apostles said, they 
were filled with madness against them, and talked with one another about 
putting them to death. Then stood up one of the rulers, a learned man 
named Gamaliel, the preceptor of Paul, who was much thought of by all the 
Jews, and he commanded that the apostles should be sent out of the council 
for a little while. When they had gone, Gamaliel said, “ Ye rulers of Israel, 
be careful what ye do to these men. For a good while ago, a man named 
'heudas rose up, pretending that he was some great person, and about four 
hundred men followed him and obeyed what he told them. But before long 



AN ANGEL RELEASING THE APOSTLES. 


he was slain, and all who had obeyed him separated from one another. After¬ 
ward another man, named Judas, of Galilee, persuaded many persons to follow 
him, but he also perished, and those who had gone with him were scattered. 
And now, I say to you, Let these men alone and do them no harm ; for if 
what they teach be untrue it will soon come to nothing; but if God has sent 
them to speak no one may resist His servants.” 

The wisdom of Gamaliel prevailed with the council, to overcome the deci¬ 
sion that had already been made to put the apostles to death, but he could not 
prevent wholly their punishment, for they were severely scourged, as was per¬ 
mitted by the law, and again forbidden to preach in the name of Jesus. 






































ILLUSTRATED LILLE COMMENTARY. 


54V 


SEVEN DEACONS CHOSEN TO DISTRIBUTE ALMS. 

Instead of the stripes which they received repressing their ardor, the apos¬ 
tles gloried in having suffered for Jesus’ sake, and seem to have redoubled 
their exertions, for the service which they now held both in the streets and 
Temple was continuous. Nor was their labor less rewarded, for so many now 
became converted that it became necessary to effect some kind of organization 
for the Church government. This step became more urgent by reason of com¬ 
plaints which the poor made to Peter that they were not receiving a proper 
share of the common fund. At a council, therefore, held by the apostles, it 
was decided to elect seven deacons, chosen from among those held in highest 
favor by reason of their upright character, whose duties were to distribute the 
contributions among the worthy and to superintend the 44 service of tables,” 
which would relieve the apostles and thus allow them to devote their entire 
time to prayer and the ministry. The seven that were so chosen were Stephen, 
Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Nicolas and Parmenas. Stephen, the most 
zealous of the number, not only attended to the poor but gave much of his 
time to preaching and performing miracles, the gift of which was given him 
when he became a deacon. 

So energetic, bold and successful did Stephen become as a teacher in pub¬ 
lic places, that not only the Sadducees, but the Pharisees also, became violently 
jealous of him. Charges of blasphemy were preferred, upon which he was 
apprehended and brought to answer before the Sanhedrim. After hearing the 
false witnesses speak and perceiving the intent of the council, Stephen spoke 
in his own behalf not with cringing words or petitions for mercy, but with 
the game fearlegsnc :> that had characterized his preaching He related to his 
judges the story of Moses, of Abraham, of Jacob and of Joseph, how they had 
suffered at the hands of wicker! men for opinion’s sake, but that in the end 
they had triumphed, while their enemies were made to eat of the bread of sore 
affliction. Stephen concluded his speech after this manner, 44 The wickedness of 
your fathers have ye inherited ; as they did, so do ye now. Which of the 
prophets did they not persecute ? And even now yourselves have slain Jesus, 
the Messiah, that Just One Himself.” 

STEPHEN IS STONED TO DEATH AND BECOMES THE FIRST MARTYR. 

When the men in the council heard these words, they were filled with 
rage against Stephen, and gnashed on him with their teeth like wild beasts. 
But he, looking up toward heaven, saw a glorious light there, and Jesus stand¬ 
ing at the right hand of God. And he said, 44 I see the heavens opened, and 
Jesus standing at the right hand of God ” Then they cried out with loud 
voices against hin^ and stopped their ears that they might not hear his words; 
and they brought him out of the city and stoned him. While they were 
stoning him, he kneeled down on the ground ami prayed, saying, 44 Lord, 
forgive them for this sin.” 


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Punishment by stoning was instituted by Moses and was comparatively 
common among the Jews as long as their nationality existed. The law 
required that the witnesses against the offender should cast the first stone, but 
in the case of Stephen there were several witnesses, who, to allow more free¬ 
dom for their arms took off their outer garments, or togas, and gave them to 
a young man to hold while they should bruise out the life of this holy disciple 
of Jesus. This young man, who took charge of the divested garments, was 
Saul, the son of a rich man, an intense hater of the Christians, but of whom 
he afterward became an equally earnest supporter, as we shall presently see. 
This man, who was an officer of the Pharisees, most probably, seems to have 
been stimulated to a greater passion by the sight of blood, and he entered into 
a persecution of the Christians with such fierce zeal, scourging them in the 
synagogues, and committing men and women to prison, that the disciples were 
compelled to flee to other countries for refuge, but wherever they went they 
continued preaching the gospel. 

Philip went into Samaria, where he performed many miracles, and accom¬ 
plished so many wonderful cures among the sick and lame that great numbers 
embraced the religion which he taught, and were baptized. Peter and John, 
hearing of his good success in Samaria, soon followed, and the three labored 
there with such good results that thousands were added to the Church. It was 
here that they met an impostor named Simon, who, by methods of his own, 
not understood at the time, performed many wonderful things which the people 
regarded as a manifestation of Divine power. This man was also converted by 
the preaching and miracles of Peter, and became thoroughly repentant for the 
wickedness he had practised. 

CONVERSION OF THE EUNUCH. 

After remaining some time thus in Samaria, by command of the Lord, 
Philip quitted the country and went to Gaza, a city to the west of Jerusalem. 
While on his way he was overtaken by an Ethiopian eunuch, who was return¬ 
ing from Jerusalem, where he had been to worship at the Temple. This man 
was an officer under Candace, Queen of Ethiopia, who was in the line of suc¬ 
cession from the Queen of Sheba. As he came near, Philip perceived that th< 
eunuch was reading aloud from the Scripture, which made him bold to inquire, 
“Dost thou understand what thou readest?” To which the eunuch replied, 
“ How can I, except some man shall explain to me ?” And he then invited 
Philip to sit with him in the chariot, which was thankfully accepted. Philip 
now began teaching him and explaining the way of salvation through Christ, 
which so affected the eunuch that when they came to a stream of water he 
begged the apostle to baptize him. Philip acceded to this request, and led the 
eunuch into the water, where he baptized him in the name of Jesus. Imme¬ 
diately after Philip was caught up by the Holy Spirit and disappeared, but 
the eunuch continued on his way filled with joy, and giving praise for this 


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manifestation of God’s love for him. Philip’s next appearance was at a city 
called Azotus, where he preached for a time with wonderful success, and con 
tinued his triumphal career through all the western cities until he came to 
Caesarea. 

THE WONDERFUL CONVERSION OF SAUL. 

News of the success which attended the apostles in all parts of the Holy 
Land reached Jerusalem every day, and particularly of the numerous conver¬ 



sions then being made at Damascus. This so aroused the ire of Saul that he 
sought and received of the high-priest at Jerusalem permission, through con¬ 
currence of the priests at Damascus, to seize any disciples which he might find 
there and to bring them to Jerusalem for punishment. 

Armed with the necessary authority, Saul set out at the head of a guard 
of soldiers for Damascus, with his heart steeled against mercy. But as he 
approached near the city suddenly an intense light flashed out from heaven 





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full upon the persecutor, which so dazzled him that he fell to the ground m 
great fear, and as he lay there he heard a voice crying to him from out the 
streaming rays, “ Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me ? ” And Saul knew that 
the voice came not from one of this earth, so he answered, “ Who art thou, 
Lord ?” How much more frightened must he have been on hearing the reply, 
“ I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.” Humble now, and perhaps realizing 
on the sudden how great had been his iniquity, and how much he deserved 
punishment, in a trembling voice Saul cried, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me 
to do?” “Arise,” was the command, “and go into the city, and it will be told 
thee what to do.” Then Saul arose, but his sight was so blinded and his body 
so weak from fear, that he could not walk, so that his soldiers had to carry 
him into Damascus, and for three days he could not see, neither did he eat 
nor drink. 

ANANIAS SENT TO RESTORE SAUL’S SIGHT. 

At the time of Saul’s visit to Damascus, there lived in the city a man 
named Ananias, who had been converted to Christianity some time before, and 
was an energetic disciple. To this man the Lord spoke, commanding him to 
go at once into a street called Straight, and there ask at the house of one 
Judas, for a person named Saul: “He is now praying to me, and has seen 
thee in a vision, coming to him, and putting thy hand on him, that he may 
receive his sight.” Ananias was not only surprised at thus hearing the voice 
of God, but especially to receive such a command, and he even expostulated, 
saying, “ I have heard many speak of this man, and of the great evil he has 
done to Thy people in Jerusalem ; and he has come here with letters from the 
chief priests, giving him power to bind in fetters all who believe on Thee.” 
But the Lord said, “ Go, as I have told thee, for I have chosen him to preach 
My gospel to the Gentiles, and to kings, and to the children of Israel. And I 
will show him what great sufferings he must bear for My sake.” 

Then Ananias obeyed and went into the house of Judas, and putting his 

hands on Saul, said, “ Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to thee as 

thou wast coming to Damascus, has sent me to put my hands on thee, that 

thou mavest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost.” And 

immediately Saul’s eyes were opened and he could see; and he rose up and 
was baptized. 

THE JEWS SEEK TO KIEL PAUL. 

After being thus converted, and seeing the hand of God in all that had 

been done for him, Saul, who is henceforth called Paul, began at once preach¬ 

ing in the synagogues with all the fervor and faith that had characterized 
Peter and John. The people were, of course, amazed at this sudden change, 
and were at first disposed to believe he had adopted this appearance of con¬ 
version in order the better to discover who were professing Christians. The 
power of his speech, however, won many to join the disciples, while his 

accusations against those who had denied and crucified Christ so angered the 


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Jews at Damascus that they sought his life. Their threats and passions 
increased until a watch was set upon him, and they would no doubt have 
seized and stoned him had not some of his friends secreted him in a house, 
and at night let him down in a basket over the wall so that he might escape 
from the city. 

Paul went from Damascus to Jerusalem and sought the disciples who still 
remained there, but they were afraid to fellowship with him until Barnabas, 
one of their number, told them of the strange circumstances of Paul’s conversion’ 
and how the hostile Jews were conspiring against his life. Paul was soon com' 
pelled to flee from Jerusalem, and he went to his native city of Tarsus, in Asia 
Minor, where he continued to preach for some time. 

Peter and John likewise went from town to town, preaching and healing 
the sick and founding churches, until there were at this time, A. D. 50, nearly 
one hundred established congregations. One of these Peter founded at Lydda, 
where he miraculously healed a man named Eneas, who had been bed-ridden 
from palsy for eight years. This miracle led him to the performance of one 
greater, and by which the Church was increased along the Mediterranean coast. 

THE RESURRECTION OF DORCAS. 

Near Lydda was the seaport of Joppa, which is a considerable city at this 
day. Residing there at the time was a woman named Dorcas, who was widely 
known for her great charities, and for all those accomplishments which ennoble 
woman. It chanced that she fell sick, and after a short illness died. Her 
death was bewailed by all the inhabitants of Joppa, many of whom came to pay 
honors to the body. It was dressed with much care, and embalmed with sweet 
spices and camphor, and clothed with rich winding sheets, and laid in an upper 
chamber preparatory to burial. Some of the disciples of the city, learning that 
Peter was then preaching in a neighboring town, and performing many miracles, 
sent two messengers bearing a request for him to come quickly to Joppa. To 
this Peter promptly responded, and was taken at once to the chamber where 
the beloved body lay. Here he found many widows and others whom she had 
helped in their troubles, and these began to offer their eulogies on the 
numerous godly merits she had possessed. But Peter, with some impatience, 
bade them leave the room, and then kneeling down he prayed, after which he 
arose and calling to the dead body said, “ Dorcas, arise !” At the sound of his 
voice the woman sat up and appeared as one who had just awakened from a 
refreshing sleep. Peter now called to those without the room, and when they 
entered Dorcas received them, restored to life, and health as well. The fame 
of this miracle spread rapidly, and caused many to join the Church in Joppa, 
besides resulting in the greatest good throughout all the cities of western 
Palestine. 

CONVERSION AND BAPTISM OF CORNELIUS—PETER’S VISION. 

During the time of Peter’s stay in Joppa, a singular thing occurred to 
Cornelius, a Roman centurion who loved God, by which he was brought to 


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Peter for baptism. This man was noted for his generosity to the poor, on 
which account he had great favor with the Lord and his people as well. It 
is related that about the ninth hour of the day Cornelius beheld a vision of 
an angel approaching him, which he addressed, What is it, Lord ? The 
angel replied, “ God has heard thy prayers, and seen the alms which thou 
hast given. Now send men to Joppa for a man named Peter, who is staying 
at the house of Simon, a tanner, which is by the seaside; when he has come 
he will tell thee what thou oughtest to do.” Thus saying the angel vanished. 
Cornelius at once called two servants and one of his soldiers, in whom he had 
the most confidence, and, first relating what had befallen him, he sent them 
quickly to Joppa, which was only one day’s journey distant. 

On the following day Peter went up on the house-top to pray, as was his 
custom. All the house-tops in that country are flat, and are used for prome¬ 
nading in the warm summer evenings, as well also for devotions, on account 
of the privacy which they afford. On this occasion, while Peter was praying, 
he suddenly felt a great hunger, and at the same time he beheld a wondrous 
vision: the sky above appeared to open and a great sheet held at the four 
corners was let down before him filled with numerous wild beasts, birds and 
insects. And as he was looking a voice came out of the clouds, saying, “ Rise, 
Peter, kill and eat.” Now, held within the sheet were many animals which 
the edict of Moses had pronounced unclean, and seeing this, Peter remon¬ 
strated, saying, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is com¬ 
mon or unclean.” But the voice spoke thrice, “What God hath cleansed, that 
call not thou common.” The meaning of this vision was not revealed at once 
to Teter, though he soon afterward knew that it was given as a sign that the 
gospel was not to be withheld from other nations, notwithstanding that the 
Jews looked upon all other people with a feeling of loathing. 

While Peter was striving to interpret the significance of the vision the 
servants of Cornelius appeared before the gate and inquired for him. At the 
same moment God spoke to him, saying, “Three men are looking for thee; 
arise and follow them, for I have sent them.” And Peter went down to the 
men, and said to them, “ Behold, I am he whom ye seek; for what reason have 
yon come?” They answered, “Cornelius, the centurion, who is a just man 
and one that fears God, and is well thought of by all the Jews, was told by a 
holy angel to send for thee to come to his house, that he might hear the 
words which thou wouldst speak.” Then Peter called the men into Simon’s 
house, and kept them that night; on the morrow he went with them, and some 
of the disciples who lived at Joppa went also. 

The next day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them, and 
had invited his relations and near friends to be with him when Peter should 
come. And as Peter entered into his house, Cornelius fell down and wor¬ 
shipped him. But Peter spoke to him, saying, “ Stand up; for I am only a 
man like thyself.” Then Peter went in with him and found there many per- 


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sons gathered together, who, like Cornelius himself, were not Jews, hut Gen¬ 
tiles. And Peter said to them, “ You know that the Jews say it is wrong for 
them to make friends with the men of other nations, because the Jews think 
themselves better, and call others common and unclean. But God has taught 
me, in a vision, not to call the men of other nations common or unclean. 
Therefore I came to you as soon as you sent for me, and now I ask for what 
reason you wanted me to 


come ?” 

Cornelius answered, 
u Four days ago I was fast¬ 
ing and praying in my house, 
and, behold, an angel stood 
before me in bright clothing, 
and said, Cornelius, God has 
heard thy prayers, and seen 
thy kind acts to the poor. 

Send therefore to Joppa for a 
man named Peter. He is 
staying in the house of 
Simon, a tanner, by the sea¬ 
side. When he comes, he 
will tell how thou and all thy 
family can be saved. Imme¬ 
diately then I sent for thee, 
and thou hast been kind to 
come. Now we are all here to¬ 
gether to hear what God hath 
commanded thee to sa} r .” 

Peter accepted the invi¬ 
tation of Cornelius and 
preached to him and his 
friends of their duties to God, 
and recited the story of Jesus’ 
good works and His cruel 
death with such effect that 
the entire house was converted and baptized, and he remained with them several 
days glorifying God. 

PETER IS CAST INTO PRISON, BUT AN ANGEL DELIVERS HIM. 

The wonders performed, and particularly the rapid conversion of the people 
to Christianity by Peter, stirred up the anger of the Hellenists anew after it 
had slumbered for about five years. Herod, the tetrarch, but who was called 
king, ruling as the representative of Rome, became specially vindictive and 


THE ANGEU CONDUCTING PETER OUT OF PRISON. 









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began a vigorous persecution of the Christians. James, one of the apostles, 
was first seized and publicly beheaded, amid the plaudits of the brutal populace. 
Peter was shortly afterward arrested, but the Feast of the Passover being at 
hand his execution was deferred until the celebration should be concluded. 
He was thrown into prison and, as a measure of particular precaution against 
his escape, he was chained to his guards by means of iron bands around his 
wrists and ankles, connected with chains fastened to similar bands about the 
limbs of his keepers. But these could not avail against the will of God. On 
the night preceding the day fixed for his death, Peter was awakened by the 
gentle touch of an angel, as he lay sleeping between the guards, and he heard 
a voice, “ Rise up quickly.”. He opened his eyes to see a brilliant light filling 
the naturally dark cell, and beheld before him a radiant angel, who now said, 
“ Dress thyself, and put on thy sandals and follow me.” Peter saw also that 
the men sent to guard him were in a profound sleep—but the chains ! This 
perplexity was only for a moment, for as he sought to rise, the bands which 
held his limbs broke asunder, the great iron gate which barred the way to 
liberty swung back noiselessly of its own accord, and following the angel Peter 
walked out and down through the quiet streets until they came to the vicinity 
of a friend’s house, named Mary. Here the Divine liberator left him, and 
Peter went to find shelter where he knew were his friends. Mary was the 
mother of Mark, and to her house came many Christians every day to worship 
together. But it was with great secrecy, for the emissaries of Herod were 
everywhere seeking to glut their vengeful hatred with Christian blood. 

Peter knocked at the door of Mary, when Rhoda, a young woman who 
chanced to be „at the house at the time, went to answer the summons. She 
did not quickly -ppen the door, but suspecting that it might be one of Herod’s 
spies, she crept catitiously and gave a challenge, “Who is it?” Peter responded 
in such a manner that Rhoda knew immediately that it was he, and so over¬ 
joyed was she to know that he was near again, that she forgot to open the 
door, but in her gladness now ran back to Mary and the company to tell them 
that Peter was without. They thought she must be mad, and so told her, for 
was not Peter in prison, and was he not to furnish the bloody spectacle of a 
victim to Jewish hatred before the populace on the morrow? But Peter kept 
knocking until they came and admitted him, and heard from his own lips the 
story of his miraculous deliverance. 

When morning dawned the guards awakened to find to their horror that 
Peter had disappeared, but how they could not divine. The iron bands were 
intact, and the great gate was bolted through which no one could have passed. 
Herod soon heard of the disciple’s escape and sent immediately for the keepers. 
These he questioned concerning the manner of Peter’s escape, but obtaining 
no satisfactory replies he ordered that they be forthwith put to death. But 
Herod himself did not long survive, for the Lord afflicted him with a loath¬ 
some disease from which he soon died after great suffering. 


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557 


PAUL is CALLED TO ANTIOCH 

When most of the disciples fled from Jerusalem, after the stoning of Ste¬ 
phen, about A. D. 35, some of them went to Antioch, a city of Syria, where 
they preached to the Gentiles and made a great number of conversions. 
Learning of their success there Barnabas also went to Antioch after Paul’s 
departure for Tarsus, as it was not safe for either to remain longer in Jerusa¬ 
lem. After remaining in Antioch some months, Barnabas sought Paul and 
brought him there also, as it was a most fruitful field for Christianizing labor. 
Hear they preached daily for a year, in which time several thousand persons 
united with the Church, and here also was the name Christian , as a follower 
of Christ, first given. At the end of a year, a prophet named Agabus 
declared that a famine would prevail throughout the land in the succeeding 
season, to prepare against which Paul and Barnabas raised such funds as they 
were able to collect from their friends, and took the money to Jerusalem for 
distribution among the needy Christians in that city, but they were absent 
only a short time, having made their return to Antioch as soon as possible on 
account of the bitter feeling which still existed against them in Jerusalem. 

A FALSE PROPHET IS STRUCK BLIND. 

After preaching another year in Antioch, Paul went to Salamis, on the 
island of Cyprus, taking with him Barnabas, a native of the island, and 
another disciple named Mark, but they were ill received by the Cyprians at 
Salamis, so, after a short stay and little preaching, they removed to Paphos, 
a town on the same island. Directly after their arrival at Paphos, the deputy 
of the city, Sergius Paulus, sent for them to instruct him in the way of sal¬ 
vation. But there was a Jew named Elymas who had great influence with the 
deputy, and as he was a rabid hater of the Christians, he for a time undid all 
the good work of Paul. This so incensed the apostle that he sought Elymas 
and accosted him, saying “ O thou, who art full of mischief, thou child of the 
devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right 
ways of the Lord ? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and 
thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.” Immediately the light 
went out from his eyes and he had to seek some one to lead him. On account 
of this miracle Paulus was convinced, and he became an earnest Christian, 
whose influence brought many others to accept the gospel. 

PAUL AND BARNABAS ARE DRIVEN FROM ANTIOCH. 

Paul and Barnabas left Paphos after a season and went to a town called 
Perga, on the river Centrus, in Asia Minor. Here they were received with 
such hostility that Mark, of faint heart, left his companions and returned to 
Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas made their stay also short in Perga, and went 
to Antioch in Pisidia, or Asia Minor, which, like the Antioch of Syria, was 
founded by Nicator, the son of Antiochus. Here Paul preached in the Jewish 
synagogues and first announced to the Jews the gospel of salvation to the 


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Gentiles. He recited, in eloquent language, the history of the prophets, and 
reminded* his hearers, as Stephen had done, of the wickedness and perverse¬ 
ness of the Jewish people. He then explained to them the gospel of Jesus 
and besought them to embrace it, though at the same time he intimated his 
prophetic knowledge that they would reject it. 

THE PEOPLE SACRIFICED TO PAUL, BUT AFTERWARD STONED HIM. 

Paul and Barnabas had to flee from Antioch, but God directed their foot¬ 
steps aright and they went to Iconium, which is on the western limit of 
Lycaonia, in Asia Minor. Here they renewed their ministry, and by preach¬ 
ing in the synagogues they gained many converts of both Jews and Gentiles. 
But their enemies were on the alert, and soon drove them from Iconium, from 
whence they came to a city, not far distant, called Lystra. While Paul was 
preaching here a man lame from birth was brought and set down beside the 
apostle. Paul, perceiving that the afflicted one had faith, in the presence of 
the large concourse of people before him, cried out in a loud voice: “ Stand 
upright on thy feet!” Immediately the lame man went leaping for joy, and 
giving praise for his restoration. When the people saw this wondrous miracle, 
they declared that the apostles were gods, sent down from heaven in the like¬ 
ness of men, and they called Paul Mercury , and Barnabas they believed to be 
Jupiter , which were the names of their two gods. Their belief was so great 
that the priests brought oxen and sacred vessels, and an altar from the idols’ 
temple, and prepared to sacrifice to them. But when Paul and Barnabas saw 
what was about to be done they quickly forbade such a sacrilege, assuring the 
people that they were only men like themselves, but sent to persuade them 

from worshipping idols, and to turn their worship to the true God. So fickle 

were these people, that those who had been most earnest in their offerings 
now became inflamed against them, declaring they were impostors and wicked 
men worthy of a blasphemer’s death. The feeling against Paul and Barnabas 
continued to increase until the Jews made an attack upon them. Barnabas 
escaped injury, but Paul was stricken down and stoned until his persecutors 
believed him dead. They accordingly dragged his body outside of the city and 
left it for carrion birds to feast on. Some of Paul’s friends, however, went to 
bring the body back and give it burial, but as they were standing about pre¬ 
paring a litter, Paul suddenly rose up and returned with them to the city, 
restored by God, but he did not tarry long, for the cry was against him. 

Therefore leaving Lystria, Paul again found Barnabas, and the two continued 

travelling together through all the cities of western Asia Minor, and though 
bitterly persecuted everywhere, their zeal was in no wise diminished. 






Contention mas sharp betoieen them. 





CHAPTER XXXV. 

PAUL AND BARNABAS DISPI'1« 

HE second missionary journey of St e Paul began within a 
very short time after the decision of the elders respecting 
the Mosaic law. He first returned to Antioch, presum¬ 
ably for certain instructions, and from thence he journeyed 
through Cilicia, Lycaonia, Phrygia, Galatia, Mysia and 
the Troad. From this latter place he went to Europe, 
Macedonia, Athens and Corinth. Barnabas, however, did 
not accompany him, for on account of a dispute between the 
two over the desire of Barnabas to take Mark with him, they 
separated, Barnabas setting sail for Cyprus with Mark, while 
Paul pursued his way in the company of Silas. Notwithstand¬ 
ing the evil that was done him by the people of Lystra, Paul 
stopped there again on his second journey, but it is not related 
that he offered to preach. We are merely told that he found a 
young man in the city named Timothy, who was known as a 
devout and God-fearing person, and at his request Paul took 
him as a companion. 

Paul’s next stopping-place was at Troas, near the sea-coast, 
where at night he beheld a vision of an angel standing before 
him, who said, “ Come over to Macedonia and help us.” This 
call, which he knew was from God, he at once responded to, 
and taking a ship he sailed for Philippi, taking Silas with him, but of 
Timothy no mention is made. Upon arriving at Philippi the two apostles 
went on the Sabbath to a place beside the river, just on the outskirts of the 

( 559 ) 




























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town, where the Jews were accustomed to meet for prayer, from which we are 
led to infer that there was no synagogue in the place. As they sat here a 
woman named Lydia, who sold purple cloths, came to attend them, and with 
her Paul conversed concerning the ministry of Christ and of the gospel. She 
listened with rapt attention and was soon converted, being baptized, with all her 
family. After this Paul and Silas, at her request, made her house their home 
while in Philippi. 

PAUL AND SILAS ARE SCOURGED BY THE PEOPLE 

The apostles preached daily to the people, but were greatly annoyed b\ 
a young woman who had the reputation of forecasting events, by which she 
earned much money for those to whom she was in service. It is to be in¬ 
ferred that the woman was an idiot, or afflicted with a mild lunacy, which in 

early times was often 
regarded as a mark 
or evidence of col¬ 
lusion with familiar 
spirits. She followed 
Paul and Silas about, 
crying out, “ These 
men are the servants 
of God, who show us 
how we may be 
saved.” To avoid 
this annoyance, per* 
haps as much as for 
the good deed itself, 
Paul at length turned 
and said to the evil 
spirit that possessed 
her, “I command 
thee, in the name 
of Jesus Christ, to come out of her.” At these words the young woman was 
relieved and came into possession of her right mind, so that she was no longer 
profitable to her masters. 

Being deprived of an income which the ravings of a poor imbecile brought 
them, the masters of the girl became so incensed at Paul and Silas that they 
seized them and made a charge to the rulers that they were teaching the 
people a false doctrine. On this accusation the ruler commanded that the 
apostles be scourged and then thrown into prison, that it might be decided 
afterward what further punishment would be inflicted. 

The stripes which they received were very severe and left them quite 
exhausted, but notwithstanding their pitiable condition they were not only put 
into a dark and loathsome prison, but their feet and ankles were bound in the 

















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stocks so that they were unable to move. Faith and hope, however, sustained 
them in this trying hour. In the night they fell to praying and to singing 
praises to God in the hearing of the other prisoners. In the middle watch, 
while thus engaged, suddenly there was a great earthquake which shook the 
prison so violently that the doors flew open and the stocks burst from Paul 
and Silas’s limbs. The keeper being aroused from his sleep, and seeing the 
prison doors open, thought his prisoners must have gained their freedom, and 
knowing well the penalty which 
would be visited upon him for 
permitting his charge to es¬ 
cape, he seized a sword and 
was on the point of killing 
himself, when Paul cried out 
to him, “ Do thyself no harm, 
for we are all here.” 

The jailor now knew that 
some wonderful manifestation 
had been made, and procuring 
a light he came trembling into 
the cell where Paul and Silas 
were. Kneeling down before 
them he cried in passionate 
terms, “ Sirs, what shall I do 
to be saved ? ” and Paul an¬ 
swered, “ Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt 
be saved.” The jailor listened 
to Paul’s discourse about Jesus 
and became converted while 
standing in the dungeon, and 
carried the news of salvation 
to his family, who also were bap¬ 
tized. After this he brought 
food, and washed the wounds 
of the apostles and otherwise 
manifested his sympathy and 
joy. In the morning the rulers sent officers to the prison with an order for the 
liberation of Paul and Silas, but they refused to accept their freedom. Paul’s 
father was a freeman, although a Jew, though it is not known whether he had 
been so born or had purchased his liberty, as was often done. He was, there¬ 
fore, not amendable to the Jewish laws, but was subject only to the Romans. 
Paul was, of course, a freeman, and it was against the law to scourge a Roman. 
Trnxs those who had so severely and unjustly punished Paul were in danger 
36 


THE JAILOR BEFORE PAUL AND SILAS. 






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of having to suffer even death for their acts. Learning these facts, those who 
had procured his punishment came and begged him to go out of the city, and 
not prefer charges against them, which Paul at length consented to do. 

THE PEOPLE AGAIN THREATEN PAUL. 

Paul and Silas went from Philippi to another city in Macedonia called 
Thessalonica, where they preached for three days in the synagogues. Several 
Jews and Gentiles were converted, but a great number of the people were 
angered at the boldness with which they accused those who rejected the Gospel. 
This angry feeling increased until many of the Jews assembled and went in 
a body to the house where the apostles were staying, intending to mob them. 
The man whose hospitality Paul and Silas were receiving was named Jason, 
and so good a friend was he to the apostles that he hid them and gave him¬ 
self up to the mob to do with him as they might choose. He was carried 

before the rulers charged with harboring men who had disobeyed the decrees 
of Caesar, and who had declared that Jesus, and not Caesar, was king. In the 
mean time Paul and Silas escaped out of the city by night and went to Berea. 
Jason was made to promise that he would no longer permit the apostles to 
remain in his house, after which he was let go, but he knew that the time 
thus gained would be sufficient to permit of the escape of those he had 
learned to love. 

PAUL TEACHES IN ATHENS THE UNKNOWN GOD. 

Paul remained in Berea only a short while, when another sedition was 
stirred up against him, and being advised by his friends to leave, he went 
thence to Athens, in Greece. Here he found a people apparently advanced in 

civilization, but who, amid all their culture and splendor, were grovelling and 

praying to idols. On every side were images set up, some of wood and others 
made of precious metals; and there were also many splendid temples and altars 
for the worship of a hundred different idols. Before one of these altars Paul 
observed an inscription which read, “ To the Unknown God.” 

The following traditions have gathered round Paul’s reference to this altar: 

It is said that Dionysius, the Areopagite, was at Alexandria at the time 
of Christ’s crucifixion. In that city he witnessed the supernatural darkness 
which covered the earth at the expiring of the Son of God, and knowing it 
was not caused by an eclipse, Dionysius concluded that it was the act of some 
god whose name he was not acquainted with ; and on his return to Athens he 
erected the altar in question to the God who had suddenly wrapped the world 
in darkness. 

According to another tradition, when the Athenians had lost a certain battle 
there appeared a spectre in the city, who informed them that he had indicted 
the calamities upon them because, though they worshipped other gods, and cele¬ 
brated games in their honor, there was no worship paid to him. The apparition 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


*63 

vanished without leaving its name. The Athenians, desirous of doing honor to 
all gods, erected this altar, and on it placed the celebrated inscription. 

Still another story affirms that the Athenians, on one occasion, being seized 
with a burning distemper which would not allow them to endure anything on 
their bodies, addressed themselves in vain to all the gods whom they had been 
accustomed to revere ; but as they received no relief from their known deities 
they erected an altar u To the Unknown God,” apprehending that some strange 
divinity had smitten them. When they recovered, of course they attributed then 
cure to the deity whom they had at last done their best to propitiate. What¬ 
ever may have been the occasion for the raising of an altar to the Unknown 
God, Paul declaimed against the sacrilege which it embodied, and preached 
Christ and through Him the way to salvation. The wise men of Athens for a 
time thought Him to be some harmless enthusiast, but at length discovered 
with what strength of reasoning and great power of speech he explained his 
doctrine, so they invited him to preach to them on Mars’ Hill, where the chief 
court of Athens met. In response to this invitation, 

Paul met the wise philosophers of Greece, and others 
who had a curiosity to hear him, and spoke to them 
of their duties to the true God. Said he, “ Him 
whom you worship as the Unknown God do I de¬ 
clare unto you, for that God is not made of stone, 
of brass, of gold, or of other substance, but it is He 
of the spirit, who made heaven and earth, and all 
that is therein, and to whom }^ou owe everything, 
not only what you have and enjoy as the accumu¬ 
lation of your industry, but your lives as well.” 

And Paul also spoke to them of Jesus, of his teach¬ 
ings, sufferings, death and resurrection. But when 
from the dead many mocked him, though not a few 
became converted, among whom was Dionysius, a member of the chief court. 

PAUL IS APPREHENDED AGAIN AT CORINTH. 

Paul next journeyed to the city of Corinth, where he was received by a 
Jew named Aquila, and his wife Priscilla, who were tent-makers. In his youth 
Paul had followed this trade, for though his father was rich, and he had no 
need to work, it was customary for all Jews to require their children to learn 
some trade. For some time, therefore, Paul worked with Aquila and his wife, 
and while they made tents they had opportunity to converse on holy things. 
Priscilla was soon converted under Paul’s preaching, and became an earnest 
disciple for disseminating the gospel among her acquaintances. Aquila was 
also converted, and the two thereafter received from Paul the name of u his 
helpers in Christ Jesus.” 

The suffering which Paul had passed through in his mission as a disciple, 
which he no doubt often related, was perhaps what first won the sympathy of 



PAUL PREACHING IN ATHENS. 


he spoke of Christ rising 
accepted his teachings and 





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Aquila and Priscilla, for they had only a short time before been themselves 
driven from Rome by the cruel edict of Claudius, which expelled all Jews. 

Paul remained in Corinth for eighteen months, working at his trade and 
preaching each Sabbath, at the end of which time the Jews again preferred 
charges against him, on which he was arrested and brought before a magistrate 
named Gallio, upon a complaint that he was preaching a false doctrine. 
Instead, however, of ordering him to be punished, the magistrate dismissed 
him, with some reproof to his accusers for apprehending a man merely on 
account of his religious opinions. But this did not end the trouble, for the 
Gentiles, offended at Paul’s enemies, seize the chief ruler of the synagogue 



ANCIENT CORINTH. 


and administered to him a severe beating with thongs even before Gallio, which 
leads us to believe that his sympathies were with Paul if not with his teachings. 

AN EVIL SPIRIT PUNISHES IMPOSTOR JEWS. 

Leaving Corinth at length, Paul went to Ephesus, accompanied by Aquila 
and Priscilla, and there with their aid he founded another church. He spent 
three years in this place, during which time he performed many miracles and 
converted hundreds of people. It is related that so great were his virtues that 
handkerchiefs, aprons, and such things as he might handle, when laid upon 
the sick or those possessed of evil spirits, made them immediately well. Many 
wicked pretenders took advantage of the reputation which Paul had among the 
Ephesians for working miracles, and claimed the power also of casting out 
devils in Jesus’ name. On one occasion seven brothers, who were Jews, attempted 
to relieve a sufferer by exorcising the evil spirit in the name of Jesus, but 

















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the spirit answered them, saying, “ I know Jesus, and Paul I know also, 
but who are you?” Thus speaking, the man of an evil spirit leaped upon 
them and beat and wounded them until they were glad to flee into a house to 
escape further punishment. This incident was followed by many pretenders 
to magic renouncing their profession, and bringing the books which they 
owned that taught such evil practices to a public place, where they were 
burned. The value of the books of magic that were thus destroyed was fifty 

thousand pieces of silver. 

A MOB GOES CRYING THROUGH EPHESUS. 

But though there was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Ephesus, 


it did not so 


continue, for as the conversions multiplied anger and jealousy 

were excited by those who opposed 
the gospel, which led finally to 
Paul being driven from the city. 
The circumstance, however, was 
a most singular one, as we shall 
see: Among the numerous gods 
and goddesses worshipped by the 
Ephesians was one called Diana, 
to whom a magnificent temple was 
built of cedar, cypress, marble, and 
gold. So great and splendid was 
this building that the Ephesians 
spent one hundred and twenty 
years in its construction, and for 
many centuries it was regarded as 
being the most wonderful, as well 
as beautiful, thing in the world. 
The image of Diana, which the 
temple sheltered, was made of 
gold, and more splendid even than 
the temple itself. So devoted were the people to this goddess that a large 
number of workers in brass and silver spent their entire time in making minia¬ 
tures of the temple, which were hawked about in the streets by peddlers. Paul 
inveighed against this practice, and rebuked the people for their idolatry in 
such earnest words that a great jealousy was stirred up against him. 

Demetrius, one of those who manufactured images for sale, was the first 
to set up a cry for Paul’s punishment. He was able to make his influence 
effective by appealing to his workmen, reminding them that if Paul continued 
to convert the people their occupation would be gone; and he also reminded 
the citizens generally that if the worship of Diana were abandoned their beau¬ 
tiful temple, which now excited the admiration of the world, would fall into 
decay, and their pride would be destroyed. 



AQUILA AND PRISCILLA LISTENING TO THE TEACHING OF PAUL. 








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567 


So Inflamed with passion did the Ephesians become under this harangue 
that with fairly one voice they shouted, “ Great is Diana of the Ephesians! ” 
and began at once to search for the disciples. Gaius and Aristarchus, who had 
been Paul’s companions, were first to fall into the hands of the populace, but 
no further harm was done than to carry them to the theatre where Paul was 
announced to address the people. Many of Paul’s friends urged him not to go 
to the theatre, on account of the threatening cries of the citizens, who had 
now become a mob. This advice he finally consented to obey, by which wise 
action there is no doubt that a sickening spectacle of blood and ruin was 
prevented. 

One of the chief officers of the city appeared in the theatre and called upon 
Demetrius to prefer his charges against the Christians, at the same time 
assuaging the excitement of the crowd by saying: “ Ye men of Ephesus, what 
man is there among you who does not know that the people of our city are 
all worshipper^ of the great goddess Diana and of her image that fell down 
from heaven ? Now, as no one denies this, you should be careful to do nothing 
in anger. You have brought here the men, called Christians, who have not 
robbed your temple, or spoken evil of your goddess. Therefore, if Demetrius, 
and the workmen who are with him, have any complaint to make against 
them, let him go before the court and prove what evil they have done. For 
we are in danger of being blamed by our rulers for this day’s disturbance, 
because we can give no reason why it should have been made.” By this 
speech the officer calmed the passion of the mob, and persuaded them to go 
to their homes and trouble the Christians no more. 

A YOUNG MAN KIEEED BY AN ACCIDENT IS RESTORED TO LIFE. 

After the people had dispersed Paul called to him the disciples, and bid¬ 
ding them farewell, left them, and went again into the land of Macedonia. When 
he had preached in the different cities of that country, he came again to Troas, 
in Asia. And on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together 
to eat of the bread and drink of the wine, as Jesus had commanded, Paul 
preached to them, for he was going to leave Troas the next day. There 
were many lights in the upper chamber where they met together, and Paul 
continued speaking till the middle of the night. 

And there sat in a window, listening to him, a young man named Euty- 
chus, who, as Paul was long preaching, slept, and while asleep fell from the 
third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down to him and putting 
his arms around him, said to those who stood by, “ Do not be troubled; he 
has come to life again.” And the young man’s friends when they saw that he 
was alive, took him up and were comforted. When Paul had returned to the 
upper chamber and eaten with the disciples, and talked with them a long while, 
even till it was morning, ha left them to go from Troas. 

\nd he and the brethren who were with him sailed to the city of Miletus# 


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THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 



which was not far from Ephesus. And because he did not wish to go to 
Ephesus at that time, he sent for the elders of the church there, to come and 
meet him. When they had come, he spoke to them, saying, “ You know, from 
the first day that I came among you, and for the 
three years that I stayed with you, how I lived at all 
times; serving the Lord humbly, yet having many sor¬ 
rows and trials because of the Jews, who were always 
seeking to do me some harm. And you know that 
when I preached to you, I did not keep back any¬ 
thing that it was best for you to hear, even though it 
were something that might offend you ; but I taught 
you in the sjmagogues and in your own houses, telling 
both the Jews and the Gentiles that they should re¬ 
pent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

“And now I am going up to Jerusalem, not knowing what shall happen 
to me there, except that in every city, the Holy Spirit tells me, bonds and 
afflictions are waiting for me. Yet none of these things make me afraid, 
neither do I care even though I be put to death, so that I may die with joy, 
and finish the work which the Lord Jesus has given me, as His minister, to 
do. And now I know that all of you who have heard me preach the gospel 
so often, shall see my face no more. Therefore, before I go, I want you to 
confess that if any of you be lost at the judgment day, the fault will not be 
mine; for I have not neglected to tell you how you may be saved, as God 
sent me to tell you.’’ 

After Paul had said these things, he kneeled down and prayed with them. 
And they all wept greatly, and put their arms around his neck and kissed 
him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they should see 
his face no more. And they went with him to the ship in which he sailed 
away from Miletus. And he came to the city of Tyre, for there the ship was 
to unload her burden. Finding some disciples there he stayed with them 
seven days. As he was about to leave them, they, with their wives and 
children, came with him to the shore; and they all kneeled down together and 
prayed. And when they had bidden each other farewell, Paul and the breth¬ 
ren who journeyed 


with him went into 
the ship, and the 
disciples returned to 
their homes. And 
Paul came to the 
city of Caesarea, and 

went into the house of Philip, one of the seven deacons on whom the apostles 
had laid their hands; it was that Philip who preached the gospel to the eunuch, 
as he rode in his chariot going back from Jerusalem to Ethiopia. 






















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569 


While Paul was in Philip’s house, a prophet named Agabus came there, 
who took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, at the same 
time telling him it had been given him to know that he, Paul, would be like¬ 
wise bound by the Jews at Jerusalem. When the disciples heard this prophecy 
they fell on his neck with tears and besought him to forego his intention, 
but he steadfastly refused, saying, I am ready, as the Lord may will, not 
only to be bound but also to die at the hands of the enemies of Jesus.” 

PAUL ARRESTED IN THE TEMPLE. 

When Paul parted from his friends at Caesarea he went straightway to 
Jerusalem, where he was joyfully received by his brethren. On the day suc¬ 
ceeding his arrival he met the elders of the church at a 
disciple’s house and gave them an account of his labors, 
and of how Gentile nations had received the gospel. On 
the second day Paul went into the Temple to preach, but 
scarcely had he opened his mouth when some Jews from 
Asia laid violent hands upon him, accusing him of blas¬ 
phemy and annulling the laws of Moses, and of bringing 
Gentiles into the Temple. A great uproar was immediately 
raised and the whole city thrown into confusion. A crowd 
gathered about Paul when he was brought into the streets, 
many of whom began pelting him with stones and sticks, 
but his life was saved by a squad of soldiers who rushed 
in and took him away from the blood-thirsty villains who 
sought his life. Paul was at once bound with chains and 
taken toward the castle, but so vindictive were the Jews 
that they seemed resolved to kill him, and would have 
done so had not the soldiers surrounded him and thus ex¬ 
posed their own bodies to the murderous missiles that were 
hurled at him. When once safe within the castle Paul 
asked permission of the captain to speak, to which the 
officer replied, “ Art thou not that Egyptian who did lead 
men out into the wilderness?” Shortly before the arrest 
of Paul a man from Egypt had made his appearance in 
Jerusalem, declaring that he was a prophet anointed by God 
to foretell what should befall the people. Many persons were deceived by him, 
and were led away from their homes after surrendering to him all their property. 
It was this impostor which the officer supposed Paul to be. When, therefore, 
Paul convinced him that he was a free-born Jew of Tarsus, the officer gave 
him permission to speak to the crowd below as he had requested. When the 
people at length consented to hear him and had become quiet, Paul spoke in 
Hebrew somewhat after this manner: 

“ I am, of a truth, a Jew born in Tarsus, but brought up in Jerusalem 
under the instruction of Gamaliel, who taught me in all the laws of Moseio 


















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THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY. 


In my early years I was as diligent in compelling a rigid observance of 
those laws as you; nay, I even persecuted and desired the death of all 
Christians, and many, both men and woman, did I throw into prison. 
Nor was my labor of persecution confined to Jerusalem, but I asked for 
letters of authority to go to Damascus and to seize and imprison all the 
Christians that I might find there. But as I was on my way there a wonder¬ 
ful thing was done for me, by which I was made to know the sinfulness of 
my ways. While I was journeying near the walls of Damascus, suddenly a 
blazing light fell upon me so that I was stricken to the ground, and as I lay 
there helpless and confused a voice spoke, saying, ‘ Saul, Saul, why persecutest 
thou Me ?’ And when I asked who it was that spoke, the reply came, ‘ I am 
Jesus, whom thou persecutest.’ And when I asked what I should do it was 
told me to go into Damascus, where it would be given me to know.” 

Paul also explained to his hearers all that had happened him thereafter, 
and how Jesus had told him to go unto all nations of the Gentiles and preach 
the gospel to them that would receive it. 

THE PEOPLE AGAIN TRY TO STONE PAUL. 

The Jews listened patiently to Paul’s discourse until he told that he had 
carried his ministry to the Gentiles, at which they became boisterous again 
and shouted, “ Kill him, kill him; such a man is unworthy to live.” The 
soldiers, however, prevented them from doing him violence, but a number of 
those most vengeful declared that they would neither eat nor drink until 
they had killed him. On account of these threats the chief captain of the 
soldiers determined not to bring Paul before the council on the following day, 
but to take him directly to the Roman governor at Caesarea, which was sixty 
miles from Jerusalem. The guard detailed to convey the prisoner to Caesarea 
carried with them a letter written by the chief captain and addressed to the 
governor, whose name was Felix, informing him of the circumstance of Paul’s 
arrest and uttering the opinion that the prisoner had done nothing worthy of 
punishment. 

When Paul was brought before Felix he was questioned as to the place 
of his birth and the manner by which he became a free man, after which he 
was thrown into prison to await the arrival of his accusers, who had sent a 
letter saying they would appear in a few days. 

At the expiration of five days Ananias, the high-priest, and other mem¬ 
bers of the council came to Caesarea, accompanied by a lawyer named Ter- 
tullus, who was engaged to prosecute Paul. The case was brought before the 
governor without delay and Tertullus opened the prosecution with a speech of 
condemnation, in which he charged Paul with having stirred up sedition, but 
was worthy of punishment chiefly because he had preached to both Jew and 
Gentile a new religion and had taught that Jesus, who was crucified, was the 
Son of God. When he had finished talking a number of Jews were intro- 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


571 


duced as witnesses to prove the accusations made, after which Paul was per¬ 
mitted to speak. He manifested no fear or excitement, but in an unimpassioned 
and dignified manner gave an account of his ministry, of the good he had 
sought to do, of how he had wronged no man, and how while believing in the 
Jewish laws and religion, yet had he with an approving conscience taught that 
Jesus was the Christ to the Gentile as well as Jew. 

When Paul had left off speaking he was remanded to prison and kept in 
durance for two years, though he was allowed considerable liberty, and was 



PAUE A GUEST IN THE HOUSE OF FEEIX, EXPOUNDING THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST. 

“And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled.’’— Acts xxiv. 25. 

even brought several times to Felix’s house as a guest. Felix was succeeded 
as governor by Festus, to whom the Jews appealed anew that Paul might be 
returned to Jerusalem for trial. But Festus refused the request and replied 
that his prisoner should be condemned, if at all, at Caesarea, so that the Jews 
were compelled to appear there again to renew their accusations. 

When his case was again brought to trial Paul was asked whether he 
would consent to go to Jerusalem or would appeal to Caesar, which was an 
intimation to him that if found guilty the punishment awarded him might be 
death. It was a law at the time that any Roman charged with a capital crime 
had the right of an appeal to Caesar, and as Paul was a free man he had this 




















































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privilege, which, understanding the feeling against him at Jerusalem, he 
availed himself of. Before sending him away to Rome, however, it happened 
that Agrippa—another governor, procurator, or king, whose exact office is not 
known—came to visit Festus, and having heard of Paul and his wisdom 
requested that he be brought before him. Excuse was accordingly made for 
the pretense of a new trial, and Paul was again brought before the tribunal, 
loaded with chains. 

Paul’s speech before the two rulers, Festus and Agrippa, was the most 
memorable he ever uttered, and thrilled the very souls of the governors, 
almost persuading them to embrace Christianity. They would have gladly 
released him now, but for the fact that he had appealed to Caesar, which took 
the case out of Festus’s hands, though he had found occasion to call him 
before the tribunal after this appeal had been made. 

THE SHIPWRECK OF ST. PAUL. 

It was only a short while after being called before Agrippa when Paul 
was given in charge of a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan cohort, 

who had also several other prisoners to convey 
to Rome. There was evidently a considerable 
company of criminals, of which Paul was rec¬ 
koned by the Jews as the greatest, and these 
were all thrown promiscuously together in the 
hold of the vessel, and the voyage to Rome 
was begun. This was about sixty years after 
Christ, and probably in the month of Septem¬ 
ber, toward the season when storms are most 
frequent. The voyage was slow on account of 
the vessel having to make so many landings 
along the coast, and far into October less than 
two-thirds of the trip had been completed. While making a run between 
Cape Matala and Port Phoenix, along the coast of Crete, a typhoon came 
suddenly down on the vessel from out the northeast, and raged with such 
violence that it was impossible to do more than let her scud before the 
wind. The ship thus drove furiously on to the coast of an island named 
Clauda. Here the waves wrenched her so that she began taking water very 
rapidly, and the only hope of escape seemed now to lie in the single small boat 
that was towed behind the vessel. The cargo was thrown overboard, and every 
thing done to lighten the ship, but, while she was kept afloat a consider¬ 
able time, the tempest did not abate, and day after day hope of rescue appeared 
to grow less. In this desperate condition Paul spoke to the captain, bidding 
him not fear, for it had been given him to know, by an angel messenger, that, 
while the vessel would be lost, all on board would yet be saved 

On the fourteenth night of the storm, Paul bid' the sailors to refresh 













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573 


themselves with food, for in their excitement and fear they had eaten nothing 
for several days. They, accordingly, ate the food that Paul had blessed, and 
then prepared to leave the vessel, which was now driven upon the ground, 
when, being held fast, it was soon broken in pieces. The soldiers now advised 
the centurion in charge to kill all the prisoners, in order that none might 
escape; but his desire to save Paul prevented him from issuing such a cruel 
order, but instead he commanded every one that could swim to cast himself 
into the sea, and that those who could not should provide themselves with 



ST. PAUE IS SHIPWRECKED, 


something to upbear them and make to shore, which they did, and all were 
saved. The crew and passengers of the vessel numbered two hundred and 
seventy-six persons, who distributed themselves about the island and sought 
shelter and food wherever they could find it. The chief man on the island was 
named Publius, who, seeing the disaster came down to the shore and gave 
such assistance as he was able. He also invited Paul to his house, an enter 
tained him three days. It chanced that the father of Publius fell ill of a 
dangerous fever some time before, and was near unto death when Paul came 
into the house. One of the first things that Paul did, therefore, after entering 










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the house, was to lay 
his hands on the suf¬ 
ferer, by which gra¬ 
cious act he was im¬ 
mediately restored. 
Paul afterwards 
healed many of the 

people that were on the island of all manner of sickness, and 
converted hundreds to Christianity. 

THE RIOT IN ROME AND PAUL’S DEATH. 

For three months Paul and his companions remained on the 
island before opportunity was offered for them to continue their 
iourney. After due time Paul reached Rome, where he was re¬ 
ceived by many Christians who had heard of his coming, and 
through whose influence he was permitted to occupy a house to 
himself under nominal guard, but his chains were not removed. 
Paul made an appeal to the Jews of Rome, reciting the wrongs 
that he had suffered from his countrymen at Jerusalem, and so 
affected his hearers that he was asked to preach the doctrine for 
which he had been so harshly condemned. 

From this date history tells us almost nothing about Paul, 
and what little has been written has as often been contradicted. 
Some writers declare that he preached in Rome for a period of 
two years and made many converts, during which time he lived 
in a house to himself. It appears that he was set free and 
went again to Jerusalem, after which he returned to Rome and 
was in the city at the time of its partial destruction by fires and 
massacre of Christians. 

Profane history tells us that in the year A. D. 64, the city 
of Rome was visited by a conflagration greater than any that 
had ever before raged in the world. For six days the city was 
a sea of flame, consuming palace and hovel alike, until six of 
the fourteen wards of the place, nearly one-half of the city, were 
entirely destroyed. The people were panic-stricken and rushed 
hither and thither in maddening crowds, helpless with fear, and desperate with 
torture. Prom desperation the people at length grew suspicious that the city 
had been fired by the orders of Nero who, during the conflagration, repaired to 
the turret of his villa and publicly enacted a drama of his own composing, 
entitled “The Sack of Troy.” He had fired Rome to lend realism to the 
dreadful tragedy of his theatrical ambition. ^ 

From a suspicion the opinion of the wild masses quickly grew into con¬ 
viction and then came an ominous muttering of vengeance, that even appalled 












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575 


the Emperor who could fiddle while his subjects saw their possessions melting 
to gratify his thirst for the terrible. He saw the cloud of wrath gathering 
and to avert the threatening result, he suddenly began, with truly theatrical 
transition, to descend from his imperious position to that of a zealous sympa¬ 
thizer with the sufferers. He went about among his people scattering money 



DIONS DESTROYING THE CHRISTIANS. 


to those in need and apparently bewailing the calamity that his own orders 
had precipitated. But with all his show of sympathy suspicion was not wholly 
averted, and he perceived, by the portentous complaints that reached his ears, 
that the populace demanded some sacrifice upon which to glut their ungovern¬ 
able rage. To save his own degraded life he therefore caused a report to be 







































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circulated that the city had been fired by the Jews, and that hated new sect 
who called themselves Christians. Here were the victims for Roman rage and 
jealousy, for the Christians had made themselves despised because of their 
piety and rigid precepts, so opposed to the licentiousness and Paganism of the 
wicked, crime-loving populace. It mattered not now who was the real criminal, 
since a commission to riot among the Jews and Christians had been virtually 
given by the bloody-minded Emperor. Hundreds of these innocent people 
were at once seized and carried away to the amphitheatre to furnish a specta¬ 
cle for barbaric eyes. Pillars were set around the race-course to which men 
woman and children were chained, their lower limbs covered with flax dipped 
in pitch and then set on fire. While these human torches were flaming other 
victims were brought out into the enclosure and hungry Numidian lions turned 
loose among them. The screams of the burning and the cries of terror and 
torture from those being torn by the feasting lions, while flashing lights from 
the numerous pillars, through clouds of boiling smoke and heavy odors of pitch 
and burning flesh, constituted a spectacle so horrible that we recoil with a sense 
of oppression and heart sickness at the very mention of such deeds of fiendish 
depravity and man’s inhumanity. In this dreadful riot and holocaust Paul is 
said to have perish, but whether he was burned, decapitated, fed to the lions 
or crucified, is not recorded. Peter however, who must have returned to Rome 
with Paul, on his second visit, fell a victim to the Roman fury, and is said to 
have been crucified head downwards, as were many others during that awful 
riot of merciless massacre. The close of Paul’s life was thus more terribly 
dramatic than his labors had been eventful, but it was typical of such Christian 
faith and fortitude as makes the whole world at once pity and applaud: pity, 
that so noble a life should be so ill requited; and applaud, that he could so 
fearlessly face the mob, flames and executioner, and go to his doom crowned 
with the glory that awaits those faithful unto death. 

VISIONS OF ST. JOHN. 

The last book in the Bible, called Revelation, is the greatest enigma in 
the Holy Scriptures, and bears distinctly the sign of Divine mystery. The 
writer was St. John, but probably not the “beloved disciple” of Jesus, though 
certainly an apostle. Under the reign of Nero, John was exiled to the lonely 
island of Patmos for preaching the doctrine of the resurrection. He was treated 
with the same barbarity practised to-day by the Russian government on her 
Siberian exiles. But though John was made to delve in the mines, he found 
opportunity to write a description of many visions glorious to behold, which 
he saw through the inspiration given him by Jesus These visions compre¬ 
hended all that is in heaven, on earth and in the abode of perpetual darkness. 
He saw an angelic host surrounding the great throne, and the perfect triumph 
of Christ in the hosannas of eternal praise that were sung by redeemed saints. 
A vision of the judgment day was also given him to see, when the dead rose 
out of their graves and assembled before God to be judged according to their 


ILLUSTRATED BIBLE COMMENTARY. 


577 


deeds. An angel appeared to him also, and taking him to the pinnacle of a 
mountain showed him a vision of the New Jerusalem, around which was a great 
wall with strong towers, and pierced by twelve gates, at each of which an angel 
stood guard. This city was built of pure gold, the walls were of precious stones, 
and the gates were of pearl. Over this beautiful city the mantle of night was 
never spread, but the light from God bathed its holy streets forever. This was 
the city of heavenly delight, the home for which every godly heart is longing, 
the empire of peace and love. 

37 


























THE BIBLE STUDENT S ASSISTANT 


BY 


Rev. John Barr 
Rev. John Allan, 


Rev. J. L. Porter, D. D., LL. D., 
and 


Rev. M. G. Easton, D.D. 



THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT, embracing over jive thousand explana¬ 
tions and combining the advantages of a cyclopaedia, concordance and self¬ 


pronouncing dictionary, all in one, is acknowledged to be the most useful work of its kind 
for Scripture reference now existing in the English language. It has been carefully verified 
as to the absolute exactness and accuracy of the explanations, pronunciations and references 
given; no pains have been spared to make the ivork thoroughly reliable, and complete. It is 
therefore believed that the student will find no word or proper name of the least importance omitted. 


In no department of intellectual activity in recent years has so much been achieved as in that 
of Biblical literature. The critical researches of scholars, and the geographical and other explorations 
that have been of late carried on with such skill and industry in Bible lands, have been attended 
with remits of the highest value and importance to every Bible student. We may here refer in 
particular to the topographical discoveries, many of them of very recent date, which have led to the 
identification of the sites of numerous places mentioned in Scripture, the situation of which was 
previously unknown or considered doubtful. On these subjects the Editors have introduced into this 
work as much information as was practicable, so that the reader will here find himself supplied in a 
popular and concise form, with the best fruits of modern scholarship and investigation. 






THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


COMPRISING 


A POPULAR AND CONCISE CYCLOPAEDIA OE THE BIBLE 

A SELF-PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY 

CONCORDANCE OF SUBJECTS AND COMPLETE INDEX 

EVERY DIFFICULT WORD BRIEFLY EXPLAINED AND ALL THE VARIOUS CHARACTERS, PLACES AND SUB¬ 
JECTS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE DESCRIBED WITH ACCURATE REFERENCES 


DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR HOMES, SUNDAY SCHOOL WORKERS, TEACHERS 

AND OTHERS INTERESTED IN CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR 


OVER FIVE THOUSAND EXPLANATIONS 


(Aa—Ab) 

Aaron, a'ron [enlightener?], was of the 
family of the Kohathites and of the tribe 
of Levi, Ex.6.16-20. He was the son of 
Amram and Jochebed, and elder brother 
of Moses;—was called by God to be the 
high-priest of the Israelites; —was born in 
the year of the world 2430, 774 after the 
flood, and 1574 before Christ;—appointed 
to assist Moses, and to be specially useful 
as an excellent speaker, Ex. 4. 14-16; — 
meets him in the wilderness, 4.27;—goes 
with him to Pharaoh, 5.1, &c.;—married 
Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, 
and had four sons, 6.23;—along with Hur, 
stayed the hands of Moses while the He¬ 
brews fought with Amalek, 17.10-12;—he 
and his sons set apart for the priest’s office, 
28.1,&c.; 40.13; —solemnly consecrated, 
Le.8.1, &c.;—commanded to burn incense 
before the Lord every morning and even¬ 
ing, Ex.30.7,8;—to make atonement with 
the blood of the sin-offering once every 
year, 10;—makes the golden calf, 32.1; Ac. 
7.40; — Moses prays for him, De. 9. 20; 
—offers for himself and the people, Le.9. 
1, &c.;—resignedly held his peace when 
his two sons were consumed for offering 
strange fire, 10.3 ;—solemnly blesses the 
people, 9.22,23;—instructed how to bless 
the people, Nu.6.23-26;—he and Miriam 
unjustly complain of Moses, 12.1, &c.;— 
stayed the plague, after Korah’s rebellion,, 
by going between the living and the dead, 
16.48;—his rod buds, 17.8; He.9.4;—sins 
at Meribah, for which he is not allowed to 
enter Canaan, 20. 7-13; — dies in Mount 
Hor, 20.28; cf. De.10.6 ;—aged 123 years, 
33-391 — in his office as high-priest was 
a type of Jesus Christ, He. 5. 4,5 ; he is 
called ‘the saint of the Lord,’ Ps.106.16. 
Aaronites, a'ron-ites, the offspring of 
Aaron, 1 Ch.12.27; 27.17;—were so nume¬ 
rous as to have assigned for them thirteen 
cities, Jos. 2T. 13-19; — Eleazar, Aaron’s 
son, was their chief, Nu.4.16. 

Ab, the Chaldee name of the eleventh 
month of the Jewish civil year, and the 
fifth of their sacred, corresponding to part 
of our July and August;—was not used 
till after the return from Babylon. It does 
not occur in the O. T. This month is al¬ 
ways mentioned as the ‘fifth,’ Zee. 7. 5; 
8.19. 

Abaddon, a-bad'don, and Apollyon [the 
destroyer], the former the Hebrew, and 
the latter the Greek name of the angel 
of the bottomless pit, the king of the apo¬ 
calyptic locusts, Re.9.11. 

Abagtha, a-bag'thah, one of the seven 
chamberlains in the palace of Ahasuerus, 
Es.x.io. 

Abana, ab'a-nah, (Gr. Chrysorroas, now 
Barada ), one of the two rivers of Dam¬ 
ascus, 2Ki. 5. 12. It rises in the centre 
of the Anti-Lebanon range, runs through 
the city, and falls into a lake about twenty 
miles to the east. 

Abarim, ab'a-rim [the passages], Je.22.20. 
De.32.49, a range of high and rugged hills 
on one of which (Nebo) Moses died, lying 


along the north-east shore of the Dead Sea, 
Nu. 27.12; 33.47.48; De. 32. 49. ,SV<?Nebo, 
Peor, and Pisgah. 

Abase, to lower, or bring into contempt, 
Job40. ii; Is. 31.4; Da. 4. 37; Mat. 23. 12; 
2 Co.11.7; Phi.4 .12. 

Abasing, humbling, 2 Co. 11.7. 

Abate, to grow lower, or less, Ge.8.3; Le. 

27 .i 8 ;De. 34 . 7 . 

Abba, ab'bah, a Syriac word; the emphatic 
form of the Heb. Ab, signifying Father, 
Mar.i4.36;Ro.8.i5;Ga.4.6. As the Greek 
word rendered Father is always joined 
with it, this may express the greater arden¬ 
cy of affection and filial confidence in the 
use of the phrase. 

Abda, ab'dah [the servant, i.e. of God], 
(1) The father of Adoniram, 1 Ki.4.6.—(2) 
The son of Shammua, Ne. 11.17 (=Obadiah, 
iCh.9.16:. 

Abdeel [servant of God], the father of 
Shelemaiah, Je.36.26. 

Abdi, ab'de [my servant], (1) A Levite in 
the time of David, iCh.6.44.—(2) An Is¬ 
raelite of the ‘sons’ of Elam, Ezr.10.26.— 
(3) A Levite,the father of Kish, 2Ch.29.12. 

Abdiel, ab'di-el [servant of God], son of 
Guni, iCh.5.15. 

Abdon, ab'don [servile], (1) One of the 
judges of Israel, who left forty sons and 
thirty grandsons, Ju. 12.13, 14;—probably 
same as Bedan, 1Sa.12.11.—(2) The son 
of Micah, 2CI1. 34. 20;—he is also called 
Achbor, son of Michaiah, 2 Ki.22.12.—(3) 
A son of Shashak, iCh. 8. 25.— (4) The 
first - born of Gibeon, 1 Ch. 8. 30.—(5) A 
Levitical town of the Gershonites, Jos. 
21.30. 

Abednego, a-bed'ne-go [servant of Nego], 
the Chaldean name given to Azariah, one 
of Daniel’s three friends, Da.i.7;2.49; 3. 
12, &c. 

Abel, a'bel [vanity], the second son of 
Adam;—a keeper of sheep, Ge.4.2;—his 
sacrifice more acceptable to God than 
Cain’s offering, 4;He.n.4:—a worshipper 
of God by faith in the Messiah, and killed 
by his brother Cain;—the cause of this 
attributed to Cain’s hatred of Abel’s right¬ 
eousness, 1 Jn.3.12. He was thefirst mar¬ 
tyr for Christ;—his blood mentioned, Mat. 
23.35; Lu.11.51;—his more excellent sacri¬ 
fice, He. 11. 4 ;—his blood, or rather the 
blood of his sacrifice , alluded to as speak¬ 
ing, He. 12/24. 

Abel, a'bel, Great Stone of, was in the 
field 0/ Joshua, near Bethshemesh, where 
the ark of the Lord rested when it was 
brought back by the Philistines to Kir- 
jath-jearim, iSa.6. 18,19. In 2Sa.20.15, 
18 Abel stands for Abel-Beth-Maachah. 

Abel Maim, a'bel-ma'im [meadow or plain 
of the waters], Ju. 11. 33; 2 Ch. 16. 4;—or 
Abel-Beth-Maachah, i Ki. 15.20; a city 
of the tribe of Naphtali, at the west base 
ofHermon. From its importance called ‘a 
mother in Israel,’ 2 Sa.20.19. I 1 belonged 
to the region of Maachah. Here Sheba 
was beheaded,aSa. 20.14-18;—eighty years 
after, it was ravaged by Benhadad, 1 Ki. 


15.20;—and 200 years subsequent, it was 
destroyed, 2Ki.15.29. It is now repre¬ 
sented by the village of Abil-el-Kameh. 
Abel-Mehola, a'bel-me-h 5 'la [meadow of 
dancing], a city west of Jordan, about 12 
miles south of Bethshan, in the tribe of 
Manasseh, 1 Ki.4.12. It was the birth¬ 
place and residence of Elisha, 19.16. Near 
this city Gideon defeated the Midianites, 
J11.7.9-23. 

Abel-Mizraim, a'bel-miz-ray-im [mourning 
of the Egyptians], a place near Hebron, 
so called from the great mournings of the 
Egyptians and Hebrews at the funeral of 
Jacob, Ge.50.11. 

Abel Shittim, a'bel-shit'tim [meadow of 
acacias], a city about 11 miles east of Jor¬ 
dan, in the plains of Moab. The scene of 
the last encampment of Israel on that side 
of Jordan. Here 24,000 Israelites were 
cut off in one day for idolatry and unclean¬ 
ness, Nu.25.1-18; 33.49. 

Abez, a'bez [lustre, tin], a city in the tribe 
of Issachar, Jos. 19.20. 

Abhor, to detest, or reject, De.32.19; Job 
42.6; Ps. 22.24; 89.38; 119.163; Ro.2.22;i2.9. 
Abia, a-bl'a, and Abiah. See Abijah. 
Abi-Albon, a-bi -al'bon [father of strength], 
one of David’s thirty mighty men, 2Sa.23. 
31;—called Abiel, iCh.11.32. 

Abi-Asaph, a-bi'a-saf [father of gathering], 
the youngest of the three sons of Korah, 
Ex.6.24. 

Abiathar, a-bl'a-thar [father of abundance], 
the thirteenth high-priest;—son of the high- 
priest Ahimelech;—escapes from Saul and 
joins David and his party in the cave of 
Adullam, 1 Sa.22.20;—sent back to Jeru¬ 
salem with the ark, when David fled from 
Absalom, 2 Sa.15.29;—joint high-priest 
with Zadok, 2Sa.8.17; 15.35; — conspires 
to make Adonijah king in succession to 
David his father, 1 Ki. 1.7;—on this account, 
is thrust out from the priest’s office by 
Solomon, 2.26. 

Abib, a'bib [green ears], or Nisan, as it 
was called after the captivity, the first 
month of the sacred, and the seventh of 
the civil year;—it began with the new moon 
in April, Ex.12.2; 13.4:23.15. 

Abidah, a-bl'dah [father of knowledge], the 
son of Midian, and grandson of Abraham 
by Keturah, Ge.25.4. 

Abidan, ab'i-dan [father of judgment], the 
son of Gideoni, and captain of the tribe 
of Benjamin at the time of the exodus, 
Nu.i.ii; 2.22; 10.24. 

Abide, to tarry, or stand, 06.19.2:24.55; 
Ps. 15.1:61.4; Mat. 10.11; Jn.15.4; 1 Co. 3.14: 
7.8,20. To love Christ and keep his com¬ 
mandments,is to abide in Christ, Jn. 15.6,10. 
Abiel, ab'i-el or a-bi'el [father of strength], 
(1) The father of Ner (1 Sa.14.51), whowas 
the grandfather of Saul, 1 Ch. 8. 33. In 
1 Sa.9.1 he is called the father of Kish, 
meaning grandfather. —(2) An Arbathite, 
one of David’s warriors, iCh. 11.32; — 
called also Abi-Albon, 2 Sa.23.31. 
Abi-Ezer, ab-i-e'zer [father of helpl, 1' One 
of the three sons of Hammoleketh, 1 Ch.7. 


18;—called also Jeezer, Nu. 26. 30. — ‘d 
One of David’s thirty chief warriors, 2 Sa. 
23.27; 1 Ch.11.28. 

Abi-Ezrite, ab-i-ez'rite, the descendant of 
Abiezer, Ju.6.11,24. 

Abigail, ab'i-gale or ab'Y-gal [father of 
joy], (1) The wife of Nabal; — her beha¬ 
viour to David, 1 Sa.25.14, &c.;—married 
to him, 39;—taken captive, 30.5;—rescued, 
18.—(2) Daughter of Nahash or Jesse, 
David’s sister, and wife of J ether, an Ish- 
maelite, 1 Ch.2.16,17; 2 Sa.22.25. 

Abibail, ab'i-hale [the father of strength], 
(1) The second wife of Rehoboam, and the 
‘daughter’ f=descendant' of Eliah, 2CI1. 
11.18.—(2) The father of Zuriel, Nu.3.35. 
—(3) The wife of Abishur, iCh.2.29.—(4) 
The son ofHuri, 1 Ch.5.14.—(5) The father 
of Esther, and uncle of Mordecai, Es.2.15; 
9.29:0^2.7. 

Abihu, a-bl'hu[my father, He], second son 
of Aaron, Ex.6.33;—is consecrated priest, 
28. 1;—offers strange fire, and perishes, 
Le.10.1,2. JSV^Nadab. 

Abihud, a-blfliud [father of praise], the 
son of Bela, and grandson of Benjamin, 

1 Ch.8.3;—called Ahihud, 7. 

Abijah, Abiah, or Abia, a-bl'jah [fa¬ 
ther [i.e. possessor) of Jehovah], (i) A 
son of Becher, 1 Ch.7.8; there in the form 
Abiah. —(2) A daughter of Machir, iCh. 
2. 24.—(3) Second son of Samuel, 1 Sa. 
8.2: iCh.6.12— 4 One of the descendants 
of Eleazar, and chief of the eighth of the 
24 courses of the priests, 1 Ch. 24.10. To 
this course belonged Zacharias, the father 
of John the Baptist, Lu. 1. 5.—(5) The 
second king of the separate kingdoms of 
Judah, 1 Ch.3.10;—reigned 3 years, 2Ch. 
12.16; 13.1,2;—his character, iKi.15.3;— 
his wives and children, 2 Ch. 13.20-22;—he 
is also called Abijam, i Ki. 14. 31; 15.1,7, 
8.—(6) The only pious son of Jeroboam, 
died in early youth, 1 Ki. 14.1-18. — (7) 
Daughter of Zechariah, and motherof King 
Hezekiah, 2Ch.29.1;- she is also called 
Abi, 2 Ki. 18.2.—(8) One of those who af¬ 
fixed their signatures to the covenant made 
by Nehemiah (10.7), probably the same as 
in Neh.12.4. 

Abilene, ab-bi-le'ne, a small canton situa¬ 
ted among the mountains of Antilibanus, 
west of Damascus, of which Lysanias was 
tetrarch in the time of John the Baptist. 
AbTla was the capital, Lu.3.1. 

Ability, power or skill, Le.27.8; Da.1.4; 
Mat.25.15; Ac.11.29; iPe.4.11. Measure 
of wealth, Ezr.2.69. 

Abimael, ab-bi-ma'el, one of the sons of 
Joktan in Arabia, Ge. 10.28; iCh.1.22. 
Abimelecli, ab-im'me-lek [father of the 
king], (1) King of Gerar, takes Abraham’s 
wife, Ge.20.2.—(2) Another king of Gerar; 
—gives reproof concerning Isaac’s, 26.9; 
—makes a treaty with him, 31.—(3) A bas¬ 
tard son of Gideon, his history, Ju.9.1 
dies, 54.—(4 Interchanged for Achish, 
king of Gath (in title of Ps.xxxiv.)—(5) Son 
of Abiathar, a high-priest in time of David, 
1 Ch.18.16. 

( 579 ) 










580 (Ab—Ad) 

Abinadab, ab-in'a-dab [father of nobleffess 
or willinghood], (i) The second of the eight 
sons of Jesse, i Sa.16.8; 17.13.—(2, The 
third of the four sons of Saul, iCh.8.33; 
iSa.31.2; iCh.10.2.—(3) Solomon’s son-in- 
law, 1 Ki. 4. 11.—(4) A Levite in whose 
house the ark of the covenant was depos¬ 
ited, 1 Sa. 7. 1;—it remained there for 70 
years, 283.6.3,4. 

Abinoam, ab-in'no-am [father of grace], 
the father of Barak the judge, Ju.4.6,12; 
5-i-is- 

Abiram, a-bT'ram, (i) With his brother 
Dathan, and Korah, conspired against 
Moses and Aaron, for which God caused 
the earth to swallow them alive, Nu.16.1; 
Ps.106.17. See Korah. —(2) The eldest 
son of Hiel, the Bethelite, 1 Ki. 16.34. 
Abishag, ab'bi-shag or a-bT'shag [father of 
[i.e. given to) error], a woman of Shunem, 
who cherishes David in his old age, 1 Ki. 
1.4; —asked of Solomon for a wife to Ad- 
onijah, 2.21. 

Abishai, ab-bi-sha'i [father (i.e. desirous) 
of a gift], son of David’s sister, Zeruiah, 

1 Ch.2.16;—a noted warrior;—asked liberty 
to kill Saul, but hindered by David, 1 Sa. 
26. 7;—desired to kill Shimei when he 
cursed David, 2Sa. 16. 9;— pursues and 
slays Abner, 2 Sa. 3.24-30;—slays a mighty 
giant, 21.17;—with his spear cut off 300 
men, 23.18;—one of the three who fetch 
water for David from the well of Bethle¬ 
hem, 1 Ch.11.15-20. 

Abishalom, ab-bi-sha'lom, a fuller form of 
the name Absalom, 1 Ki.15.2; 2 Ki.11.21. 
Abishua, ab-bi-shu'ah, 1) A son of Bela and 
grandson of Benjamin, iCh.8.4.—(2) The 
son of Phinehas, and father of Bukki, 
being the fourth Jewish high-priest, iCh. 
6.4,5,50- 

Abishur, ab'i-shur [father of the wall],i Ch. 
2.28. 

Abital, ab'i-tal [father of dew], David’s 
fifth wife, 2Sa.3-4; 1 Ch.3.3. 

Abitub, ab'I-tub [father of goodness], 1 Ch. 
8.11. 

Abiud, ab'i-ud or a-bl'ud, the Greek form 
of the name Abihud, Mat. 1.13. 

Abjects, low base men, Ps.35.15. 

Abner, ab'ner [father of light], son of Ner, 
captain of Saul’s host, 1 Sa.17.55;—makes 
Ishbosheth king;—his men and those of 
David fight, 2Sa.2.12 ;—kills Asahel, the 
brother of Joab, 23;—revolts to David, 3. 
12;—killed by Joab, 27;—David mourns 
for, 2 Sa. 3.31-39. 

Aboard, on board a ship, Ac. 21.2. 
Abolish, to repeal, or make void, Is.2.18; 

5i.6;2Co.3.i3; Ep.2.15; 2Ti.i.io. 
Abomination of Desolation, Mat.24.15; 
Da. 9.27 ;—thought by some to refer to the 
Roman army, so called on account of its 
ensigns and images, which the soldiers 
worshipped, the approach of which would 
be a warning of the desolation of the city; 
others more correctly render the expres¬ 
sion in Daniel ‘ the abomination of the de- 
solator,’ and refer it to the pollution of the 
temple by Antiochus Epiphanes in erect¬ 
ing an idol altar on the altar of burnt- 
offering. 

Abominations, things hateful, Ge.43.32; 
46.34;—sins in general, Is.66.3; Je.44.4; — 
idols so called, 1 Ki.n.7:2^.23.13; Is.66. 
3;—sacrifices and prayers of the wicked 
are abomination to God, Pr. 15.8:21.27:28.9. 
Abound, to have great plenty, Pr.28.20;— 
Mat.24.12; R0.5.20; 6.1; 2Co. 1.5; 8.7; 2 Pe. 
1.8. 

Abraham, a'bra-ham [father of a multi¬ 
tude], son of Terah, Gen. 11.26,27;—born 
B.c. 1996;—was a native of Chaldea, and 
descended through Heber, in the ninth 
generation, from Shem, theson of Noah;— 
called at 75 years of age to leave his native 
country and kindred, Ge.12.1;—God pro¬ 
mises to make him the father of a great 
nation, and of the Messiah, 2,3;—he de¬ 
parts with Sarai his wife, and Lot his 
brother’s son, 4,5;—builds altars in Canaan, 
and calls on the name of the Lord, 7,8 ;— 
goes into Egypt on account of a famine, 
10;—from fear of the king denies his wife, 
14-20;—returns to Canaan, 13.1;—separ¬ 
ates from Lot; dwells at Hebron, Ge.xiii.; 
*4- [31 35- 27;— God renews his promise 
to him, 14, &c.;—rescues Lot, 14.14, &c.;— 
is blessed by Melchizedec, 18, &c.;—a son 
promised to him, 15.4;—Sarai gives him 
Hagar to be his wife, 16.3;—who bears 
him Ishmael, 15;—God renews his pro¬ 
mise and covenant with him and his seed, 
on which occasion his name is changed | 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


from Abram to Abraham, 17. 1-14:—cir¬ 
cumcises all the males of his household, 
23, &c.; entertains three angels, i8.i,&c.; 
—promise of a son by Sarah renewed to 
him, which she hearing, laughed, 12 ;— 
intercedes for Sodom, 23, &c.;—sojourns in 
Gerar, 20.1;—a second time denies his 
wife, 2 ;—enters into a treaty with Abime- 
lech, 21, 22, &c.;—Isaac is born to him, 

21.1, &c.;—casts out Hagar and her son, 
9, &c.;—called to offer Isaac, 22.2, &c.;— 
purchases a burying-place for Sarah, 23.1, 
& c .;—sends his servant for a wife to Isaac, 

24.1, &c.;—his sons by Keturah, 25-i,&c.; 
—his age and burial, 7;—his faith and 
character, Ge.i8.i9:22 i2;Ne.9.7,8;Ps.ios. 
6; He. 11.8-19;—called the friend of God, 
2Ch. 20. 7; Is. 41.8; Ja. 2. 23; — Christ’s 
discourse concerning his seed, Jn.8.37-58; 
—justified before God, not by works, but 
by faith, Ro. 4.1-22;—he and his believing 
seed the true church, 03.3.7:4.22;—justi¬ 
fied before men, or proved to be a believer, 
by works, Ja. 2. 21; — reverenced by the 
Jews, Mat.3.9; Lu.13.16,18; Jn.8.33-40. 

Abram, a'bram [high father, father of ele¬ 
vation]. The original name of Abraham, 
and uniformly given to him up to Ge. 17. 
4,5;—also so named in 1 Ch.1.27, and Ne. 
9.7. 

Absalom, ab'sa-lom [father of peace], the 
third son of David, and his only one by 
Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of 
Geshur, 2Sa.3-3; iCh.3.2 ;—kills his bro¬ 
ther Amnon, 2 Sa.13.23;—flees to Talmai, 
king of Geshur, 37;—recalled, 14.21;—his 
beauty, &c., 25;—brought to his father, 33; 
—rebels, i5.i,&c.;—defeated and slain,i8. 
9; —David’s lament for, 2Sa.18.39; 19.4. 
Absalom’s Pillar in the King’s Dale, 
2Sa.18.18. 

Absent, not present, Ge.31.49; 1 Co.5.3; 

2Co.5.6,8,9; Phi. 1.27;Col.2.5. 

Abstain, to keep from, Ac. 15.20,29; 1 Th.4. 

3; 5.22; 1 Ti.4.3; 1 Pe.2.n. 

Abstinence, to refrain from food, Ac.27.21. 
See Fasting and Temperance. 
Abundance, in great plenty, De. 28. 47; 
1 Sa.1.16; 1 Ki.10.10,27; 2Ch.9.9; Mat. 12. 
34; 13.12; Ro.5.17. 

Abuse, to impose on, or ill use, Ju. 19.25; 

1 Sa.31.4; 1 Co.6.9; 7.31; 9.18. 

Abyss, or Deep, the chaos on which the 
Spirit of God moved, Ge.1.2;—the place 
of the dead, R0.10.7;—also hell, Lu.8.31; 
Re.9.1; 11.7; 20.3. 

Accad, ak'kad [fortress], one of the five 
cities in the ‘land of Shinar,’ or Baby¬ 
lonia, founded by Nimrod in the beginning 
of his kingdom, Ge. 10.10;—identified by 
Jerome with Nisibis in the north of Meso¬ 
potamia. 

Accept, to receive favourably, Mai. 1.10,13; 
—to esteem highly, Ac. 24.3;—God accepts 
men’s persons and services only through 
Christ, Ep.1.6; 1 Pe.2.5. 

Acceptable, agreeable, kindly received, Ps. 
19. 14:69.13; Is. 49.8; Lu. 4.19; Ro. 12.1,2; 
Ep.5.10. 

Access, free admission to God only through 
Christ, Jn. 14.6; Ro. 5.1,2; Ep. 2.18; 3.12; 
He.7.25; 1 Pe.3.18. Access by the agency 
of the Spirit, Ep.2.18;—by the instrumen¬ 
tality of faith, Ro.5.2; Ep.3.12; He.11.6;— 
by prayer in seeking mercy, He.4.16;— 
freedom to exercise it, Ep.3.12; He. 10.19, 
22;—earnestly desired by saints, Ps.27.4; 
42.1,2; 63.1; 84.2; — blessedness of it, Ps. 
16. n; 36. 8,9; 65.4; 73.28. Examples, Ge. 
18.23,33; Ex. 24.2; 34.4-7. 

Accho, ak'ko, now called Acre or Acca, 
also St. Jean d’Acre, and Ptolemais, a 
seaport of Canaan, about 30 miles south of 
Tyre, Ju.1.31. It was an important city, 
well fortified in the reign of Ptolemy Phi- 
ladelphus, the king of Egypt, who greatly 
enlarged and beautified that place. Its 
population at present is about 5000. 
Accompanied, joined, Ac.10.23; 11.12; 20. 
4,38. 

Accomplish, to perform, or fulfil, Le.22.21; 
Job 14.6; Ps.64.6; Is.55.11; Da.9.2;Lu.9.3i. 
Accord, to unite, or agree with, Jos. 9.2; Ac. 
1.14; 2.1,46; Phi.2.2;—of its or his own ac¬ 
cord, freely, without pains or constraint, 
Le.25.5;2Co.8.i7. 

Account, to esteem, or judge, Ps. 144. 3; 
Mat. 18.23;—to give account, or have con¬ 
duct tried, Mat.12.36; Ro.14.12; He.13.17; 
iPe. 4. 5;—God giveth no account of his 
doings, is not responsible, Job 33.13. 
Accursed, or Cursed, devoted to destruc¬ 
tion, as were the idolatrous nations of 
Canaan, Nu.21.2,3; De.7.2,26;— separated 


from the church, or excommunicated, Ro. 
g. 3; —consigned to eternal misery, 1C0.16. 
22; Ga. 1.8,9. 

Accusations, false charges brought against, 
Lu.19.8; iTi.5.19;—instances of, Ge.31.30; 
39.13;—rash. See Slander. 

Aceldama, a-cel'da-rna [field of blood], a 
place just without the walls of Jerusalem, 
south of Mount Zion, so called because it 
was bought with the thirty pieces of silver 
for which Christ was betrayed, Mat.27.8; 
Ac. 1. 19; —previously called the Potters’ 
Field, being a place whence they obtained 
their clay, Mat.27.7. 

Achaia, a-ka'yah, under the Romans Greece 
was divided into two provinces — Mace¬ 
donia and Achaia. The latter province 
occupied the north-west portion of the 
Peloponnesus, and included Corinth as its 
capital. Churches in, visited by Paul, Ac. 
18. 1-12; 2 Co. 1. 1; 11.10; —contribute to 
the saints at Jerusalem, Ro. 15. 26. See 
Greece. 

Achaicus, a-ka'i-kus, a Christian of Cor¬ 
inth who visits Paul at Rome, 1 Co. 16.17. 

Achan, a'kan, or Achar, a'kar [troubler], 
the son of Carmi, stoned to death in the 
valley of Achor for coveting and conceal¬ 
ing the accursed spoil at the taking of 
Jericho, Jos.7.22;22.2o; iCh.2.7. 

Achaz, a'kaz, Mat. 1.9; elsewhere Ahaz. 

Achbor, ak'bor, (1) The son of Mechaiah; 
was sent by Josiah to Huldah to inquire 
regarding the newly-discovered book of 
the law, 2 Ki.22.12,14 ; —called also Ab- 
don, 2O1.34.20.— (2) An Idumean, father 
of Baal-hanan, one of the Edomitish kings, 
Ge.36.38; iCh.1.49. 

Achim, a'kim, son of Sadoc, and father of 
Eleazar, among the paternal ancestors of 
Christ, Mat. 1.14. 

Achish, a'kish, (1) ElsewherecalledABiME- 
lech, Ps. 34. title, king of Gath, a city of 
the Philistines;—to his court David with¬ 
drew from Saul’s persecution, 1Sa.21.10; 
—before him David feigned himself mad, 
13;—some years after, gave David Ziklag 
to reside in, 27.5,6.—(2) Another king of 
Gath, to whom the two servants of Shimei 
fled, 1 Ki. 2.39,40. 

Achmetha, ak-me'thah, the Ecbatana of 
classical writers, the capital of Media, 
built by Dejoces or Phraortes; and sur¬ 
rounded with seven walls, Ezr. 6.2. Its 
site is occupied by the modern city of 
Hamadan, in Persia. 

Achor, ak'or [trouble], a valley near Jeri¬ 
cho, Jos.7.26; Ho.2.15. It received this 
name from the trouble Achan’s trespass 
brought on Israel. 

Achsah, ak'sah [anklet], daughter of Caleb, 
Jos. 15.16; 1 Ch.2.49, Achsa. 

Achshaph, ak'shaf [fascination], a royal 
city of the Canaanites;—Joshua smote the 
king of it, and gave it to the tribe of 
Asher, Jos. 12. 20. It was not far from 
Accho, Jos.19.25. 

Achzib, ak'zib [falsehood], (1) a city of the 
tribe of Asher, on the shore of the Medi¬ 
terranean Sea, about 12 miles north of 
Accho, Jos.19.29.—(2) A town in the plain 
of Judah, Jos. 15. 44. It is probably the 
same as Chezib, Ge.38.5. 

Acknowledge, to confess or approve, De. 
21.17; Ps.32.5; Pr.3.6; Is.33.13; 1C0.14.37; 
i6.i8;2Co.i.i3. 

Acquaint, to inform or make known, Job 
22.21; Ps.139.3; Ec.2.3; Is.53.3. 

Acquaintance, familiarity, or a person with 
whom we are acquainted, Job 19. i3;Ps-3i. 
11; Lu.2.44; 23.49. 

Acre, a portion of land, in English measure, 
4840 square yards; in Scripture the trans¬ 
lation of the Heb. tse'med, which means a 
yoke, i.e. as much as one yoke of oxen 
can plough in a day, 1 Sa.14.14; Is.5.10. 

Activity, the quality of being active; also 
the habit of diligent pursuit of business, 
Ge.47.6. 

Acts of the Apostles, one of the sacred 
books of the New Testament, written by 
Luke (comp. Lu. 1.1-4 with Ac.1.1), and 
which contains the history of the infant 
church for about thirty years after Christ’s 
death. 

Acts, deeds, exploits, or achievements, De. 
JI < 3> 7; J u * 5- ”1 2Sa.23.20; 1 Ki.11.41; Ps. 
103.7:145.4. 

Ada, Adah, a'dah [ornament], (1) Oneofthe 
two wives of Lamech, and mother of Jabal 
and Jubal, Ge.4.19,20,23.—(2) The daugh¬ 
ter of Elon the Hittite, and the first of 
the three wives of Esau, Ge.36.2,4,10. 

Adadah, a town in Judah, Jos. 15.22. 


Adah, one of the wives of Esau, Ge.36.2,4, 
10; called Bashemath, Ge.26.34:28.9. 
Adaiah, ad-a-I'ah [adorned by Jehovah], 
(x) The father of Jedidah, 2 Ki.22.1.—(2) 
The son of Ethni, and father of Zerah, 

1 Ch.6.4;—apparently the same as Iddo, 
21. — (3) The father of Maaseiah, 2 Ch. 
23.1 ;—apparently the same as Juda, Lu. 
3.30.—(4) The father of Hazaiah, of the 
tribe of Judah, Ne. 11. 5.—(5) A priest, 
son of Jeroham, iCh.9.12; Ne.11.12.—(6) 

A son of Bani, an Israelite, Ezr. 10.29, a * so 
Ezr. 10.39. 

Adalia, ad-a-ll'ah, one of the ten sons of 
Haman, Es.9.8. 

Adam, ad'am [red, hence the earth], the 
first man, created in the image of God, 
Ge. 1. 27;—put into the garden of Eden, 
2.15;—gives names to all terrestrial crea¬ 
tures, 19;—obtains a help-meet, 22;—pro¬ 
hibited from eating of the fruit of the tree 
of knowledge of good and evil, 17 ;—vio¬ 
lates the divine law, and is banished from 
paradise, 3.6,24;—his age and death, 5.5; 
—all dead in him, as involved in his trans¬ 
gression, Ro. 5. 12-19; 1 Co. 15. 21, 22;—a 
type of Christ, the second Adam, 45. The 
name given, in one instance, to both of 
our first parents, Ge.5.2. 

Adam, ad'am, a city which was situated 
in the valley of the Jordan, 36 miles north 
of Jericho, Jos.3.16; 1 Ki.7.46. 

Adamant, the same hard and precious 
stone which we call a diamond. Ex. 28.18; 
—translated diamond, Je.17.-x;—the pro¬ 
phet’s forehead compared to, Eze.3.9;— 
wicked men’s hearts, Zee. 7-12 ;—used to 
convey an idea of extreme hardness or 
obduracy. 

Adami, ad'da-mi [red earth], a city near 
the border of Naphtali, Jos. 19.32;—called 
also Adamah, 36. 

Adar, ad'ar [large], (1) The name of the 
twelfth month of the Jewish sacred year, 
and the sixth of their civil, agreeing to our 
February, Ezr. 6. 15. — (2) A contracted 
form (Jos. 15.3) of the name of the place 
elsewhere called Hazar-Addar, Nu.34.4. 
Adbeel, ad-be'el [miracle of God], the third 
of the twelve sons of Ishmael, Ge.25.13; 
TCh.1.29. 

Add, to join, De.4.2; Ac.2.4i;2Pe.i.5;—to 
increase, Pr. 16.23;—to bestow, Ge.30.24;— 

—to proceed to utter, De.5.22. 

Addar, ad'dar, a son of Bela, and grand¬ 
son of Benjamin, 1 Ch. 8. 3; — elsewhere 
called Ard, Ge.46.24. 

Adder, a venomous serpent, brought forth 
alive, and not hatched from an egg. It is 
smaller and shorter than the snake, and 
has black spots on its back. It, and all 
serpents in general, are charmed by music. 
The deaf adder mentioned, probably 
means one so full of venom as to be insen¬ 
sible to sweet sounds, Ps.58.4 ;—the name 
adder is used as the translation of four dif¬ 
ferent Heb. words. In Ge.49.7 it denotes 
the Cerastes, a serpent of the viper tribe. 

In Ps 58.4, and 91.13, it probably denotes 
an asp. 

Addi, ad'dl, the father of Melchi (= Maas¬ 
eiah, 2Ch.34.8j in the maternal ancestry of 
Christ, Lu.3.28. 

Addon, ad'don [lord], a city of the Baby¬ 
lonish empire, Ne.7.61. 

Adiel, ad'i-el [ornament of God], (1) One of 
the posterity of the patriarch Simeon, 
iCh.4.36.—(2) The father of Azmaveth, 

1 Ch. 27. 25. — (3) A priest, the father of 
Maasiai, iCh.9.12. 

Adin, ad'din, the head of one of the Israel- 
itish families, Ezr.2.15. 

Adithaim, ad-i-tha'im, a town in the plain 
of Judah, Jos.15.36. 

Adjure, to bind by an oath, under the pen¬ 
alty of a curse, Jos. 6. 26; Mar. 5. 7;—to 
charge solemnly, Mat.26.631Ac.19.13. 
Adlai, ad-la'i or ad'la-i, the father of 
Shaphat, who was herdsman under David, 

1 Ch.27.29. 

Admali, ad'mah, one of the five cities in 
the vale of Siddim, Ge.10.19. See Sodom 
and Salt Sea. 

Admatha, ad'ma-tha, the third-named of 
the seven princes or courtiers of Xerxes, 
Es.1.14. 

Administration, those to whom the care 
of public affairs is committed, 1 Co. 12.5; 

2 C0.9.T2. 

Admiration, high esteem, Jude i6;Re. 17.6. ; 
Admonish, to warn a brother of a fault; 
our duty, Le.19.17; Mat.18.15; Lu.17.3,4; 
2TI1.3.15; He.3.13;—how to act when ad¬ 
monition is neglected, Mat.18.16,17. 








THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


Adnah, ad'nah, 1 A chiliarch of the tribe 
j Jf Manasseh, iCh.1220.— 2) A general 
under Jehoshaphat, 2Ch.17.14. 

Ado, trouble, bustle, Mar. 5.39. 

Adonibezek, a-don'i'-be'zek [lord ofBezek], 
took seventy kings captive, and cut off 
1 their thumbs and great toes, and fed them 
1 with crumbs from his table, J11.1.7;—fled 
from the armies of Israel, but was caught 
and disabled by having his thumbs and 
1 great toes cut off, 1.6;—died at Jerusalem, 7. 

Adonijah, ad-o-nl'jah [my Lord is Jeho¬ 
vah!, t) David’s fourth son, born while 
his father reigned over J udah only, 2 Sa. 
3.4;—claims the kingdom, 1 Ki.1.5;—put to 
death, 2.13-25.—(2 • One of the Levitessent 
to assist in teaching the law, 2CI1.17.8.— 
>3 A chief Israelite after the captivity, 
Ne. 10. 16; elsewhere called Adoniram, 
Ezr. 2 13: 8.13. 

Adonikam ad-o-nl'kam, Ne. 7.18. 

Adoniram, ad-o-nl'ram [lord of height], 
the receiver-general of the imports in the 
time of David, Solomon, and Rehoboam; 
—stoned when collecting tribute for Reho¬ 
boam, 1 Ki. 12. 18; 4. 6, 14: 2 Sa. 20. 24; 
—called Adoram, i Ki.12.18; also H ado- 
ram, 2Ch.io. 18. 

Adoni Zedek, a-don'i-ze'dek [lord of jus¬ 
tice], kingof Jerusalem, then called Zedek; 
—enters into alliance with five other kings 
to oppose Joshua, Jos.io.3-5;—the sun 
stood still a whole day till Joshua discom¬ 
fited them, 12-14. 

Adoption Natural', an act by which 
' one takes another into his family, and 
treats him as his own child; —thus Pha- 
I raoh’s daughter adopted Moses, Ex.2.10; 
Mordecai adopted Esther, Es.2.7;— adop¬ 
tion was confined to sons. 

--(National), by which God takes 

j a whole people to be his visible church, and 

to enjoy many privileges, Ro.9.4. 

-■—{Spiritual'', consists in God’s 

I receiving sinners into his family of grace, 

I and constituting them his sons, 2 Co.6.18;. 
—preceded by the new birth, Jn. 1.12,13 >— 
is of God’s grace, Eze. 16.6; 36.26-28; Ep. 
1.5,6;—faith instrumental in it, Ga. 3.7,26; 
—bestowed through Christ, Jn.1.12; Ga.4. 
4,5; Ep.1.5.— Marks of adoption ;—renun¬ 
ciation of all former masters, Is.26.13;— 
love to God, 1 Jn.4.7;—the spirit and prac¬ 
tice of prayer, Ga.4.6;—the Holy Spirit 
witnessing of it, Ro.8.16; 2C0.1.22;—look¬ 
ing daily up to God for instruction, Ps.25. 
4,5;—obedience to his will, Mat.7.21;— 
longing for the heavenly inheritance, Ro. 
2.7; 2C0.4.18.— Privileges of the adopted; 
—God is their Father, 2C0.6.18;—made 
heirs of God, R0.8. i7;Ga.4.7;Re.2i.7;Mat. 
25.40; Jn.20.17; 1C0. 9. 5;—Christ is their 
brother, He. 2. 11;—the Spirit is their 
leader. Ro.8.14;—God gives them a new 
name, Is.56.5 ; Re.2.17; 3.12; 14.1;—a new 
spirit, Ro. 8. 15;—instruction, Ps. 32. 8;— 
protection, Ps. xxxiv.;—provision,Is.33.16; 
Pr. 10.3;—guidance, Is.58. n ;—correction, 
De.8.5; 2Sa.7.i4; Pr.3.11,12; He.12.6-11; 
—access in prayer, Ps.34.15,17;—a guard 
ofangels, He.1.14;—a glorious inheritance, 
Mat.13.43; Ro.8.17; Ga.3.29:4.7; Ep.3.6.— 
Duties of the adopted;—they are bound 
to love their heavenly Father, De.6.5;— 
to venerate and honour him, Mai. 1.6 ;—to 
obey him, Je.7.23; 1 Pe.1.14;—to filial and 
confident reliance on him, Mat 6.26,32;— 
to love their brethren, 1 Jn.4.7;— to seek 
after holiness, 2 Co.6.17,18; Phi.2.15; 1 Jn. 
3 - 2 , 3 - 

-(Glorious), in which the saints, 

being raised from the dead, are, at the 
last day, solemnly owned to be the child¬ 
ren of God, and enter into heaven, Ro.8.23. 

Adoraim, ad-o-ra'im, a town in the south¬ 
west of Judah, 2CI1.11.9. 

Adoram, a-do'ram, David’s tribute-gather¬ 
er 2 Sa. 20.24; elsewhere called Adoniram. 

Adoration, the holy and reverent ascrip¬ 
tion of divine honours to God, Ps. 104.1-6; 
102.25-27; Is.6.1-3; 40.22; Re.4.11; 5.12:19. 
1-6. 

Adorn, to deck or beautify, Is.61.10Je.31. 
4; Lu.21.5; iTi.2.9; iPe.3.3,5; Re.21.2. 

Adrammelech, ad-ram'me-lek [glory of 
the king], (1) Son of Sennacherib, king of 
Assyria;—he and his brother murder their 
father, 2KL 19. 37. — (2) An idol of this 
name worshipped by the inhabitants of 
Sepharvaim, 2 Ki. 17.31. 

Adramyttium, ad-ra-mit'ti-um, a mari¬ 
time city of Mysia, in Asia Minor, oppo¬ 
site the island Lesbos, and about 80 miles 
north of Smyrna, Ac.27.2. It was famous 


for its shipping trade. It is now called 
Adramyt, with about 1500 houses. 

Adria, a'dri-ah, the sea on the east of 
Italy, called the Adriatic, or the Gulf of 
Venice, Ac.27.27. In St. Paul’s time it 
embraced that part of the Mediterranean 
between Crete and Sicily. 

Adriel, a'dri-el [flock of God], the son of 
Barzillai, married Merab, the daughter of 
Saul, after she was promised to David, 

1 Sa. 18.19;—had five sons by her, who were 
slain, in revenge for the cruelty of their 
grandfather, by theGibeonites, 2Sa.2i.8,9. 
Adullam, a-dul'lam, a city in the lowlands 
of Judah, south-west of Jerusalem, Jos. 
1 S-35Joshua killed the kingof, 12.15; 
—rebuilt by Rehoboam, 2Ch.1t.7;—to be 
taken and plundered, Mi.1.15. It was a 
small town for four hundred years after 
Christ, but even its ruins are not found. 

-,The Cave OF,in which David and 

his men concealed themselves from Saul, 

1 Sa. 22. 1,2:2 Sa. 23. 13. Some identify 
it with the Cave of Khureitun, near Beth¬ 
lehem. 

Adultery, uncleanness between a man and 
woman, one or both married,—forbidden, 
Ex.20.14; Le. 18.20; De.5.18;—punishable 
with death, I.e.20.10; De.22.22;—will be 
punished by God, Mai. 3. 5; x Co. 6. 9; He. 
13-4;—not to be committed in thought, 
Mat.5.28;—the temporal evils of it, &c., 
Pr.6.26,32 ;—motives to avoid it, 5.15:6.32; 
idolatry so called, je.3.2; 13.27; Eze.23.37; 
and also unbelief and irreligion, Mat. 12. 
39; 16.4; Mar.8.38;—of David with Bath- 
sheba, 2 Sa. 11.2, &c.;—at one period held 
by heathens as a great sin, Ge.20.9; — God 
appointed certain means for detecting it 
in suspected persons among the Jews, Nu. 
5.12-31. There is no instance on record of 
the actual application of the means. 
Adummim, a-dum'mim [red or bloody], 
a mountain and city of Jericho, in the 
tribe of Benjamin;—infested with robbers, 
Jos. 15.7; 18.17parable of the good Sama¬ 
ritan founded on it, Lu. 10.30-36. 
Advantage, gain, benefit, Job 35.3^0.3.1; 
1 Co. 15.32. 

Advent of Christ, or his second coming, 
predictions of. Mat. 16.27; 25.31126.64; Mar. 
8.38; 14.62; Jn.14.3; Ac.1.11; iTh.4.16;— 
called his appearing, iTi. 6.14; 2TL4.1; 
iPe.1.7:—his day, 1C0.1.8; Phi.1.6,10; 
—when he comes, it is to judge the world. 
Mat. 16.27; 25.31, 32; Ac. 17. 31; aTi. 4.1; 
Jude 14, 15; Re. 20. 11. The coming of 
Christ refers, in some instances, to the 
destruction he brought on Jerusalem and 
the Jewish nation by the Romans, and 
which had been predicted as a punish¬ 
ment of their inveterate unbelief, Mat.24. 
29,30; Mar. 13.24-31; Lu.21.25-38. 
Adventure, hazard, De.28.56;Ju.9.i7;Ac. 
19.31. 

Adversary, an enemy, or opposer, Ex.23. 
22;Is.50.8;—to be appeased, Mat.5.25;Lu. 
12.58 ;—Satan so called, 1 Pe.5.8. 
Adversity, distress, 2Sa.4.9, Ps.31.7; how 
to behave under. See Afflictions. 
Advertise, inform, Nu.24.14; Ru.4.4. 
Advice, counsel, to be asked in cases of 
difficulty, Pr. 11.14 ;i3-10; 15.22:20.18;—the 
advantages of it, 27.5;—to be given by a 
friend, Ps. 55. 14; Pr. 27. 9. Set Admoni¬ 
tion. 

Advocate, one who pleads the cause of 
another;—Christ is our advocate with the 
Father, R0.8.34^6.7.25:9.24; 1 Jn.2.i;Jn. 
xvii. The word rendered ‘Comforter’ in 
Jn.14.16; 15.26; 16.7, is the same as that 
elsewhere rendered ‘Advocate.’ See In¬ 
tercession. 

./Eneas, e-ne'as, a paralytic of Lydda, 
healed by Peter, Ac.9.33.34. 
jEnon, e'non [fountain], a place near Salim 
where John baptized, Jn.3.23. 

Affairs, concerns, Ps. 112.5; Ep. 6. 21, 22; 
2T1.2.4. 

Affection, love, zeal, iCh.29.3; Ro. 1.31; 
Col.3.2. 

-, warm attachment; — remark¬ 
able expressions of, Ge.37.35;42.38;Ex.32. 
32: 2 Sa. 18. 33; 19.9; 2C0. r2.15; Phi. 2.17; 

1 Th.2.8;—of the wicked oft unnatural, Ro. 
1.31; 2TL3.3. See Love and Charity. 

Affections, to be set on heavenly things, 
Col.3.2 ;—should be set on the command¬ 
ments of God, Ps. 19.8-10; 119.97,167;—on 
the house of God, 1 Ch.29.3;Ps.26.8;84.i, 

2 ;—on the people of God, Ps.16.3-, i Th.2. 
8 ;—God gives up wicked men to vile af¬ 
fections, Ro. 1.26;—they who are Christ’s 
have crucified such, Ro.6.6; Ga.5.24. 


| Affinity, agreement, connection with,2Ch. I 
18.1;— relation by marriage, in contradis¬ 
tinction from consanguinity, relation by 
blood or birth;—Solomon made affinity 
with Pharaoh by espousing his daughter, 

1 Ki.3.1;—not to be formed between be¬ 
lievers and heathen infidels, 2Co.6.i4,i5; 
Eze.9.14. 

Affliction, calamity, misery, or sorrow— 
the natural inheritance of sinful man, Job 
5.6,7; 14.1:—under the appointment of God, 

2 Ki.6.33;Job2.io;5.i7,i8;Is.45.7;Ps.66.i 1; 
Am. 3. 6; Mi. 6. 9;—the righteous conse¬ 
quence and punishment of sin, Ge.3.17; 
18.25; Job4.7; Is.59.2; Je.5.25; La.3.33,39; 
—its degice not proportioned in this life 
to men’s guilt, Ec. 9.2; Lu. 13.1, &c.;—some¬ 
times the immediate and visible punish¬ 
ment of sin, 2Sa.12.14; 1s.57.17; Da.4.30- 
33; 5.30; Ac. 12. 23; 13.10,11; 1 Co. 11. 30;— 
sometimes suffered in consequence of the 
discharge of duty, Ge.39.2o;Ps.69.5,7;Mat. 
10.17,18,22:24.9;—not a mark of God’s 
anger to his people, but of his love, Pr.3. 
12; Ps.119.75; 1 Co.n.32;He.i2.6-ii;Re.3. 
19;—for the improvement of virtue and the 
trial of faith, De.8.5; J°b 5.17; Ps.66.10; 78. 
34:94.12:119.67,71,75;Pr.3.n;Ec.7.3;Is.26. 
9,16:48.10; Je.2.30, Zep.3.7; Ro.5.3;He.i2. 
5,10; i Pe.1.6;—is sometimes the means of 
bringing transgressors to a sense of duty, 
De.8.5,6; 2CI1.33.11; J obs. 17 ;36.8;Ps. 78.34; 
94.12; 119.67,71,75; Pr.3.11; Ec.7.3;Is.26-9, 
16; Je.2.30; Zep.3.7; Ro.5.3; He.12.5;—oft 
terminate in bringing present good,Ge.50. 
20; Ex.1.1 t,i2;Je.24.5,6;—to be borne with 
patience, Pr.24.10; 2Ti.2.314.5;—instances 
of such behaviour, 1 Sa.3.18; Job 1.21,22; 
Ac. 5. 41; 16. 25; 2 Co. 7. 4; He. 10. 34;—less 
than we deserve, Ezr.9.i3;Ps.io3.io;i3o.3; 
—afflictions of persons better than we have 
been, greater than ours, 1 Co.4.9; 2 Co. 4. 
11; Ja.5.10; 1 Pe.5.9;—especially those of 
Jesus Christ, Ro.8.17; 2 Co.4.10; 2TL2.12; 
He. 12. 3; 1 Pe. 2. 21; 4.13;—God supports 
the righteous under them, Ps.9.9;34.i9;37. 
24:41.3; 55.22; Pr.24.16; La.3.31, &c.; 1 Co. 
10.13; 2C0.12.8; 2TL3.11; 2 Pe.2.9; — ttse- 

ful, in trying our faith and obedience, Ge. 
22.1,2; Ex. 15. 23-25; De. 8.2,16; 1 Pe.1.7; 
Re. 2.10;—in teaching us the will of God, 
Ps.119.71; Is.26.9; Mi.6.9;—in preventing 
departures from God, Job 34.31,32; Is.10. 
2o;Eze. 14.To,ii;—in leading to seek God 
in prayer, Ju.4.3; 2Ch.T4.11; Je.31.18; La. 
2.17-19; Ho.5.15; Jonah 2.1; — in leading 
to confess sin, Nu.21.7; Ps.32.4,5; 51.3-5; 
in humbling, De. 8. 3,16; 201.7.13,14; La. 
3.19,20;—in purifying, Ex.7.2,3:15.1.25,26; 
Je.9.6,7; Mai.3.2,3;—an abundant recom¬ 
pense will be made for them, Mat.5.10; 
Lu.6.22;Ro.8.i8; 2Co.4-i7;Ja.i.i2^ 1 Pe.i. 
7:2.19:3.14:4. i3;Re. 2.10:7. 13-17;— we ma y 
ask in prayer to know the cause, Job6.24; 
10.2:13.23,24; Ps.44.24:88.14;—we may de¬ 
sire, and pray for deliverance out of them, 

2 Ki.20.1; 2Ch.33.i2;Ps.6.i; 7.1:18.3:25.17, 
22:39.10; Is.64.9-12; Je.17.14; Mat. 26. 39; 

2Co. 12. 8; Ja. 5. 13;—encouragements to 
saints under affliction, Ps.27.5,6; 34.19,20; 
Pr. 12.13; Is.25. 4 ;43.2149.13; Je.31.13:39.17, 
18; 2Co.i.3,4;7.6;Re.3.io.— Duties result¬ 
ing from: submission, iSa.3.18; 2 Ki.20. 
19; Jobi.21; Ja.1.4; imitation of Christ, 
He.12.1-3; 1 Pe.2.21-23; acknowledge the 
justice of, Ne.9.33; Job 2.10; Is.64.5,6; Mi. 
7.9;—how to behave to those who suffer 
them, 2KL8.29; Job 2.11:6.14; 16.5; 30.25; 
Ps.35.13; Is-58.7,&c. 1Mat.25.35; Ro.12.15; 
2Ti. 1.16-18; He. 13. 3; Ja.1.27.—Afflicted 
saints: Joseph, Ge.39.20-23; Moses, He. 
11.25; -A//, iSa.3.18; Nehemiah, Ne.1.4; 
Job, Job 1. 20-22; David, 2 Sa. 12. 15-23; 
Paul, Ac. 20.22-24; apostles, 1 Co. 4.13; 
2 C0.6.4-10. 

Afoot, on foot, in action, Mar.6.33; Ac.20. 
T 3 - 

Afore, sooner in time, before, Ro. 1.2; 9.23; 
Ep. 3 - 3 - 

Afraid, fearful, terrified, Le.26.6; Job 11. 

19; Ps.56.3; Mar.5.15. 

Agabus, ag'a-bus, came with others from 
Judea to Antioch while Paul and Barna¬ 
bas were there, and announced an ap¬ 
proaching famine, Ac. 11.28 ;—and the suf¬ 
ferings of Paul at Jerusalem, 21.10. 

Agag, a'gag, (1) A king of Amalek, spared 
by Saul, 1 Sa. 15. 9; — put to death by 
Samuel, 32.—(2) The king of one of the 
hostile neighbouring nations at the time of 
the exodus, Nu.24.7. 

Agagite, the name of the nation to which 
Haman belonged, Es.3.1,10; 8.3,5. 

Agape, the church of the first ages was 


(Ad—Ah) 581 

accustomed to connect the love feast, 
called by the Greeks agape, with the cele¬ 
bration of the Lord’s supper in commemo¬ 
ration of the last meal Christ partook of 
with his disciples before the institution of 
that ordinance—Ac. 2. 46: 1 Co. 11. 20-22; 
Jude 12; 2 Pet.2.13, are supposed to refer 
to. After the close of the fourth century 
this feast was gradually given up. 

Agar, a'gar, the Greek form of the name 
Hagar, used allegorically to illustrate the 
dispensation given from Mount Sinai, Ga. 
4 - 24 - 

Agate, or Ruby, a precious stone, almost 
transparent, sometimes beautiful, repre¬ 
senting trees, rivers, clouds, &c., Ex.28. 
19; Is. 54.12; Eze. 27.16, set in the high- 
priest’s breast-plate, Ex.28.19. 

Age, the whole of man’s life, Ge. 47. 28; 
times past, present, and to come, Ep.2.7; 
3.5; great respect paid to the aged, Le. 
19.32; Job 32.4. See Old Age. 

Agee, dg'e-e [ fugitive], a Hagarite, 2 Sa. 
23.11. 

Ages, past times, Col. 1.26;—future times, 
Ep.2.7; 3-5> 2 i- 

Ago, a long time since, 1 Sa.9.20: Is.22.11; 
Mat.11.21; Ac.10.30. 

Agony, the awful and mysterious conflict 
endured by Christ, Lu.22.44. 

Agreement, a compact, a bargain, 2Ki.i8. 
31; Is.28.15; Da.11.6; 2C0.6.16. 

Agrippa, a-grip'pah, son and successor of 
Herod III. who is mentioned in Ac.12.1; 
—was king of several of the eastern 
provinces of the Roman empire ;—hears 
Paul plead, Ac. 26. i,&c.;—declares him¬ 
self almost a Christian, 28. See Herod. 
Ague, a periodical disease, consisting of 
alternate fits of shivering cold and burning 
heat, Le.26.16. 

Agur, a'gur, his confession, Pr.30.1;—his 
prayer, 8,9. 

Ahab, a'hab [father’s brother], (1 The sev¬ 
enth king of Israel, succeeds his father Om- 
ri, 1 Ki. 16.29;—marries Jezebel, 31;—de¬ 
feats Benh^dad, 20. 20, 29; — takes him 
prisoner and dismisses him, 33;—reproved 
for it, 35;—takes the vineyards of Naboth, 
21.15;—repents, 27;—his death, 22.37.—( 2 ) 
A false prophet who deceived the Jews at 
Babylon ;—his death foretold, Je.29.21,22. 
Aharah, a-har'ah, the third son of Ben¬ 
jamin, 1 Ch. 8.1;—elsewhere called Ehi, 
Ge.46.21; Ahiram, Nu. 26.38; and Aher, 
iCh.7.7. 

Ahasai, a-has'a-i, a form of A haz, Ne. 11.13. 
Ahasbai, a-hns'ba-i, father of one of David’s 
warriors, 2 Sa.23.34; called Ur in the par¬ 
allel passage, 1Ch.11.35. 

Ahasuerus, a - has - u- e'rus, the Hebrew 
form of Xerxes, (1) Astyages of profane 
history, father of Darius the Mede, Da.9. 
1.—(2) Cambyses, son and successor of 
Cyrus (b.c. 529), king of Persia, during 
whose reign the building of the temple was 
suspended, Ezr. 4. 6, 7.—(3) Probably the 
famous Xerxes, the second son of Darius 
Hystaspes, whom he succeeded on the 
throne;—his feast, Es.i.i,&c.;—dismisses 
Vashti, 13;—marries Esther, 2.17;—makes 
a decree against the Jews, 3.11;—allows 
them to defend themselves, 8.7; his great¬ 
ness, 10.1, &c. 

Ahava, a-ha'vah, a small river of Mesopo¬ 
tamia, where the Jews assembled their 
second company under Ezra before setting 
out for Jerusalem, and where a solemn 
fast was observed, Ezr. 8.15-21. 

Ahaz, a'haz [possessor], the eleventh king 
of Judah, succeeds his father Jotham, 
2 Ki. 16. 1; 2Ch. 28. 1;—distressed by the 
Syrians and the king of Israel, 5;—en¬ 
couraged by Isaiah, Is. 7.1, &c.;—applies 
to the king of Assyria, 2Ki.16.71 2OL28. 
16 ;—makes an altar like to one he saw at 
Damascus, 2 Ki. 16. 10;—Isaiah, Hosea, 
and Micah prophesied in his reign;—his 
death B.c. 726, after a reign of sixteen 
years, 20; 2Ch.28.27 ; was refused a burial 
in the royal sepulchre, 2Ch.xxviii.; Is.vii. 
Ahaziah, a-ha-zl'ah [Jehovah sustains], 
(1) The six h king of Judah, succeeds his 
father Jehoram, 2 Ki.8.24:201.22.1;—call¬ 
ed Jehoahaz, 2Ch.21.17, and Azariah, 
2CI1.22.6;—joins Joram king of Israel in 
his wars with the Syrians, 5;—slain by 
Jehu, 2CI1.22.9.—(2) The eighth king of 
Israel, succeeds his father Ahab, 1 Ki.22. 
40;—consults Baalzebub, 2 Ki. 1.2;—re¬ 
proved by Elijah, 4;—sends a force to 
seize him, 9;—his death, 17. 

Ahban, ah'ban, one of the two sons of 
Abishur, iCh.2.29. 















582 (Ah—Am) 

Aher, aHicr, a descendant of Benjamin, 
iCh.7.12; — the same person as Aharah, 
1 Ch 8.i. 

Ahi, a'hT, son of Shamer, iCh.7.34;—also 
a son of Abdiel, 1 Ch.5.15. 

Ahiah, a-hl'ah [brother of the Lord], an¬ 
other form of Ahijah, supposed by some 
to be same as Ahimelech, x Sa.14.3; 1 Ki. 
4.3; 1 Sa. 22. o,ii, 20. 

Ahiam, a-hl'am, one of David’s thirty 
heroes, 2Sa.23.33. 

Ahiezer, a-hT-e'zer, (1) Chief of the tribe 
of Dan at the exodus, Nu.1.12.— 2 Chief 
of the Benjamite warriors that repaired to 
David at Ziklag, 1CI1.T2.3. 

Ahihud, a-hl'ud, iCh.8.7also another, 
Nu.34.27. 

Ahijah, a-hl'jah [brother of Jehovah], (1 
The prophet of Shiloh, 1 Ki. 14. 2;—ad¬ 
dresses Jeroboam, 11.29;—prophesies con¬ 
cerning his son, 14.5.—(2) Son of Bela, 
iCh.8.7.—(3) Son of Jerahmeel, iCh.2.25. 
— 4 High-priest in time of Saul, iSa.14. 
3,18.—(5} One of David’s heroes, 1Ch.11. 
36.—(6) A Levite, 1 Ch.26.20.—(7) One of 
Solomon’s secretaries, 1 Ki.4.3. 

Ahikam, a-hl'kam, son of Shaphan and 
father of Gedaliah, 2 Ki.25.22; Je.40.5-16; 
—sent by Josiah to consult the prophetess 
Huldah concerning the newly discovered 
book of the law, 2 Ki.22.12; 2Ch.34.20. 
Ahilud, a-hl'lud, 2Sa.8.i6. 

Ahimaaz, a-him'a-az [brother of anger], 
(1) The son and successor of Zadok the 
high-priest;—performed important services 
for David during his son’s rebellion, 2 Sa. 
15.27,36; 17.17;—runs swiftly, and reports 
the victory, 18.27,28.—(2) Father of Ahi- 
noam, wife of king Saul, 1Sa.14.50. 
Ahiman, a-hl'man, one of the three famous 
giants of the race of Anak, Nu. 13.22. 
Ahimelech, a-him'e-lek [brother of the 
king], great-grandson of Eli, and brother 
of Ahia, whom he succeeds as the twelfth 
high-priest ;—supplies David with food, 
when he fled from Saul, 1Sa.21.1-6;— 
gives him the sword of Goliath, 9;—is ac¬ 
cused by Doeg, 22.9; — brought before 
Saul, 11;—he and other eighty-five per¬ 
sons in the priest’s office slain by Doeg, x8. 
Ahimoth, a'hi-moth or a-hl'moth, xCh.6. 
25 - 

Ahinadab, a-hin'a-dab, one of the twelve 
purveyors for Solomon’s household, 1 Ki. 
4.14. 

Ahinoam, a-hin'o-am [brother of grace], 
(i) The daughter of Ahimaaz, and wife of 
king Saul, 1 Sa.14.50.—(2 A Jezreelitess, 
the first wife of David, x 83.25.43:27.3 ;— 
she was the mother of his eldest son Am- 
non, 2 Sa.3.2. 

Ahio, a-hl'o, son of Abinadab, 2Sa.6.3. 
Ahira, a-hi'rah, Nu.x.15; 2.29; 7.78,83. 
Ahiram, a-hl'ram, a son of Bela and grand¬ 
son of Benjamin, Nu. 26.38;—the same 
with Aharah, iCh.8.1; Aher, iCh.7.12; 
Eh 1, Ge.46.21. 

Ahisamach. a-his'a-mak, father of Aholiab 
the Danite, Ex.35.34; 38.23. 

Ahishahar, a-h'i- sha'har or a-hl'sha-har, 
son of Bilhan, 1 Ch.7.10. 

Aliishar, a-hl'shar, the officer who was 
‘over the household’ of Solomon, 1 Ki. 
4.6. 

Ahithophel, a-hit'o-fel [brother of foolish¬ 
ness], a native of Giloh, famed for his wis¬ 
dom, 2 Sa. 15.12;—he was of the council of 
David, 1Ch.27.33;—his counsel rejected, 
•2 Sa. 17. 1;—hangs himself, 23;—his son 
Eliam one of David’s body-guard, 2 Sa. 

23.34. 

Ahitub, a-hl'tub [brother of goodness], (1) 
The son of Phinehas, and grandson of Eli, 
succeeds his father in the office of the high- 
priesthood, 1 Sa. 14.3:22.9.— 2) A descend¬ 
ant of Amariah, of the line of Ithamar. 

1 Ch.6.7; 8.52. 

Ahlab, ah'lab, a city belonging to the tribe 
of Ashur, Ju.1.31. 

Ahlai, ah'lai, daughter of Sheshan, 1 Ch.2. 
31 , 34 . 35 - 

Ahoah, a-h 5 'ah, one of the sons of Bela, the 
son of Benjamin, 1 Ch. 8. 4; called also 
Ahiah, 7; —his descendants called Aho- 
hites, 2 Sa. 23.9,28. 

Aholah, a-ho'lah [a tent], and Aholibah, 
a-hol'ib-ah [my tent in her], two symbolical, 
names given to Judah and Samaria, under 
the figure of an idolatrous harlot, Eze.23 
4 , 36 . 

Aholiab, a-ho'li-ab, one of the two artifi¬ 
cers in the precious metals at the erection 
of the tabernacle, Ex. 36.1; 35.34; 36.1,0 
Aholibamah, a-ho-lii-ba'mah [tent of "the 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


height], the grand-daughter of Zibeon, 
and wife of Esau, Ge.36.2,25. She is also 
called Judith, which probably was her 
proper personal name, Ge.26.34. 

Ahumai, a-hu'ma-i [brother of water, i.e. 
dwelling near it], a descendant of Judah, 
1 Ch.4.2. 

Ahuzam, a-hu'zam [their possession], one 
of the sons of Ashur, 1 Ch.4.6. 

Ahuzzath, a-huz'zath [possession], the 
‘king’s friend’ of Ahimelech, Ge.26.26. 

Ai, a'i [ruin], (1) A city near Bethel, and 
about ten miles north of Jerusalem;—the 
Israelites defeated before it, Jos. 7. 5;— 
taken and destroyed, 8.3-27 ;—called also 
A/nth, Is.T0.28; and A ija, Ne.n.31. Its 
ruins still seen on top of a ridge east of 
Bethel.—(2) A city of the country of Moab, 
taken and pillaged by the Chaldeans, Je. 
49 - 3 - 

Aijalon or AjaloN, ad'ja-lon [deer, or of 
oaks], (1) A city of the tribe of Dan, near 
Bethshemesh, Jos.19.42; 21.24; Ju.i.35;— 
being on the very frontiers of the two king¬ 
doms it is spoken of sometimes as in Eph¬ 
raim, 1 Ch. 8. 69, and sometimes as in 
Judah and Benjamin, 2Ch.11.10;—also 
a valley near that town, Jos. 10. 12, now 
Merj Ibn 'Omeir, Ju. 1. 35.—(2; A city in 
the tribe of Zebulun, Ju.12.12. 

Ailed, in pain or sickness, Ge.21.17; Ju.18. 
23; Ps.114.5. 

Ain [a fountain], (1) A city in the tribe of 
Judah, Jos.15.32; afterward of Simeon, 
19.7; 21.16.—(2) The great fountain of the 
Orontes, now called Ain el-Asy, about 10 
miles south-west of Riblah, Nu.34.2. 

Air, an elastic fluid surrounding the earth 
to the height of about forty-five miles. It 
has a considerable weight at the surface 
of the sea, and gradually diminishes in 
the higher regions. Its weight is equal to 
a column of quicksilver about thirty inches 
in height, or a column of water thirty- 
three feet high. Air is necessary for man’s 
existence, and of all animals and plants. 
In it clouds and vapours float; and air 
in motion is wind, to keep it pure, 2 Sa. 
21.10; Job4r.i6; Ac.22.23; 1C0.9.26; 14.9. 
Air, ‘Prince of the power of the,’ Satan, so 
designated as ruling over the spirits that 
dwell and rule in the atmosphere, Ep. 2.2. 
Akkub, ak'kub, the contracted form of 
Jacob. —(1) One of the Levites who kept 
the gate of the temple, 1 Ch.9.i7;Ezr.2.42. 
—(2) Head of one of the families of the 
Nethinim, Ezr.2.45.—(3^ A descendant of 
David, iCh.3.24. 

Akrabbim, ak-rub'bim [scorpions], called 
also Maaleh-Akrabbim, scorpion-height, 
Jos. 15.3, a chain of hills on the southern 
border of Palestine, close to the valley of 
the Arabah. 

Alabaster, called gypsum or sulphate 0/ 
lime, a substance from which pots and 
vessels for holding perfumes were made at 
Alabastron, in Egypt, hence the vessels 
were called by the Greeks alabastrons. 
At length, however, all boxes that con¬ 
tained odoriferous ointment were called 
alabaster boxes, although they were not 
made of the stone called alabaster. The 
expression used by Mark, T4.3, ‘she brake 
the box,’ means only that she opened or 
unsealed it. 

Alammelech, a-ktm'me-lek, a city on the 
border of the tribe of Asher, Jos. T9.26. 
Alarm, sudden terror or danger, N u. 10.5, 
7,9; 2Ch.t3.12; Je.4.19; 49.2; Zep. 1.16. 
Albeit, notwithstanding, although, Eze.13. 
7; Phile.19. 

Alemeth, al'e-meth, (1) The last of the nine 
sons of Becher, called Alameth, iCh.7. 
8.—(2) The first of the two sons of Jeho- 
adah, iCh.8.36.—(3 A sacerdotal city of 
the tribe of Benjamin, three miles north of 
Jerusalem, and near Anathoth, iCh.6.60; 
—elsewhere called Almon, Jos.21.18; now 
Almit. 

Alexander, al-ex-an'der [helper of men], 
1) A Jew, addresses the people at Ephe¬ 
sus, Ac.19.33.—(2) A convert who aposta¬ 
tized, 1 Ti.1.20; 2 Ti. 4 .14.—(3) The son of 
Simon, the Cyrenian, Mar. 15.21.—(4) A 
Jew who took part against Peter and 
John, Ac.4.6. 

Alexandria, al-ex-an’dri-a, a once famous 
city in Egypt, near the western branch of 
the Nile, where it flows into the Mediter¬ 
ranean; it denved its name from Alex¬ 
ander the Great, its founder, about 332 
H.c. It was one of the most flourishing 
and celebrated cities of the world, the 
metropolis of the kings of Egypt, and long 


the grand seat of commerce and wealth;— 
Jews from it persecuted Stephen, Ac.6.9; 
—Apollos a native of it, 18.24 ;—in a ship 
belonging to it, Paul sailed for Rome, 27. 
6. The modern Alexandria is built on the 
ruins of the ancient city, about 125 miles 
north of Cairo. It is the seat of an exten¬ 
sive and increasing commerce. Its popu¬ 
lation, of various nationalities, is above 
40,000. 

Alexandrians, Jews from Alexandria, Ac. 
6.9. 

Algum-trees, 2Ch.2.8. See Almug. 
Aliah, a-ll'ah, or Alvah, the second named 
of the Edomitish chieftains descended 
from Esau, Ge.36.40; iCh.1.51. 

Alian, a-ll'an, or Alvan, the first named of 
the fivesonsof Shobal, Ge.36.23; 1 Ch.1.40. 
Aliant, an alien, a stranger, Job 19.15; Ps. 
69.8. 

Alien, a stranger or foreigner, one not 
having the rights and privileges of the 
citizens of the country in which he lives, 
Ex.18.3; De.14.21; Is. 61. 5; La. 5.2; Ep.2. 
12; He.11.34. 

Alienate, estranged, Eze.23.17,18,22; Ep. 
4.18; Col.1.21. 

Alive, naturally, Ge. 7. 23; 12.12; 50. 20; — 
spiritually, Lu.15.24,32; Ro.6.11,13. 

All, every r creature or person, Ge. 42. 11; 
Job 34.i9:Ps.i4.3, &c.;—frequently means 
only a great number, as Ex.9.6,19; Mat.3. 
5; LU.15.T; Ac. 2.5. 

All in all, Christ is, Ep.1.23; Col.3.11;— 
Christ is all in his people’s righteo/isness, 
Ro. 3.25;— sanctification, 1 Co. 1. 30;— in¬ 
struction, 1 Jn.2.27;— guidance, Ps.73.24; 
—in supplying their wants, Phi.1.19;—in 
his supreme esteem, Ro.8.35. 

Alledging, maintaining, Ac. 17.3. 

Allegory, a figurative mode of speech, con¬ 
sisting of metaphors analogous to a sub¬ 
ject, instead of the subject itself; every 
parable is a kind of allegory. Paul ap¬ 
plies the history of Hagar and Sarah 
spiritually, and in doing so, says, ‘which 
things are allegorized,’ i.e. are allegori¬ 
cally'applied, Ga.4.24-31. 

Allelujah, or Hallelujah [praise ye the 
Lord], to be met with at the beginning or 
end of several psalms, particularly in the 
145th, and those which follow;—and in 
Re. 19.1-6. 

Alliance, any union or connection of in¬ 
terests between persons, families, states, 
or corporations. Such alliances are occa¬ 
sionally referred to in Scripture by the 
term covenant, and were forbidden to exist 
between the Jews and their heathen 
neighbours, and, by consequence, believ¬ 
ers are still prohibited from entering into 
them, Ex.23.32,33; 34.12,15; De.7.2,3; Ju. 
2.2; Ezr.9.12; Is.8.11,12; 30.2; Ho.4.17; 12. 

1; -believers not to contract such mar¬ 
riage alliances, 2Co. 6. 14-17; 2CI1. 19. 2; 
De.7.3,4; Ezr.9.2 ;—all avoidable alliances 
to be shunned, Nu. 16. 26; Ezr. to. ii; Je. 
51.45; 1C0.5.9-11; 2Th.3.6; iTi.6.5; 2Ti. 
3.5;—evil results of, De.31.16,17, Jos.23. 
12,13; Ju.2.i*,3; 3.5,7; 2 Pe.2.18,19; Re. 18. 
4. Examples: —Abraham, Ge. 14. 13; 
Isaac, 26.28; Gibeonites, Jos.ix.; Solomon 
and Hiram, 1 Ki. 5.12; Jehoshaphat and 
Ahaziah, 2CI1. 20. 35; Zedekiah, Jer.37.7; 
Eze. 17.15-17; &c. 

Allied, to be connected or tied, Ne.13.4. 
Allon, alflon [an oak], (1) The son of Jeda- 
iah, iCh.4.37.—(2) A town on the border 
of Naphtali, Jos.x9.33. 

Allon-Bachuth, al'lon-bak'uth [oak of 
weeping], a place near Bethel, so called 
from a tree under which Jacob encamped, 
and where Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, was 
buried, Ge.35.8. 

Allow, to yield or grant, Lu.11.48; Ac.24. 
15; Ro.7.15. 

Allowance, a pension, 2 Ki.25.30. 

All-to, Ju.9.53, an old English word, mean¬ 
ing ‘thoroughly’ or ‘completely.’ 

Allure, to entice by means, Ho.2.14; 2Pe. 
2.18. 

Almighty, omnipotent, able to do all 
things;—applied to God, Ge. 17.1; 35.11; 
43 - 14 , &c.;—applied to Christ, Re.1.8. 
Almodad, al-mo'dad, the first named of 
the thirteen sons of Joktan, Ge. 10.26; iCh. 
1.20. 

Almon, al'mon. See Alemeth. 
Almon-Diblathaim, al’mon-dib-la-tha’im, 
the 51st station of the Israelites in the 
wilderness, Nu.33.46; probably same as 
Beth-Diblathaim, Ge.48.22. 
Almond-tree, resembling the peach-tree 
| in its leaves and blossoms;—Jacob sent its 


fruit to Joseph, Ge.43.1x;—the hoary locks i 
of the aged compared to its white bios- 
soms, Ec.12.5;—Aaron’s rod of, Nu.i7.8. 
Almost persuaded to be a Christian, but 

not saved, Ac. 26.28. 

Alms-giving, recommended, De.15.7; Job 
22.7:31.16; Eze. 16.49; Lu.3.11; 11.41; Ep.4. 
28; iTi.6.i8;He.i3.i6; 1 Jn.3.17;—must be 
accompanied with prayer, Is.58.7,9;Ac. 10. 
2,4;—will be rewarded, Ps.41.1; 112.9; Pr. 
14.21:19.17; 22.9; 28.27; Mat.25.35; Lu.6.38; 
14.14; tTl6 . 18,19; He.6. to; —the neglect . 
of it will be punished, Job 20.19; Pr.21.13; 
Eze. 18. 12; Mat. 25. 41-46;—to be given 1 
chiefly to the pious and deserving, Ro. 12. 
13; 2C0.9. i;Ga.6.10;—not to the idle,2Th. 
3.10.—according to men’s ability. Mar. 12. 
43;Ac. 11.29; 1 Co. 16.2;2Co.8.12; 1 Pe.4 .it; it 
—cheerfully and speedily, Pr.3.27;Ro.i2.8; - 
2C0. 8. 11; 9.7;—not from ostentation, Pr. 
20.6; Mat. 6. 1;—proper to attend fasting, 
Is.58.7. 

Almug, or Almijg-tree, which Solomon 
ordered from Tyre for the building of the 
temple; supposed to have been the cypress, . 
but more probably it was the sandal-wood, 

1 Ki. 10.11,12. 

Aloes, an odoriferous tree which grows 
about two feet high, and gives a very bit¬ 
ter gum;—employed in perfuming, Ps.45. 

8; Pr.7.17;—and in embalming the bodies 
of the dead, Jn.19.39. 

Aloof, at a distance, Ps.38.11. 

Alpha and Omega, the first and the last 
letters of the Greek alphabet, applied to 
Christ to signify' his eternal existence, and 
that he is the A ll and in all in the scheme 1 
of grace, Re.1.8,11; 21.6; 22.13. 

Alpheus, al-fe'us, the Greek name, Cle- 
ophas or Cleopas the Hebrew or Syrian 
name of the same person (comp. Jn. 19.25; 
Lu.24.10). —(1) The father of James the 
Less, Mat.10.3; Mar.3.18, and husband of 
Mary r , the sister-in-law of our Lord’s 
mother, Jn. 19.25; he was one of Christ’s 
apostles, Mat. 10. 3; Lu. 6. 15.—(2) The 
father of Levi or Matthew, Mar. 2.14. 
Already, now, at this time, Ex.1.5; Mal.2. 

2; Mat. 17.12; Jn.3.18; Phi.3.16; Re.2.25. ' 

Altar, structure built for offering thereon 
sacrifices to God, Ex.20.24;— 0/ burnt-of- , 
firing, or brazen-altar, made of shittim- , 
wood, and overlaid with plates of brass, 
Ex. 27. 1, &c.; 38. 1;—Christ compared to 
it, He. 13. to ;—of incense, or the golden- 
altar, stood within the holy place; that 
of the tabernacle was made of shittim- 
wood, overlaid with plates of gold ; that of 
Solomon’s temple of cedar-wood, 1 Ki.6. 

20; 7.48; Ex.30.1; 37.25; Le. 16.18,19;—-the 
offerings of the princes at its dedication, 
Nu.7. to ;—of brass, in the temple of Solo¬ 
mon, 2 Ch.4.1;—set up after the captivity, 1 
Ezr. 3.1, &c. 

Altars, how to be made, Ex. 20.24; De.27. 

5;—how to be anointed or dedicated, Ex. 

40.10; Le. 8.10,11;—offerings at the dedica¬ 
tion of, Nu.7.10;—erected for the worship 
of the true God, Ge.8.20; 12.7:13.4:22.9:26. 

2 5 ; 33 - 20 ; 35-L &c.; Ex. 17. 15;—for idola¬ 
trous purposes to be destroyed, Ex. 34.13; 
De.7.5; 12.2,3;—of Noah, Ge.45.2o;— Abra¬ 
ham, 12.7,8; — Isaac, 26.25;—Jacob, 33.20; 

- Baalam, Nu. 23. 1, 14, 29;—Joshua, De. 

2 7-4-7 of Reubenites, Jos. 22.10;- -Gide¬ 
on, Ju. 6.26,27;--Samuel, 1 Sa.7.17;—Saul, 

T 4 - 35;—David, 2 Sa.24.18;—Elijah, 1 Ki. 
18.31. 

Alter, to change, exchange, Le. 27.10; Ezr. 
6.11,12; Ps.89.34; Lu.9.29. 

Although, notwithstanding, Ex.13.17; Job 
2.3; Je.31.32; Mar.14.29. 

Altogether, completely', Nu.i6.i3;Ps. 14.3; 
Jn.9.34; 1 C0.5.10. 

Alush, a'lush, a station in the desert, Nu. 

33 - 13 - 

Amad, a'mad [people of duration], a town 
near the border of Asher, Jos. 19.26. 
Amalek, am'a-lek [dweller in a valley], or 
Amalekites, a powerful people of Arabia 
Petrea, called ‘the first of all the nations,’ 
Nu.24.20;—supposed by some writers to be 
descended from Ham, the son of Noah ;— 
defeated in the wilderness. Ex. 17.8;—to be 
destroyed, i4;De.25.i7;—plunder Ziklag, 

1 Sa.30.1;—defeated by Saul, 14.48:15.7;— 
at last utterly destroyed, 1 Ch.4.41-43. 
Amam, a'mam [gathering], a city in the 
south of Judah, Jos. 15.26. 

Amana, a-ma'nah or im'a-nah [a covenant], 
a peak of one of the mountains of Lebanon, 
mentioned in Ca.4.8. 

Amariah, am-a-rl'ah, (1) One of the de¬ 
scendants of Aaron, 1 Ch. 6.7,52.—(2) A 










THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


JjCvite, t Ch. 23.19.—(3^ A ‘chief-priest,’ 
aCh.19.11.—(4) Another high-priest, 1 Ch. 

6 . u; Ezr.7.3.—(5) A Levite, 2Ch.31.15.— 
(6) The son of Hizkiah, Zep.1.1. - 7 The 
son of Shephatiah, Ne.11.4.— 8 One of 
the priests who returned with Zerubbabel 
from Babylon, Ne. 10.3. 

Amasa, a-ml/sah or am'a-sah [burden], the 
sonoflthra, and of Abigail, David's sister, 

1 Ch. 2.17;—commands the army of Ab¬ 
salom, 2 Sa.17.25;—slain by Joab, 20.4. 
Amasai, am-a-sa'i or a-mas'a-i, (1) The son 
of Elkanah, 1 Ch.6.25. —(2) Chief of the 
captains who joined David while he was 

( in the wilderness, evading Saul, 12.18.— 

(3 One of the priests appointed to precede 
the ark on its removal from the house of 
Obed-Edom, 1 Ch.15.24. 

Amazement, great wonder or perplexity, 
Ac. 3.10; 1 Pe.3.6. 

Amaziah. am-a-zl'ah [strength of Jehovah], 

(1) l’he eighth king of Judah, succeeds his 
father Jehoash, 2 Ki. 12. 21; 2 Ch. 25. 1;— 
defeats the Edomites, 2 Ki.14.7;—defeated 
by Jehoash, king of Israel, 12; — mur¬ 
dered, 19; 2Ch.25.27. — ,2) The idolatrous 
priest to the golden calves of Bethel, com¬ 
plained of, Am. 7.10;— God’s judgments 
upon him, 17. — 3) A Levite, 1 Ch.6.45. 
Ambassador, a person sent to a foreign 
court as the representative of his king, 

2 Ch.32.31 ;Pr. 13. i7;Is. i8. 2 ;30.4;33.7: Je.49- 

14;— Paul styles himself and his fellow- 
apostles ambassadors of Christ, 2 Co. 5. 20. 
Ambassage, a public mission, Lu. 14.32. 
Amber, Hebrew chasmil, Eze. 1.4:8.2. In 
these passages the reference is merely to 
the colour of amber, a beautiful bitumin¬ 
ous resin, mostly of a yellow or orange 
colour ; or as others, with more probability, 
suppose, the reference is to a metal com¬ 
posed of gold and copper, or silver, of a 
peculiarly dazzling brightness. 

Ambition, desire of honour, reproved, Mat. 
18.1; 20.20; Lu.22.24;—vanity of, Job 20. 
5~9;Ps.39.5:49.11-20;—punishment of, Pr. 
17.19; Is. 14. 12-15; Eze.31.10,11; Ob.3,4. 
Examples of, Ge. 11.4;Nu. 12.1,2; 2 Sa. 15.4; 

1 Ki.1.5; Is.22.15,16; 3Jn.9. 

Ambush, or Ambushi^ent, soldiers or 
assassins secretly placed to assail their 
enemy unexpectedly, Jos. 8. 2; Je. 51.12; 
2Ch.13.13. 

Amen, a Hebrew word, which signifies 
firm , and metaphorically faithful. Our 
Saviour often uses it to express the truth 
of what he says; ‘ Amen, amen, I say 
unto you,’ rendered in our translation, 
verily, verily, Jn.3.3,5;—all the promises 
of God are amen in Christ, that is, infal¬ 
libly true and certain, 2 Co. 1. 20;—Christ 
himself, the true and faithful prophet, is 
called the Amen , Re.3.14;—Jehovah is 
denominated the God of truth, (Hebrew 
the God Amen, Is. 65.16. At the end of 
prayer it is used to signify our earnest 
desire and assurance to be heard;—amen, 
so be it, so it shall be, Nu.5.22: De.27.15; 

1 Ki.1.36; 1 Ch.16.36; Ps.72.19; 89-52;Mat. 
6.13; Re.22.20. 

Amerce, to punish ; a fine or penalty, De. 
22.19. 

Amethyst, a gem of purple colour, set in 
the breast-plate of the high-priest, Ex. 28. 
19;—in the foundation of the new Jeru¬ 
salem, Re. 21.20. 

Ami, one of Solomon’s servants, Ezr.2.57. 
Amiable, lovely, or pleasing, Ps.84.1. 
Amiss, wrong, criminally, 2 Ch.6.37;Da.3. 
29; Lu.23.41; Ja.4.3. 

Amittai, a-mit'ta or a-mit-ta 1, the father 
of Jonah, Jonah 1.1; 2 Ki.14.25. 

Ammah, am'mah, a hill to the east of 
Gibeon, where Abner was defeated, 2 Sa. 
2.24. 

Ammi, am'mi [my people], a figurative 
name given to the people of Israel, Ho.2.1. 
Ammiel, am'mi-el [people of God], (1) One 
of the twelve spies sent by Moses to ex¬ 
plore the land of Canaan, Nu.13.12.—(2) 
Father of Machir, 2 Sa.9.4,5; 17.27.—(3) 
Father of Bathsheba, 1 Ch.3.5 (called also 
Eliam, 2 Sa. 11.3).—(4) Sixth son of Obed- 
i Edom, 1 Ch.26.5. 

Ammihud, um'mi-hud, (1) The father of 
Elishama, Nu. 1. 10; 2. 18.—(2) Father of 
Shemuel, Nu. 34. 20.—(3) Father of Tal- 
mai, king of Geshur, 2 Sa. 13.37.—(4) Son 
of Omri, 1 Ch.9.4. 

Amminadab, am-min'a-dab, (1) The father 
of Aaron’s wife, Elisheba, Ex. 6.23;— men¬ 
tioned among the progenitors of Christ, 
Mat. 1.4.—(2) The son of Kohath, 1 Ch.6. 

22 


Amminadib [attendants of the prince], a 
person whose chariots were proverbial for 
their swiftness, Ca.6.12. 

Ammishaddai, am-mi-snild'da-i [people of 
the Almighty), father of Ahiezer, who was 
chief of the Danites at the exodus, Nu. 

1.12. 

Ammon, am'mon, another form of the name 
Ben-Ammi, the son of Lot, and the father 
of the Ammonites, Ge. 19.38. 

Ammonites, am'mon-ites, a people de¬ 
scended from Ben-Ammi, the son of Lot, 
who possessed the country on the east of the 
Jordan, and to the north-east of Moab;— 
the conquest of them forbidden to the Is¬ 
raelites, De.2.19;—not to be received into 
the congregation of Israel, 23.3;—oppress 
the Israelites, Ju. 10. 7;—conquered by 
Jephthah, 11.32;—by David, 2Sa. 10.14:12. 
26;—by Jotham, 2 Ch.27.5;—the final con¬ 
quest of them foretold, Eze.2i.28;25.i;Je. 
49.1;—to be restored, 6; — God’s judg¬ 
ments upon them, Am.1.13; Zep.2.8. 
Amnon, am'non [faithful], T) The eldest 
son of David by Ahinoam of Jezreel, 

1 Ch.3.1; debauches his half-sister Tamar, 

2 Sa. 13. 14; — slain by Absalom, 25. — (2) 
The first of the four sons of Shimon, 1 Ch. 
4.20. 

Amok, amok, the father of Eber, and 
chief among the priests that returned from 
Babylon, Ne. 12.7,20. 

Amon, a'mon [artificer], (1 The fifteenth 
king of Judah, succeeds Manasseh, 2 Ki. 
21.19; 2Ch. 33 - 2°;—murdered, 24;2Ki.2i. 
23.—(2; Governor of the city of Samaria in 
the time of Ahab, 1 Ki. 22. 26.—(3) The 
head of one of the families of the Nethinim, 
Ne.7.59;—called Ami, Ezr.2.57. 

Amorites, am'o-rites, a tribe of the idola¬ 
trous Canaanites, sprung from Emor, the 
fourth son of Canaan, Ge. 10.16; described 
as ‘those who dwell in the mountains,’ 
Nu. 13.29, in contrast to the Canaanites or 
lowlanders;—many of them were of gigan¬ 
tic height, Am. 2. 9;—their iniquity not 
full in the time of Abraham, Ge. 15.16;—to 
be utterly destroyed, De. 20.17;—not wholly 
so in the time of the judges, Ju.1.34. 
Amos, a'moz or a'mos [borne, a burden], 
One of the twelve minor prophets, con¬ 
temporary with Hosea and Isaiah, and 
who lived about 780 years before Christ; 
—the son of Nahum (orjohanan ), Lu.3.25. 
Amoz [strong], the father of Isaiah, Is. 1.1; 

2 Ki. 19.2,20; 20.1. 

Amphipolis, am-fip'o-lis [around the city], 
a city of European Turkey, formerly the 
capital of Macedonia, situated on the river 
Strymon, which nearly surrounded it, 
from whence it took its name. It was 
distantabout 33 milesfromPhilippi. It was 
founded about 470 years before Christ;— 
Paul and Silas passed through it, Ac. 17. 

1;—the Turks call it Emboli. It was call¬ 
ed Popolia in the time of the Byzantine 
empire. A village of about 100 houses 
now occupies part of its site. 

Amplias, am'pli-as, a Christian at Rome, 
beloved by Paul, Ro. 16.8. 

Amram, am'ram, (1) The son of Kohath, 
and the father of Aaron, Moses, and Mi¬ 
riam, Ex. 6. 20; 1 Ch. 6. 3;—died in Egypt 
aged 137 years, Ex.6.20.—(2) One of the 
‘sons’ of Bani, Ezr.10.34.—(3) A descend¬ 
ant of Esau, 1 Ch.i.4T. 

Amraphel, am'ra-fel [keeper of the gods], 
the king of Shinar, one of the confederated 
monarchs who made war against the kings 
of Sodom, and captured Lot, Ge.i4.i,&c.; 
—conquered by Abraham, 15. 

Amzi, am'zl [strong], (1) A Levite, son cf 
Bani, 1 Ch.6.46.—(2) A priest, Ne.11.12. 
Anab, a'nab, one of the cities in the moun¬ 
tains of Judah, Jos. it. 2i. 

Anah, a'nah, (1) The fourth of the sons of 
Seir, Ge. 36. 20, 29; 1 Ch. 1. 38.—(2) The 
second of the two sons of Zibeon, Ge.36. 
18,24. 

Anaharath, an-a-hii'rath, a city on the 
border of Issachar, Jos.19.19. 

Anaiah, an-a-Tah, one of the assistants of 
Ezra in reading’the law, Ne.8.4. 

Anak, a'nak [long-necked, i.e. a giant], the 
father of the Anakims, a race of giants;— 
had three sons, Jos. 15.14;—their descend¬ 
ants, from their gigantic appearance, in¬ 
spired with terror the spies who were sent 
to search and report on the land of Canaan, 
Nu. 14. 33:— the whole race cut off by 
Joshua, 11.21. 

Anammelech, a-n&m'me-lek, an idol wor¬ 
shipped hy the people of Sepharvaim, 
2 Ki.17.31. 


Anan, a'nan [cloud], one of the chief Is¬ 
raelites that sealed the sacred covenant on 
the return from Babylon, Ne. 10.26. 
Ananiah, 1) The father of Maaseiah, Ne. 

3 23.— 2) A town in the tfibe of Benjamin, 
Ne. 11.32. 

Ananias, an-a-nl'as, the Greek form of the 
name Ananiah, (i) A high-priest of the 
Jews, unjustly commands those who stood 
by to smite Paul, Ac. 23. 1-5;—went to 
Ca:sarea to prosecute the apostle, 24. 1. 

—(2) A disciple of Christ who resided at 
Damascus;—the Lord Jesus appeared to 
him in a vision, and directed him to go to 
Saul of Tarsus for his instruction, Ac.9.10; 

—he objects the previous character of 
Saul, 13;—is again commanded, and obeys, 
15-20.—(3) and Sapphira struck dead for 
endeavouring to impose upon the apostles, 
Ac. 5.1, &c. 

Anath, a'nath [an answer, i.e . to prayer], 
father of Shamgar, Ju.3.31. 

Anathema, strictly means something set 
apart or separated; —separation from the 
church, and from Christ, Anathema Ma- 
ranatha, accursed, our Lord cometh , 

1 Co. 16. 22; — Paul, while a Pharisee, 
wished himself anathematized, Ro.9.3;— 
blasphemers call Christ anathema, or ac¬ 
cursed, 1 Co. 12.3. 

Anathoth, an'a-thoth [answers, i.e. to 
prayer], (1) A city of Benjamin, about 
three Roman miles north from Jerusalem; 

—given to the priests, 1 Ch. 6.60;—here 
Abiathar the priest was confined after he 
was deposed, 1 Ki.2.26;—the birthplace of 
Jeremiah, Je.1.1;—its inhabitants threat¬ 
ened, 11.21; — now Anata, a miserable 
village of fifteen or twenty houses.— 2) 
The eighth of the nine sons of Becher, 

1 Ch.7.8.—(3) One of the chief Israelites 
after the return from Babylon, Ne. 10.19. 
Ancestors, forefathers, predecessors, Le. 
26.45. 

Anchor, an instrument for fastening or 
stopping the course of a ship at sea;—cast 
from the ship in which Paul was, Ac. 27. 
30;— hope is the anchor of the soul, He. 

6.19. 

Ancient, of old time, De. 33.15; Job 12.12; 
Ancients, elders, Ps. 119.100:— Ancient 
of days, a name given to Christ because of 
his eternal deity. Da. 7.9,13. 

Ancles, or Ankles, joints of the feet or 
legs, Ac. 3.7; Eze.47.3. 

Andrew [manly], son of Jonas, and brother 
of Simon Peter, an apostle, attends Jesus, 
Jn. 1. 40; —called, Mat. 4. 18;—his answer 
about the loaves, Jn.6.8;- -brings Greeks 
to Jesus, 12.22;—asks him about the signs 
of the times, Mar. 13.3;—is with the dis¬ 
ciples in the upper room, Ac. 1.13. 
Andronicus, an-dro-ni'kus or an-dron'i-kus 
[man - conquering], a Jewish Christian, 
kinsman of Paul, and his fellow-prisoner, 
Ro. 16.7. 

Anem, a'nem, a Levitical city of Issachar, 
near Bethel, 1 Ch.6.73;Jos. 15.34;—is called 
En-Gannim, Jos.19.21; 21.29. 

Aner, a'ner, (1) A city of the half tribe of 
Manasseh, on the west of Jordan, and 
appears to be the same with Tannach, 

1 Ch. 6. 70; Jos. 21. 25; Ju.1.27.—(2) A Ca- 
naanitish chief, Ge. 14.13,24. 

Angels [messengers], celestial spirits, said 
to be wise, good, and immortal, 2Sa.i4. 
17,20; Ps. 103. 20; Mat. 25. 31: Lu. 20. 36; 

1 Ti. 5. 21; — are created and imperfect 
beings, Job 4.18; Mat. 24. 36; 1 Pe.1.12;— 
are appointed as guardians of men, Ps.34. 
7; gi.n; Ec.5.6; Mat. 18.10; Ac.12.15; He. 
1.14;—charged with folly, Job 4.18;—ig¬ 
norant of the day of judgment, Mat.24. 
36; — desire to know what the apostles 
knew, 1 Pe. 1.12;- -are in great numbers, 
De.33.2; Ps.68.17; Da.7.10; Mat.26.53;Lu. 
2.13; He.12.22; Jude 14; Re.5.11;—are of 
great strength, Ps. 103.20; 2Pe. 2. n;—of 
inconceivable activity, Ju. 13.20; Is.6.2-6; 
Mat. 13. 49; 26.53;—have appeared in the 
form of man, Ge.18.1,2; 19.1-5; Ju.13.6,9, 
10,11 ;Lu.24.4;—are in the immediate pres¬ 
ence of God, Mat.i8.io;Lu.i.19;—execute 
the purposes of God, Nu.22.22; Ps. 103.21; 
Mat. 13. 39-42: 28. 2; Jn. 5.4; Re.5.2;—are 
of different ranks, Da.10.13; Jude 9;—are 
subject to Christ, 1 Pe.3.22; He.1.6;—not 
to be worshipped, Ju.13.16; Col. 2.18; Re. 
19.10:22.8,9;—worshipGod,Ne.9.6;Ps. 148. 
2; ls.6.3; Lu.2.13,14: Re.5.11,12; 7.11,12; 
—rejoice when sinners are converted, Lu. 
15.10;—conduct souls to paradise, Lu.16. 
22;—will be the future companions of the 
heirs of salvation, He. 12.22,23;Re.5.11,12. 


(Am—An) 583 

Angels, messengers of God, entertained by 
Abraham, Ge. 18. i, &c.;—sent to Sodom r 
19.1;— to Manoah, Ju. 13.3,9;—to David, 

2 Sa. 24.17;—to Elijah, 1 Ki. 19. 5;—smite 
the Assyrians, 2 Ki.19.35;—rescue Jacob, 
Ge.48.16;—speak to him, 31.11;—appear 
to Ezekiel, Eze. 1.9,10;—to Daniel, I)a.6. 
22; 10.5-10,16,18; 12.5-7;—Zechariah, Zee. 
2.3:3.!,2:4.1;—Joseph, Mat.1.20; 2.13,19; 

—to Zacharias, Lu.1.19;—to Mary, 26;— 
deliver Peter from prison, Ac. 12.7;—smite 
Herod, 23;—ministering spirits, He.1.14: 

1 Ki. 19.5 ;Ps. 104.4; Lu. 16.22 ;Ac. 12.7 25; 

—have communicated the Divine will to 
man, Da.8.16,17; 9.21,22; Mat.2.13; Lu.i. 

19; Ac. 5. 19,20; 8.6;—encamp about them 
that fear God, Ps.34.7;—sing glory to God 
and good-will to men, Lu.2.14. 

-, attend Christ on earth after his 

temptation, Mat.4.11;—in his agony, Lu. 

22.43;-roll the stone from his sepulchre, 
Mat.28.2;—announce his birth, Lu.2.9;— 
at his resurrection, 24.4;—at his ascension, 
Ac. 1.10;—will be sent to gather the wicked 
at the day of judgment, Mat. 13.41;—and 
the elect, 24.31;—to accompany Jesus at 
his second coming, 16.27. 

-, sometimes Christ appeared as one; 

to Abraham, Ge.18.17; 22.15;—to Jacob, 
32.28;—to Moses, Ex. 3. 2, &c.;—to the 
Israelites, Ju. 2. 1, &c.;—to Gideon, 6. 11. 
The ‘Angel of his presence,’ Is.63.9, > s 
supposed to refer to the Incarnate Word. 
Angel of the Lord is one of the titles of 
the pre-incarnate Messiah, Ge.16.7,13; 18. 
2,22; 22.11,12; 31.11,13; 32.24,30; Ex. 3.2,4, 
6,14. 

-, some so called that sinned, 2 Pe.2. 

4;—that fell from their first estate, Jude 6. 

-, the presiding ministers or overseers 

of the church, Re. 2.1,8,12,18; 3. 1, 7, 14. 
They are so called because they are mes¬ 
sengers or ambassadors of God; and as 
the term angel signifies messenger, it is 
employed to denote, in special instances, 
not a nature but an office. 

Anger, resentment;—general advice tore- 
press it, Ps.37.8;Pr.i6.32;i7.i4;Ep.4.26,3i; 
Col. 3. 8; Ja. 1. 19;—exposes a man, and 
makes him incapable of friendship, Pr.22. 
24; 25.8,28;—a mark of folly or madness. 
Job 5.2; Pr.12.16; 14.29; 19.11; 27.3; 29.20; 
—may bring a man to destruction, Job 5. 
2;Pr.i9.i9;Mat.5.22;—stirred up by griev¬ 
ous words, Pr.15.1; Ju.12.4; 2Sa.19.43;— 
persons given to it to be avoided, Pr.22.24; 
Ge.49.6;—one of the works of the flesh, 
Ga.5.20;—comes from pride, Pr.13.10; 21. 
24;—its effects on others, Pr.15.1,18:17.14; 
26.21; 29.22:30.33;—maybe innocent, Ne. 
5.6; Ep.4.26; Mar.3.5; Le. 10.16; Nu.16.15; 
—how pacified, Pr.is.i; 16.24:21.14:25.15; 
Ec. 10.4; Mat. 5.25. 

-, examples of it, in Cain to Abel, Ge. 

4. 5;—Potiphar’s wife to Joseph, 39. 13;— 
Simeon and Levi to the Shechemites,34.27; 
49.6;—of Balaam to his ass, Nu.22.27;— 
Balak,24.10,11;—Ephraimites, J u.8.1 ;2Ch. 
25.10;—of Moses, Nu.2o.io;Ps.io6.33; —of 
Saul to Jonathan, 1 Sa.20.30;—of Jonah, 
Jonah 4. 1;—of the Jews against Jesus, 
L11.4.28;—of the elder son in the parable 
of the prodigal, 15.28. 

--, examples of reasonable anger, of 

Jacob with Laban, Ge. 1.36;—of Moses 
with Pharaoh, Ex. 11.8;—with the Israel¬ 
ites, 32.19;—the sons of Aaron, Le. 10.16;— 
at the rebellion of Korah, &c., Nu.16.15;— 
after the battle with the Midianites, 31.14: 
—of Jesus with the Pharisees, Mar. 3.5;—of 
God for sin, Ge.6.7; 30.1,2; Ex.4.14;—his 
anger to be dreaded, Ps.2.12; 76.7; 90.11; 
Mat. 10. 28;—its most fearful expressions- 
reserved for the future, Mat.25.4i;Ro.a.5, 
8; 2Th. 1.7,8; Re.6.17; 11.18; 19.15- 
Angle, to fish with a rod, line, and hook. 
Is. 19.8; Hab. 1. 15;—the word rendered 
‘angle ’ in these passages is rendered 
‘hook,’ Job 41.1,2. 

Anguish, inward pain, Ge.42.21; 2 Sa.i.9; 

Ps.119.143; Jn.16.21: Ro.2.9; 2 Co.2.4. 
Aniam, a-nl'am [sighing of the people], the 
last-named of the four sons of Shemidah, 
1 Ch.7.19. 

Anim, a-nim [fountains], a city of Judah, 
Jos.15.50. 

Anise, a species of parsley with large 
swect-scqnted seeds, familiarly known by 
the name of dill', —the Pharisees paid 
tithes of it, Mat.23.23. 

Anna, an'na, Greek form of the name Han¬ 
nah, an aged widow, daughter of Phanuel, 
of the tribe of Asher;—her character and 
prophecy, Lu.2.36,37* 


















THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


584 (An—Ar) 

Annas, an'nas, high-priest of the Jews, 
along with Caiaphas, at the time of Christ’s 
death;—continued, according to custom, 
to retain the title, though not actually in 
officebefore him Christ was brought, 
Jn. 18. 13:—persecutes the apostles, Ac. 
46. 

Anointed, the word first used in Ge.31.13, 
with reference to the pouring of oil on the 
stone which Jacob set up for a pillar, Ge. 
28.18;—of kings; Saul, 1 Sa. 9.16;—David, 

1 Sa. 16. 3,12; —Solomon, 1 Ki. 1. 39, &c.; 
- priests, Ex.29.29; 30.30:—and prophets: 
Elisha, 1 Ki. 19. 16 ; — ingredients of the 
ointment described, Ex. 30.23-33. 

--—-, Christ, the Anointed, the 

Messiah of God, L11.4.18; Ac.10.38. 
-, Christ was anointed by a wo¬ 
man, a sinner, I,u.7.37:— by Mary, the 
sister of Lazarus, J11. 12. 3:—by another 
woman, Mat. 26.6. The terms anoint, 
anointed, used to illustrate the sanctifying 
influence of divine grace, 2C0.1.21; ijn. 
2.20-27; Re. 3.18. 

Anon, soon, quickly, Mat. 13.20: Mar. 1.30. 
Answer, a reply to a question, Ge.4x.16; 
Job 32.3; Lu.20.26;— answers to be deli¬ 
berately made, Pr. 18.13; Jn.7.51. 
Anti-Christ, a person, or power, or system 
of error, opposed to Christ;— his coming 
foretold, 2 Th.2.3; x Ti. 4. 1, &c.;—is said 
to be come, 1 Jn.2.18; 4.3. 

Antioch., an'ti-ok, f 1 The capital of Syria, 
on the banks of the river Orontes, about 30 
miles from where it falls into the Mediter¬ 
ranean, and about 180 miles north of Sidon, 
and 300 north of Jerusalem. It was built 
by Seleucus Nicator, B.c. 301, and was the 
residence of the Syrian kings, the Seleu- 
cidae. It was ranked the third city of the 
earth. Luke and Tkeophilus were born 
in this place. Here Paul and Barnabas 
preached, and had many Christian con¬ 
verts, Ac. 11.20;—the term Christian was 
first used here, 26;—Paul reproves Peter 
at, Ga.2.ti-i5. From it Paul started on 
his missionary journeys. It was the scene 
of the birth and earlier labours of the cele¬ 
brated Greek father Chrysostom. It has 
been besieged and plundered no fewer than 
fifteen times, and has been visited by four 
earthquakes, in one of which 25,000 per¬ 
sons are said to have perished. It is little 
else than a heap of ruins.—(2) of Pisidia, a 
city of Asia Minor, about 25 miles north¬ 
east of Seleucia, in which Paul and Barna¬ 
bas preached the gospel, Ac. 13.14;—Jews 
from, persecute Paul at Lystra, 14.19. 
Antipas, an'ti-pas, a ‘faithful martyr,’ Re. 
2 .X 3 ; 

Antipatris, an-ti-pa'tris or an-tip'a-tris, a 
town in Palestine, built by Herod the 
Great, in honour of his father, 15 miles 
from Joppa, and 40 from Jerusalem, situ¬ 
ated in the plain of Sharon, on the road 
from Jerusalem to Caesarea, Ac. 23.31. 
Ant quity, long ago, Is.23.7. 

Antothijah, an-to-thi'jah [answers from 
JehovahJ, a descendant of Benjamin, 1 Ch. 
8.24. 

Ants, or emmets, small insects, remarkable 
for their diligence, economy, and prudent 
foresight, and from which a lesson of in¬ 
dustry may be learned, Pr.6.6; 30.25. 
Anub, a'nub, one of the sons of Coz, of the 
tribe of Judah, 1 Ch.4.8. 

Anvil, the iron block on which the smith 
lays his metal to be forged, Is.41.7. 
Anxiety, perplexity about worldly things, 
to be avoided, Mat.6.25; 13.22; Lu.12.22; 
Jn. 6. 27:1 Co. 7. 32. Phi. 4. 6; 1 Ti. 6. 8;— 
trust in God frees from, Je.17.7,8; Da.3. 
16;—vanity of, Ps.39.6; Ec.4.8. 

Apace, quickly, speedily, Ps.68.12. 

Apart, separately, privately, Ex.i 3 .i2;Le. 

1S.19: Ps.4.3; Mat. 14.13; Ja.1.21. 

Apelles, a-pel'les, a Christian at Rome, 
‘approved in Christ,’ R0.16.10. 

Apes, or monkeys, brought in Solomon’s 
fleet from Ophir, 1 Ki. 10. 22; 2Ch. 9. 21; 
Is. 13.21; 34.14. 

Apharsachites, af-faFsa-kites, or Apar- 
sathchites, the name of one of the na¬ 
tions whom the Assyrian king planted in 
Samaria, Ezr.5.6;6.6; 4.9.— Apharsites, 
name of another tribe removed to Samaria 
by the king of Assyria, Ezr.4.9. 

Aphek, a'fek [citadel], the name of several 
towns, but none of them of great note, 
Jos. 19. 30; 13.4;—called Aphik, Ju. x. 31; 

1 Sa.4.1; 29.1; 1 Ki.20.26. 

Aphekah, a town in Judah, Jos. 15.53. 
Aphiah, af-fy'ah, great-grandfather of 
Kish, 1 Sa.9. t. 


Aphrah, a town in the plain of Judah, Mi. 

1 r.io. 

I Aphses, the head of the eighteenth of the 
twenty-four courses of the priests, 1 Ch. 

2415- . 

Apiece, to each one’s share, separately, 
Nu.3.47; Lu.9.3; Jn.2.6. 

Apocrypha [hidden, secret], the word is 
used in its ordinary sense in Mar. 4. 22. 
About the end of the second century the 
word began to bear the signification ‘spu¬ 
rious.’ The name is first found in the 
writings of Clemens Alexandrinus (died 
about a.d. 215) to denote a number of 
books sometimes placed between the Old 
and New Testaments. It was not ad¬ 
mitted by ancient Christians into the canon 
of Scripture. It was never received by 
the Jews, nor by Philo nor Josephus. 
Though forming no part of the sacred 
canon, some parts of it are of historical 
value, as the Books of the Maccabees. 
Apollonia, ap-pol-lo'ni-a, a city of Mace¬ 
donia, situated on the north of Amphipolis, 
and in which was a temple of Apollo;— 
Paul passed through it on his way to 
Thessalonica, Ac. 17.x. 

Apollos, a-pol'los, a Jew of Alexandria, 
one of John’s disciples, an eloquent preach¬ 
er of the gospel;—taught assiduously while 
he knew only the baptism of John, Ac. 18. 
24;—instructed by Aquila, &c., 26;—a party 
at Corinth attached to him, 1 Co. 1. 12:3. 
4, &c. 

Apollyon, a-pol'yon, Re.9.11. The Greek 
equivalent of the Heb. title Abaddon. 
Apostasy, a departure from a religious 
profession;—the causes and danger of it, 
Mat.12.43; 13.21 ;Jn.6.60-66; iTi.4.1; He. 
6.4; 10.26,38; 2 Pe. 2.20;—of man, Ge.3.6; 
6.1-6;—of many of the disciples of Jesus, 
Jn.6.66;—of some early Christians, 1 Ti. 
4.1;—of the last days, Da.7.25,26; 2Th.2. 
3-10; 1 Ti.4.1-3. 

Apostles [sent forth, messengers]. The 
twelve disciples to whom our Lord in¬ 
trusted the organization of his church. 
The characteristic features of their office 
were, (1, That they should have seen the 
Lord, and been ear and eye witnesses of 
what they testified, Jn. 15. 27.—(2) They 
must have been immediately called and 
chosen by Christ himself, Lu. 6.13.— 3; 
They were inspired, Jn.16.13; 1 Co. 2. 10. 
(4) They had the power of working mira¬ 
cles, Mar. 16. 20; Ac. 2. 43. Their names, 
Mat. 10.1-5;—Christ’s charge when he sent 
them forth, Mat. 10.5-42;—their power of 
binding and loosing, Mat.18.18; 16.19; J»- 
20.23; 1 Co.5.4,5;— power of working mira¬ 
cles, Mat.10.1,8; Mar.16.20; Lu.9.1,2; Ac. 
2.43; 3.6; 19.11,12;—to do greater works 
than even Jesus had done, Jn. 14.12;—their 
words were the words of God, Mat. 10.20, 
40; 2 C0.5.20; 1 Th.2.13; 4.8;—witnesses of 
Christ’s resurrection, Ac.1.22; 4.33; 10.40, 
41; — witnessed the ascension of Christ, 
Lu. 24. 50, 51; Ac. 1. 2, 9;—hated by the 
world. Mat. 10. 22; 24.9; Lu. 21.17; Jn. 
15.18;—their sufferings, 1 Co. 4. 9;—false 
ones complained of, 2 Co. n. 13. The 
name is used once in the New Testament, 
He. 3.1, as a descriptive designation of 
Christ, as emphatically the sent of God. 
Apostleship, the office of the apostles, Ac. 

1.25; Ro.1.5; 1 Co.9.2; Ga.2.8. 
Apothecary, one who compounds or pre¬ 
pares drugs or perfumes, Ex. 30.25,35; He. 
10.1. 

Appaim, ap'pa-im [the nostrils], the second 
of the two sons of Nadab, 1 Ch.2.30,31. 
Apparel, clothing, garments, 2 Sa. 12. 20; 
Ac.20.33;—appearance, Is. 63. 1; Ac. 1. 10. 
See Clothes. 

Apparently, visibly, openly, Nu.12.8. 
Appeal, to refer to another as judge, as 
of Paul to Caesar, Ac.25.21; 26.32; 28.19. 
The principle of, recognized in the Mosaic 
law, De. 17.8,9. 

Appear, to be seen, Ge. 1. 9; Ps.42.2;—to 
seem, Mat.6.16; 23.28. 

Appease, to remove anger, Ge.32.20; Es. 
2.1; Pr.15.18; Ac. 19.35. 

Appertain, to belong to, Le.6.5; Nu.16.30; 
Je.10.7; Ro.4.1. 

Appetite, a desire for food or worldly 
things, Job 38.39; Pr.23.2; Ec.6.7; Is.29.8. 
Apphia, ap-fl'a, Greek form of Lat. name 
Appia, a Christian female at Colosse, sup¬ 
posed to have been the wife of Philemon 
Phile.2. 

Appii-Forum, ap'pe-i-fo'rum, a town on 
the western coast of Italy, on the great 
road (Via Appia) from Rome to Brun- 


dusium, about 4:1 Roman miles south of 
Rome. Here Paul met a band of Chris¬ 
tians from Rome, when he was on his way 
thither as a prisoner, Ac.28.15. 

Apple-tree, a species of fruit, probably the 
citron, large and fragrant, Ca. 2.3:8.5; 
Joel 1.12. The proper apple-tree is very 
rare in the East. 

Apple of the Eye, peculiarly tender, God’s 
care of his people, Ps. 17.8; Pr. 7.2; Zee. 2. 
8. In La. 2. 18 the expression is used 
figuratively for tears. 

Appoint, to settle or determine, Ge.30.28; 
Le.26.16; Is.26.1; Mat.24.51. 

Apprehend, to seize on or understand, 
2 Co.11.32; Ac.12.4; Phi.3.12,13. 

Approach, drawing near, De.31.14; Ps.65. 
4; 1 Ti.6.16. 

Approve, to like or commend, Ps.49.13; 

1 C0.X6.3; Phi. 1.10. 

Apron, a cloth hung before, Ge. 3.7; Ac. 19. 

12. 

Aquila, ak'we-Ia [an eagle], a Jew of Pon- 
tus, in Asia Minor, who, with his wife 
Priscilla, had been driven from Rome by 
the decree of the emperor Claudius. 
Paul finds them at Corinth, on his first 
visit to that city, Ac. 18.2; they go with 
Paul to Syria, 18. 

Ar, ar [a city], the capital of Moab, south 
of the river Arnon, and on the east of the 
Dead Sea;—it was burned by the Am¬ 
monites, Nu. 21. 28;—cf. Is. 15. 1. The 
ruins bear the name of Rabba. 

Arab, a'rab [ambush], a town in the moun¬ 
tains of Judah, Jos. 15.52. 

Arabah, aFra-bah [desert], the name given 
to the whole Jordan valley, down to east¬ 
ern gulf of the Red Sea, a distance in 
all of about 150 miles. The name is found 
only once in the English Bible, Jos. 18.18, 
where it is the name of a district in Ben¬ 
jamin, called also Beth-Arabah, Jos. 15.61. 

Arabia, a ra'be-a fwild desert], an exten¬ 
sive country of Asia; is about 1600 miles 
in length, and 1000 in breadth. It is 
bounded by the Indian Ocean on the 
south, the Red Sea and the Isthmus of 
Suez on the west, Canaan and part of 
Syria on the north-west and north, and 
the mountains of Chaldea and the Persian 
Gulf on the east. It is divided by' the 
Greek geographers into Arabia Petrea, 
or the Rockyq on the north-west, compre¬ 
hending what was formerly the land of 
Midian; Arabia Deserta, or the Desert, 
on the east of Canaan, the country of the 
Ishmaelites, now inhabited by the Bedou¬ 
ins; and A rabia Felix, or the Happy, on 
the south. It contains vast sandy deserts 
in the interior, but on the coasts it is fer¬ 
tile and beautiful. Its earliest name in 
Scripture is the ‘east country,’ Ge.25.6; 
—and its inhabitants were called ‘children 
of theeast,’Ju.6.3:7.i2. From it Solomon 
received gold, 1 Ki. 10.15;—the burden or 
punishment of. Is. 21. 13; Je.25.24;—Paul 
went into it, Ga. 1.17. 

Arabians, descendants of Ishmael, Ge.25. 

13, 14;—brought flocks to Jehosha hat, 

2 Ch. 17.11; God helped Uzziah against 
them, 2Ch.26.7,—some of them present in 
Jerusalem when the apostles preached, 
Ac. 2.11;—prophecies concerning, Is. 21. 
11-17; 42.11; 60.7; Je.25.23,24. 

Arad, a'rad [a w ild ass], a Canaanitish city 
in the south of Palestine, Nu.21.1. See 
Hormah. 

Arah, f«.'rah,Ezr.2.5. 

Aram, a'ram [high region], the highland 
country, 2000 feet above the level of the 
sea,between the Tigrisand Mediterranean, 
peopled by descendants of Shem, Ge. 10. 
22,23; 22.21; iCh.1.17. 

Ararat, aFar-at, the name of a country, 
most probably a portion of Armenia, on 
the ‘mountains’ of which the ark rested 
after the flood, Ge.8.4. It is nowhere in 
Scripture given as the name of a moun¬ 
tain. The ‘ mountains’ of Ararat are now 
identified with that range w'hich rises in 
the valley of the Aras, the ancient Araxes, 
and is terminated in two peaks, the loftiest 
of which rises to a height of 17,750 feet 
above the level of the sea. The expres¬ 
sion, ‘the land of Armenia,’ in 2 Ki. 19.37, 
and Is. 38.38, is in the original Ararat. 
Jeremiah (51.27) speaks of Ararat as one 
of the countries of the north, i.e. north of 
Babylon. 

Araunah, ar-aw'nah, or Ornan, a Jebu- 
site who sells his threshing-floor to David 
for 600 shekels of gold, 1 Ch.21.25; 2 Sa. 
24.24. 


Archangel, the chief angel, 1 Th 4.16; 

Jude 9. 

Archelaus, ar-ke-la'us [prince of the peo¬ 
ple], son of Herod the Great;—succeedt)! 
his father, who died the same year ou< ; 
Saviour was born, and reigns in Judea, 
Mat. 2.22. 

Archers, persons who shot with the bow, 
in hunting or in battle;—Ishmael was an 
archer, Ge.21.20;—see 1 Sa.31.3; 1 Ch.10. 

3; Job 16.13; Is.22.3; Je.51.3. 

Arches, buildings in the form of a bow, 
such as are used in bridges, windows, 1 
vaults, &c., Eze.40.16. 

Archi, ar'kl, a town or district on the bor 
der of Ephraim, near Bethel, Jos. 16 — 

celebrated as the birth-place of Huslrai,. 
one of those who adhered to David during, 
the rebellion of Absalom, 2 Sa. 15.32:16.16 

Archippus, __ ar - kip ' pus [master of the 
horse], a pastor of the church of Colosse, 
exhorted by Paul, C0I.4.17,—Paul salutes 
him by Philemon as his ‘fellow-soldier,’ 
Phile.2. 

Arcturus, ark-tu'rus [bear - keeper], the 
name given by the ancients to the bright¬ 
est star in the constellation Bootes, and 
sometimes to the whole constellation. The 
older interpreters understand by it the . 
constellation Ursa Major, which is most 
probably' the correct reference, Job 9.9; 
38.32. 

Ardon, aFdon [descendant], the last-named 
of the three sons of Caleb, 1 Ch.2.18. 

Areli, a-re'll [heroic], a son of the patriarch 
Gad, Ge.46.16. 

Areopagite, the title of the judges-of 
the supreme court of Athens, the Areop¬ 
agus. 

Areopagus, ur-e-op'a-gus [the hill of Mars], 
a place where the magistrates of Athens 
held their supreme council, and also the 
council itself;—Paul was cited before this 
court, Ac. 17.19-32. 

Aretas, a're-tas [graver], the king of Syria, 
father-in-law to Herod Antipas, at the 
time the governor of Damascus sought to 
apprehend Paul, Ac.9.23,24; 2 Co. 11.32,33. * 

Argob, aFgob [stony or stone-heap], a dis¬ 
trict in the half-tribe of Manasseh in Ba- 
shan, on the east of the Lake of Galilee, ori- 1 
ginally ruled over by' Og, De. 4.4,13. It 
extended 22 miles from north to south, £nd 
14 from east to west. It contained sixty 
walled towns, ‘and though avast majority 
of them are deserted they are not ruined,’ 
De.3.4,14; 1 Ki.4.13. 

Arguments, controversies. Job 23.4. 

Aridai, a-rid'dfi-i, one of Haman’s sons, Es. ’ 
9.8. 

Aridatha,a-rid'a-thah, one of Haman’s sons, 

Es.9.8. 

Ariel, a're-el [the lion of God], (1) The name 
of one of Ezra’s chief men, Ezr.8.16.—(2) 

A name given to Jerusalem, Is. 29.1,2,7,and 
in Eze.43.15,16 to the altar of burnt-offer¬ 
ings. 

Arimathea, ar-e-ma-the'a [the double 
heights], a city of Judah, the birth-place , 
of Joseph the counsellor, in whose sepul¬ 
chre our Lord was laid, Mat.27.57; Jn.19. j 
38. Some have identified it w'ith Ramah, : 
Samuel’s birth-place (1 Sa. 1. 1,19 , but on 
insufficient grounds. 

Arioch, il're-ok [lion-like], T King of Ellas- 
ar, Ge. 14.1,9.— 2 The captain of the royal 
guard, into w'hose care Daniel and his com¬ 
panions w'ere committed, Da. 2.24. 

Arisai, a-riss'a-i, a son of Haman, Es.9.9. 

Arise, to rise up, Ac.20.30;—to repent, Ep. 
5.14;—comforted, Am.7.2. 

Aristarchus, ar-is-tar'kus [best prince], a 
Thessalonian who accompanied Paul to 
Ephesus and shared his labours, Ac. 19.29; 1 
20.4; 27.2; Col.4.10. 

Aristobulus, ar-is-tob'u-lus, the household ' 
of, mentioned R0.16.10. 

Ark, of Noah, Ge. 6.14;—it was from 100 l 
(comp. Ge.5.32; 7.36 to 120 years in build- |l 
ing (comp.Ge.6.3; 1 Pe.3.20). Accordingto | 
the usual calculation it was 450 feet long, j 
75 w'ide, and 45 deep; divided into three I 
stories. jHl 

Ark of Bulrushes, in which Moses was ex- ■ 
posed among the flags of the Nile, Ex. 2.3. j| 
Ark of the Covenant (Jos. 3.6; He. 9.4 , ( 
a small chest, made of acacia or shittim- J 
wood, overlaid with gold. It was about 
four feet and a half long, two feet and nine 
inches broad, and as much in height. With¬ 
in it were deposited the two tables of the 
moral law, De.31.26, a golden pot of the 
manna, Ex. 16. 33, and Aaron’s rod that 
budded, Nu.17.10; and the top of the chest 








THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


was covered with two golden cherubim. 1 
Here the lid is called the mercy-seat , over 
which the S/tekinah hovered like a visible 
cloud, the emblem of Jehovah’s presence. 
The ark was lost when the temple was de¬ 
stroyed. Though a similar ark was made 
after the Jews returned from Babylon, yet 
it never regained its sacred contents;—its 
dimensions, Ex. 25.10;—made by Bezaleel, 
37. 1;—placed in the holy of holies, Ex. 
26.33: He.9.3,4;—carried to the river Jor¬ 
dan, which is divided at its approach, Jos. 
3.15;—carried around Jericho, and said to 
have ‘compassed the city’ when its walls 
fell down at the time of its destruction, 
Jos. 6.6-20;—taken by the Philistines, 1 Sa. 
4.11;—Dagon falls before it, 5.3;—returned, 
6. 10; received by Abinadab, at Kirjath- 
jearim, where it remained 20 years, 7.1;— 
brought from thence in a new carriage, 
when Uzzah was smitten for laying his 
hands on it, 2 Sa. 6. 1, &c.;—received by 
Obed-Edom, 10;—brought to Jerusalem, 
15;—taken with him by David when he 
fled from Absalom, but sent back again, 
15.24;—brought to the temple of Solomon, 
2CI1.5.2;—the glory of God covers it, and 
fills the temple, 13;—a psalm composed on 
the removal of it, Ps.lxviii.;—called the ark 
of God’s strength, 2 Ch. 6.41; Ps. 132.8;—and 
ark of the testimony, Ex. 30.6; Nu.7.89;—of 
the law, Ex. 25.22;—of God, 1 Sa. 3.3;—of the 
Lord, Nu.10.33; 2Sa.6.2;—referred to as 
the glory of Israel, 1 Sa. 4. 21, 22. It was 
eminently symbolical of the presence of the 
Lord, and before it the mind of the Lord 
was consulted, Jos. 7.6-9; Ju.20.27; 1 Ch. 
1 3 - 3 - 

Ark of the Testament, seen in vision by 
John, Re.n.19. 

Arkites, a branch of the family of Canaan 
which settled in Phoenicia, Ge. 10.17; 1 Ch. 
1.15. Their capital, Arka, still exists as 
a small village on the north-west slope of 
Lebanon. 

Arm, metaphorically used for strength, 1 
Sa.2.31; Is. 51.9. 

Arm of God, his almighty agency, Je.27.5; 

32.17; Is.52.10; 53.1; 63.12. 

Armageddon, ar-ma-ged'don [the moun¬ 
tain of Megiddo], a name used emblemat¬ 
ically for a place of great slaughter and 
mourning, Re. 16.16, when allusion is made 
to that great battle-field, the plain of Es-' 
draelon, on the southern border of which 
stood Megiddo, Ju. iv.; 5. 19; 6. 33; vii.; 2 
Ch. 35.20-24. 

Armenia, ar-me'ne-a [high-land], a large 
country of Western Asia, on the north of 
Mesopotamia, and on the east of Cappa¬ 
docia. It is generally mountainous, and 
gives rise to the Tigris and the Euphrates. 
It is 430 miles from east to west, and 300 
from north to south. It is divided into 15 
provinces, of which Ararat is the central. 
It was reduced to a Persian province of 
Cyrus. The Armenians profess Christian¬ 
ity, but in a very corrupted state, having 
departed very far from the purity of the 
gospel, both in doctrine and worship. They 
form a distinct religious community, known 
by the name of the Armenian Church, which 
is governed by four patriarchs, by arch¬ 
bishops, doctors, secular priests,and monks. 
Armenia is now subject to the Turks. In 
2 Ki. 19. 37; Is. 37. 38, the Hebrew word 
Ararat is rendered by the word A rmenia. 
This country is identical with Togarmah, 
Ge. 10.3; Eze.27.14; 38.6. 

Armour, a weapon of war, 1 Sa. 17.54;—the 
Christian, Ro. 13.12; 2C0.6.7; Ep.6.13,&c. 
Armour-bearer, of Abimelech. Ju. 9. 54; 
—Jonathan, 1 Sa. 14.6,7;—Saul, 16.21;—Go¬ 
liath, 17.7;—Joab, 2 Sa.18.15. 

Armoury, an arsenal, or repository of arms, 
Ca.4.4; Je.50.25. 

Army, a host, or a vast number of warriors. 
The armies of Israel consisted of the whole 
male adult population, and could easily be 
mustered when required, Nu. x. 2, 3; 26. 2; 
1 Sa.11.6-8. Each soldier had to arm and 
support himself. Large armies, 2 Ch.13.3; 
14.9; 17.14-18. 

Arnon, ar'non [noisy], a small river east of 
the Dead Sea, the boundary between 
Moab and the Amorites, rises in the high¬ 
lands of Moab, and falls into the Dead 
Sea, Nu.21.14; 22.36; De.2.24,36. 

Arodi, a'rod-i, son of Gad the patriarch, 
Ge.46.16. 

Aroer, ar' 5 -er [heath], (1) A city of Reuben, 
situated on the north bank of the river Ar¬ 
non, De.4.48; Ju. 11. 26; 2 Ki. 10. 33: Jos. 
13. 16;—Jephthah defeated the Ammonites, 


Ju. 11. 26-33. It is now a ruin called 
Arair.—(2 A city of Gad, situated near 
Rabbath-Ammon, Jos. 13.25.—(3) Another 
in Judah, 1 Sa.30.28j 

Arpad, ar'pad, or Akphad [support], a city 
of Syria, near Hamath, conquered by the 
Assyrians, 2 Ki. 18.34; Is. 10.9; 36.19; 37.13. 
Arphaxad, ar-fax'ad, the third son of Shem, 
born about two years after the flood, Ge. 
11.10-12;—died aged 438 years, 13. 

Array, to put on apparel, Ge.41.42; Es.6.9; 
Ac. 12.21; Re. 7.3;—to put an army ready 
to fight, 2Sa.io.9; Lu. 23.11. 

Arrived, reached, Lu. 8.26; Ac. 20.15. 
Arrogancy, proud contempt, iSa.2.3;Pr. 
8.13: Is.13.11: Je.48.29. 

Arrow, a pointed weapon shot from a bow, 
1 Sa. 20. 36; 2 Ki. 9. 24;—inward terror, or 
judgments of God, Job 6.4; Ps. 38.2;—wick¬ 
ed intentions, Ps. 11.2; 64.3;—lightnings 
spoken of as the arrows of Jehovah, Hab. 
3.4; Ps.18.14;—calamities, Job 6.4; Ps.91. 
5;—human injuries, as of a lying tongue, 
are arrows, Ps. 120.4; 64.3. 

Artaxerxes, ar-tax-erks'es [great king], (T 
A Persian king, his decree to prevent the 
building of the walls of Jerusalem, Ezr.4. 
i7,&c.— (2) Longimanus, reigned 40years, 
and died 425 b.c. In the seventh year of 
his reign he issued his gracious command 
to Ezra respecting Jerusalem, Ezr. 7.11-26, 
and fourteen years afterwards permitted 
Nehemiah to return and build Jerusalem. 
Artemas, ar'te-mas, a Christian disciple 
who helped Paul, Tit.3.12. 

Artificer, one skilful in handy-works, Ge. 

4.22; 1 Ch.29.5; 2 Ch.34.11; Is.3.3. 
Artillery, weapons of war, 1 Sa.20.40. 
Arts, magical, &c., Ac. 19.19. 

Aruboth, ar'ub-both [windows], a district 
on the sea-shore of Judah, mentioned only 
in 1 Ki.4.10. 

Arumah, a-roo'mah [exalted], a town near 
Shechem, where Abimelech dwelt, Ju.9. 
41. 

Arvad, arVad [wandering], a small island 
and city off the north coast of Phoenicia, 
Ge.10.18; Eze.27.8,11. It has about 3000 
inhabitants; now called Ruad. 

Arvadites, the people of Arvad, Ge. 10.18; 
Eze.27.8-11. 

Asa, a'sah [physician], a good king of 
Judah, succeeded his father Abijam, 1 Ki. 
15.8; 2 Ch.14.1;—defeats Zerah the Ethio¬ 
pian, 12;—makes a solemn covenant with 
God, 15.12;—degrades his mother for idol¬ 
atry, 16;—joins the king of Syria, 16.2; — 
his war with Baasha, king of Israel, 1 Ki. 
15.16;—his death, after .reigning forty-one 
years, 23; 2 Ch. 16.13. 

Asahel, as'a-hel [creature of God], son of 
David’s sister Zeruiah, and brother of 
Joab, slain by Abner, 2 Sa. 2.18-24. 
Asaiah, as-a-i'ah, an officer of Josiah, 1 Ch. 
4.36; 6.30; 2 Ch.34.20. 

Asaph, a'saf [convener], a Levite, son of 
Barachias, and a celebrated musician in 
the time of David, 1 Ch.6.39; 25.2,9;—his 
name affixed to Ps. 1 . and lxxiii.-lxxxiii.; 
—sons of, iCh.25.1,2; 2Ch.20.14; 29.13; 
Ezr.2.41; 3.10,11. 

Ascend, to climb up, Jos.6.5; Ps.24.3;—up 
to heaven, Ep.4.8,9; Re.8.4; 11.12. 
Ascension, the rising of Christ into heaven, 
Ac. 1.9-12;—predictions respecting, Ps.24. 
7-10; 47. 5,6; 68.17, 18; Da. 7. 13,14; Mi.2. 
13;—foretold by Christ himself, Jn.6.62;7. 
33; 14.2$T 16.5; 20.17;—Mount Olivet the 
scene of, Ac. 1.12;—took place forty days 
after his resurrection, Ac. 1.3;— evidences: 
by his disciples, Ac. 1.9,10;—by two angels, 
11;—seen by Stephen, Paul, and John, 7. 
55,56:9.3; Re.1.12-18;—his promised de¬ 
scent of the Holy Ghost, Jn. 16.7,14: Ac.2. 
33;—the terrible judgments he foretold, 
Mat.26.64; Jn.8.21;—the time of it, Ac.i. 
3;—the place of it, 12;—the effects of it in 
fulfilling his predictions, Jn. 16. 7,14;—in 
bestowing miraculous gifts, Ac. 2.33. See 
Exaltation of Christ. 

Ascribe, to impute to, De.32.3; Job 36.3; 
Ps.68.34. 

Asenath, as'e-nath, the daughter of Poti- 
pherah, and the wife of Joseph, Ge.41. 
45 . 50 - 

Ash, tree, some species of the pine, Is. 
44.14. 

Ashamed of Christ, the portion of those 
who are, Mar.8.38; Lu.9.26. 

Ashan, a Levitical city, about 20 miles 
south-west of Jerusalem, Jos.15.42: 19.7. 
Ashdod, ash'dod, one of the five cities of the 
Phi istines, Jos. 13. 3:—midway between 
Joppa and Gaza, called by the Greeks 


Azotus, Ac.8.40;—assigned to the tribe of | 
Judah, Jos. 15.47;—possessed by the Philis¬ 
tines, 1 Sa.5.1-7;—here was the temple of 
Dagon in which the Philistines deposited 
the ark;—Uzziah demolished its walls, 2Ch. 
26.6;—it fell into the hands of Tartan, the 
Assyrian general, Is. 20.1;—the place where 
Philip .was found, after baptizing the eu¬ 
nuch, Ac.8.40;—it is now an insignificant 
village called Esdnd. 

Ashdoth-Pisgah, ash'doth-piz'gah, a place 
near the base of Mount Pisgah, De.3.17; 
Jos. 13. 20. It is elsewhere called the 
Springs of Pisgah, De.4.49. 

Asher, ash'er [blessedness], the son of 
Jacob, his inheritance on the shore of the 
Mediterranean, from Carmel to Zidon, 
Jos. 19. 24;—his descendants, t Ch. 7. 30; 
12.36. 

Ashes, the remains of burned fuel, Le.6.10, 
11;—used in token of humiliation and ex¬ 
treme grief, 2Sa. 13.19; Es.4.1; Job 42.6; 
Jonah 3.6; Mat. 11.21;—to feed on ashes, 
Is. 44.20. 

Ashima, ash'Y-ma, an idol of Hamath in¬ 
troduced into Samaria, 2 Ki.17.30. 
Ashkelon, ash'ke-lon, or Askelon [migra¬ 
tion], one of the ‘fenced cities’ of the 
Philistines, upon the coast of the Medi¬ 
terranean, between Gaza and Ashdod;— 
was taken by the tribe of Judah, Ju.1.18; 
14.19—exploits of Samson at, Ju.14.19;— 
it is now desolate;—its desolation was pre¬ 
dicted, Zee.9.5; Zep.2.4. 

Ashkenaz, ash'ke-naz, one of the sons of 
Gotner, Ge. 10.3;—called also Aschenaz, 

1 Ch. 1.6; Je.51.27. 

Ashnah, name of two cities whose site has 
not been identified, Jos.15.33,43. 
Ashpenaz, ash'pe-naz, the governor of 
Nebuchadnezzar’s eunuchs, who changed 
the name of Daniel and his three com¬ 
panions, Da. 1.3-17. 

Ashtaroth, ash'ta-roth, or Ashtoreth, 
ash'to-reth, (1) A famed goddess of the 
Zidonians, and also of the Philistines 
(1 Ki. 11.5; 1 Sa.31.10), probably meant by 
the ‘queen of heaven,’ Je.7.18;—served by 
Israel, Ju.2.13:10.6;—Samuel chargeth to 
put away, 1 Sa.7.3,4.—(2! A city on the 
east of Jordan, in Bashan, in the kingdom 
of Og, Ju.12.4; 13.12; 9.10. 
Ashtaroth-Karnaim, ash' ta-roth-car' na- 
im [Ashtoreth of the two horns], a city of 
the half-tribe of Manasseh, east of Jordan, 
famed for the worship of Astarte or Ash¬ 
toreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, Ge. 
14.5; De. 1.4. 

Ashur, ash'ur [happy, prosperous], (1; The 
son of Shem, founded Nineveh, Ge. 10.11. 
—(2) A posthumous son of Hezron, 1 Ch.2. 
24;—his descendants, 4, 5. 

Asia, f/she-a, one of the quarters into 
which geographers have divided the earth; 
—has been the scene of the most wonder¬ 
ful events in the history of man;—here the 
human race were created,—the Jews were 
planted,— the Sacred Scriptures chiefly 
indited,—the Son of God accomplished 
our redemption,—and from it the gospel 
was diffused through the world. Asia 
mentioned in the N. T., for the word is 
not found in the O. T., is usually divided 
into two parts, Asia Major and Asia 
Minor. Asia Major comprehends by far 
the most extensive eastern parts of the 
continent—Canaan, Assyria, Syria, Ara¬ 
bia, Persia, Mesopotamia, Armenia, and 
Chaldea. Asia Minor, in the form of a 
peninsula, is bounded on the north by the 
Euxine Sea, on the south and west by the 
Mediterranean Sea, and on the east by 
Armenia, &c. It is about 960 miles in 
length, and 400 in breadth; and the chief 
divisions of it are, Mysia, Lydia, Caria, 
Lycia, Pamphylia, Pisidia, Galatia, Ly- 
caonia, Phrygia, Bithynia, Paphlagonia, 
Pontus, Cappadocia, Cilicia, and the isl¬ 
ands of Cyprus and Rhodes. As used in 
Ac. 2.9;6.9; 19.10,22,26,27; 2TL1.15; 1 Pe. 
1. 1, it means Proconsular Asia, compre¬ 
hending only Phrygia, Mysia, Caria, and 
Lydia. 

Asleep, to take rest, Jonah 1.5; Mat.8.24; 
—to die, Ac.7.60; 2 Pe.3.4;—a term only 
applicable, in denoting death, to the death 
of the righteous, 1 Co.15.18; 1 Th.4.13,15. 
Asmaveth, as'ma-veth, 2 Sa.23.31. 
Asnapper, as-nap'per, an Assyrian prince, 
Ezr.4.10. 

Asp, a small poisonous serpent, which 
kills within a few hours, De.32.33 Job 20. 
14,16: Is.11.8; Ro.3.13. The same word 
is rendered adder in Ps.58.5; 91.13. 


(Ar—As) 585 

Asriel, as're-el [the help of God], a son of 
Gilead, also of Manasseh the patriarch, 

1 Ch.7.14. 

Ass. The ass constituted a considerable part 
of the wealth of ancient times, Ge.12.16; 
30.43; Job 1.3;—Saul searches for, iSa.9.3; 
—rode upon by great men: Abraham, Ge. 
22.3;—Jair’s thirty sons, Ju. 10.3,4; Ab- 
don’s forty sons, 12.13,14;—Christ, Mat. 
21.5. 

-of Balaam, speaks, Nu.22.28. 

-, wild, described, Job 39.5; Is. 32.14; 

Ho.8.9;—the natural man likened to, Job 
ii. 12; Ishmael is likened to, Ge.16.12. 
Assault, a violent attack, Es.8.11. 

Assay, to try or examine, De.4.34: Ac. 9. 
26; He. it. 29. 

Assemblies, meetings of Christians, not to 
be forsaken, He. 10.25;—masters of. Ec. 
12.11. 

Assembly, a company met, Ex. 12.6; Ps. 
89.7; Ac. 19.32. 

Assent, to agree to in judgment, Ac. 24.9. 
AsShur, ash'ur [a step], the second son of 
Shem, Ge. 10.22, who gave name to As¬ 
syria, Ho.14.3; 5.13: 12.1. 

Asshurim [steps], an Arab tribe descended 
from Dedan, Ge.25.3; = Ashurites, 2 Sa. 
2.9. 

Assist, to help, Ro.16.2. 

Assistance, divine help, necessary' in all 
our undertakings, Je.10.23; Jn.15.5; 1 Co. 
15.10; 2Co.3.5; Phi.2.13; 1 Ti.i. 12. 
-, promised upon proper appli¬ 
cation, Ps.37.4,5:Is.58.9,Je.29.i2,i3; Mat. 
7.11; 21.22; Lu. 11.9; Ja. 1.5; t Jn 5.14. 
-, instances and acknowledg¬ 
ment of such, Ge.24.12; 1 Sa. 1.10; 2 Ki. 19. 
20; 20.5:2 Ch.33.13; Job42.10; Ps.3.4; 118. 
5; 120.1. 

Associate, to join together, Is.8.9. 

Assos, as'sos, a seaport in Mysia, in the 
north-west of Asia Minor, about 20 miles 
south of Troas, Ac.20.13,14;— its ruins are 
still found. 

Assuage, to ease or abate, Ge. 8.1; Job 
16.5,6. 

Assurance, T Of understanding, i.e. per 
feet knowledge and entire persuasion of 
the doctrine of Christ, Col. 2. 2.— 2) Of 
faith, a firm belief in Christ, entire trust in 
his sacrifice and priestly'office, He. 10.22. 
(3) Of hope, a firm conviction that God 
will grant what he has promised, He.6.11. 
This word is commonly' used to denote a 
firm persuasion of our being in a state of 
salvation. But this assurance does not 
belong to the essence of faith. It is a re¬ 
sult or consequence of faith, posterior to 
it in the order of nature, and frequently so 
also in the order of time. This grace of 
assurance has been attained by saints, Job 
19.25; Ps. 17. 15; 23. 4; 73. 24; Ro. 8. 38, 39[ 
2Ti.i.i2; 4.18; 1 Jn.2.5:3.14; 4.13;—we are 
exhorted to seek after it, 2 Co. i3.5;He.6.11; 

1 Th.5.21; 2 Pe. 1.10;—people of God some¬ 
times deprived of it, Job 13.24; 23.9; 29.3; 
Ps.44.24; 77.7; 88.14; Is.50.10. 

Assyria, as-syr'e-a, the country of Assyria 
and the Assyrian empire are to be distin¬ 
guished. The empire comprehended 
Babylonia and Mesopotamia. In its wid¬ 
est sense the Assyrian empire compre¬ 
hended all the countries which lay between 
the Mediterranean and the Indus, Ge.2. 
14; 2 Ki.15.29; 17.6; Is. 11.11; 19. 23, 24, 25: 
Zep.2.13, &c.;—many of the prophecies of 
Nahum and Zephaniah were fulfilled in its 
overthrow. 

Assyrians, the people of Assyria proper, of 
which Nineveh was the capital. Theircoun- 
try' lay on the Tigris, and was bounded on 
the north by the mountains of Armenia, 
in the south by Susiana and Babylonia, on 
the east by a part of Media and the moun¬ 
tain range of Zagros or mountains of Kur¬ 
distan, and on the west by the Tigris and 
Mesopotamia. Its modern name is Kur¬ 
distan. In extent it is about the size of 
Great Britain. Their conquest of Syria 
foretold, Is. 8. 4, &c.; 10.5, &c.;— to be 
punished, 10.12,26; 14.24 ;3o. 31131.8;—their 
glory and destruction, Eze. 31. 3:—to be 
wasted, Mi.5.6; Zep.2.13. The recent dis¬ 
coveries that have been made among the 
ruins of Nineveh throw much light on the 
history of the Assyrian empire. 

Astonied, or Astonished, it generally 
means filled with perplexity, fear, or won¬ 
der, Ezr. 9. 3,4; Is. 52. 14: Da. 3. 24; 4. 19: 
Mat.7.28; 22.33; Lu.2.47; 5.9; Ac.9.6. 
Astonishment, surprise, amazement, De. 
28.28,37; 2O1.7.21; Ps.60.3: Je. 8.21:42. 
18; Eze. 4.16; 23.33. 











THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


586 (As—Ba) 

Astray, out of the right way, Ps. 119.176; 
Pr. 5.23: 1 Pe.2.25. 

Astrologers, men who, by observing the 
motion of the heavenly bodies, pretend to 
foretell future events, Is.47 13; Da.1.20; 2. 
27; 4 - 7 : 5 - 7 - 

Asuppim, one of the apartments of the 
temple, probably where the stores were 
kept, x Ch.26.15,17. 

Asyncritus, a-sin'kre-tus, a Christian at 
Rome, Ro. 16.14. 

Atad, a'tad [a thorn], a place where solemn 
mourning for seven days was made for 
Jacob, Ge. 50.10,11. From this circum¬ 
stance it was afterwards called Abel-Miz- 
raim. 

Ataroth, at'tar-oth [crowns], 1 A town east 
of Jordan, Nu. 32. 3.—(2 A town on the 
border of Ephraim, Jos. 16. 2, 7. — (3) A 
place in the tribe of Judah, 1 Ch.2.54. 
Athach, ath'ak [lodging-place], a town in 
the extreme south of Judah, 1 Sa.30.30. 
Athaiah, ath-a-i'ah, a son of Uzziah, the 
son of Zechariah, Ne.11.4. 

Athaliah, ath-a-li'ah [remembered of Je¬ 
hovah], (1) Daughter of Ahab and Jeze¬ 
bel; she was the wife of Joram king of 
Judah, and mother of Ahaziah. She de¬ 
stroys the seed-royal, 2 Ki. 11.1; 2 Ch. 22.10; 
—her death, 2 Ki.11.2; 2 Ch.21.6; 22.10-12, 
23.—(2) One of the sons of Jeroham, 1 Ch. 
8.26.—(3) The father of Jeshaiah, Ezr.8.7. 
Atheists, the proper designation of those 
who deny the being of God, Ps.14.1; 53.1; 
Pr.30.9;—deny his providence, Job 21.15; 
22.13: 34.9; Ps io.ii; 73.11; 78.19; 94.7;— 
deny him in their works. Ex.5.2; Job 31. 
28; Tit. 1.16. 

Athens, ath'ens [city of Minerva 1 , a city of 
Greece, the capital of Attica, situated about 
46 miles east of Corinth. It was founded 
by Cecrops about 1556 years before Christ, 
and therefore it is one of the most ancient 
remaining in the world. It was the most 
eminent in population, wealth, magnifi¬ 
cence, commerce, literature, philosophy, 
oratory, poetry, and the fine arts. Idolatry 
in it was notorious; and the number of their 
gods is reckoned by Hesiod at 30,000. Pe- 
tronius said it ‘was easier to find a god in 
Athens than a man.’ It produced Solon, 
Socrates, Demosthenes, &c., besides many 
renowned generals; —here Paul preached, 
AC.T7.16-22. It was governed by the Ro¬ 
mans before the time of Christ; and in the 
fourth and fifth centuries it was pillaged 
by the Goths. Since 1455 it was under the 
slavery of the Turks. It suffered dread¬ 
fully in the war between the Greeks and 
Turks, yet it bravely sustained three sieges; 
twice in the year 1822, and finally in 1826; 
and now it is free, the capital of the king¬ 
dom of Greece. Its population is above 
40,000. 

Athirst, thirsty, dry, Ju. 15. 18; Ru. 2. 9; 
Mat.25.44;—a desire for happiness, Re.21. 
6; 22.17. 

Atonement, the At-one-ment, the setting 
at-one of two parties who were at enmity. 
The word is used to signify reconciliation 
or expiation. It is found only once (R0.5. 
nl in the New Testament, but frequently 
in the Old. The Hebrew word so rendered 
means a covering, Ps.32.1. It is translated 
reconciliation, Le. 6. 30; .8.15; Eze. 45.15; 
Da. 9.24. —The great annual day of, among 
the Jews, Le.23.26;—sacrifices on it, Nu. 
29.7,8:—manner in which they were to be 
offered, Le. 16.1-34. 

Atonement of Christ, his covering, or ex¬ 
piating the sins of men by suffering as their 
substitute or surety, Is.53.5-7,12; Mat.20. 
28; 26.28; Jn.6.51; Ro.3.25; 5.6-9; 2Co.5. 
21; Ga.1.4; 3.13; Ep.1.7; 1TL2.6; Tit.2.14; 
He.9.26; 7.27; 1 Pe.2.24; 3.18; 1 Jn. 1.7:2.2; 
4.10; Re. 1.5; 5.9;—the great theme of apos¬ 
tolic preaching, 1 Co. 1.23;—necessary for 
the expiation of sin, Is. 59.16; Lu. 24.26,45; 
Ac. 17.3; He. 2.10; 9.22; —made once and 
finished, He.7.27;9.26; 10.10-14; x Pe.3.18; 
—effects reconciliation with God, R0.5.10; 
2 Co.5.18-20; Ep.2.13-16; Col. 1.20-22; He. 
2.17;—was voluntary, Ps.40.6-8; Jn.10.11, 
55 > I 7 > I 8 ; Ga.1.4; Ep.5.2;—faith or trust in 
it necessary for benefit, Ro.3.25; iPe.2.7; 
—typified in the sacrifices of the Levitical 
law; in Isaac, Ge.22.2; in the passover, Ex. 
12.2, &c. 

Attain, to reach or obtain, Ps. 139.6; Pr.x. 

5; Eze.46.7; Ho.8.5; Ac.27.12; Phi.3.12. 
Attalia, at-til'll-a, a seaport town of Pam- 
phylia, in Asia Minor, situate about thirty 
miles south-west of Perga;—Paul and Bar- 
aabas visited it on their return to Antioch 


from the inland part of Asia Minor, Ac. 14. J 
25 - ... 

Attendance, the act of waiting on another, 

1 Ki.10.5; 1 Ti.4.13; He.7.13. 

Attent, heedful, intent, 2Ch.6.4o; 7.15. 
Attentively, carefully, Ne. 1. 6; 8. 3; Job 

37 - 2 - 

Attire, dress, ornaments, Le.16.4; Pr.7.10; 
Je.2.32; Eze.23.15. 

Audience, an assemblage of persons to hear, 
Ge.23.13; Ex. 24.7; 1 Sa.25.24; Ne. 13.1; Lu. 

7.1; Ac. 13.16; 22.22. 

Augment, to increase, Nu.32.14. 

Augustus, aw-gus'tus [venerable], the suc¬ 
cessor of Julius Caesar, and emperor of 
Rome at the time of Christ’s birth, Lu.2.1. 
He reigned 41 years, and dying a.d. 14, 
was succeeded by Tiberius Caesar, Lu.3.1. 
The general title of the Roman emperors. 
In Ac. 25.21,25 it is Nero who is referred 
to. 

Aunt, a father or mother’s sister, Le.18.14. 
Austere, harsh or severe, Lu.19.21. 
Author, the beginner of a thing, 1 Co. 14. 
33; He.5 9; 12.2. 

Authority, legal power, rule, Es.9.29; Pr. 
29.2; Mat.7.29; 8.9; 20.25; Ac.8.27; 9.14; 1 
Co. 15.24; Tit.2.15. 

Ava, a'vah [ruin], a place from which colo¬ 
nists were brought to Samaria, 2 Ki. 17. 
24; 18.34. Probably the same as Ahava, 
Ezr.8.15,21,31; and Ivah, 2 Ki.18.34:19.13. 
Availeth, profiteth, Es.5.13; Ga.5.6; Ja.5. 
16. 

Aven, a'ven [iniquity], (1) A city of Egypt, 
eastward of the river Nile, elsewhere called 
On or Heliopolis, Eze.30.17.—(2) A plain 
in Syria. It seems to be the great plain 
or valley of Lebanon (the modern El-Bu- 
ka’a), Am. 1. 5; Jos. xi. 17, in which stood 
Baalbec. It lies between Lebanon and 
Anti-libanus, about 30 miles from Damas¬ 
cus.—(3) The contracted form of Beth- 
Aven or Bethel, Ho. to. 5,8. 

Avenge, to punish for a crime or injury, Le. 
19.18; 26. 25; De. 32.43; Is. 1. 24; Lu. 18.3; 
Ro.12.19; Re-6.10. 

Avenger of Blood, Jos.20.3; Nu.35.12, pur¬ 
sued the murderer or manslayer to avenge 
the blood of the slain. 

Averse, not favourable to, contrary to, Mi. 
2.8. 

A vim, a'vim [ruins], a city of Benjamin, 
Jos. 18.23. 

Avites, a'vites, a tribe of early settlers in 
Palestine, who came from Avah, or Ivah, 
on the north-west of Chaldea;—wefe de¬ 
stroyed by Sennacherib, king of Assyria, 
Is. 36.1-12; 37.13;—they worshipped the 
idols Nibhaz and Iartak, 2 Ki.17.31. 

Avith, a'vith, a city of the Edomites, Ge. 
36 - 35 - 

Avoid, to shun, Pr.4.15; Ro.16.17; 1 Co.7. 

2; 1 Ti.6.20; 2TL2.23; Tit.3.9. 

Avouched, De.26.17,18, on the part of Is¬ 
rael a solemn and deliberate choice of God, 
and on the part of God a solemn promise 
to succour and bless his people. 

Awake, to be ready or lively, Ju.5.12; Job 
8.6; 14.12; Ps.7.6; 17.15; Mar.4.38; Lu.9.32; 
Ro.13.11; Ep.5.14. 

Aware, attentive, vigilant, Ca.6.12; Je.50. 
24; Lu. 11.44. 

Awe, a reverential fear, Ps.4.4; 33.8; 119. 
161. 

Awl, a servant bored with it in his ear, to 
represent his voluntary perpetual servitude, 
Ex.21.6; De.15.17. 

Axe, a carpenter’s tool of iron, De.19.5; 1 
Sa.13.20,21; 2 Sa. 12.31;—Elisha causes to 
swim, 2 Ki.6.5,6;—human instrument, the 
king of Assyria, Is. 10.15;—God’s j udgment, 
Mat. 3.10. 

Azaliah, az-a-ll'ah, the father of Shaphan, 

2 Ki.22.3; 201.34.8. 

Azaniah, az-a-nl'ah, Ne.10.9. 

Azareel, a za're-el [helped by God], (1) A 

Benjamite slinger, 1 Ch.12.6.— (2) A musi¬ 
cian of the temple, 1 Ch.25.18.—(3) Son of 
Jeroboam, 27. 22.—(4: Ezr. 10.41.—( 5 ) Son 
of Ahasai, Ne.11.13. 

Azariah, az-a-rl'ah [helped of Jehovah]. 
There are 16 persons of this name men¬ 
tioned in the O. T. (1) The most distinguish¬ 
ed, also called Uzziah, succeeded his father 
Amaziah on the throne of Judah, 2 Ki.14. 
21;-becomes a leper for officiating as a 
priest, 15.5;—dies, 7.—(2) The son of Oded, 
prophesies in the time of Asa, 2 Ch.xv. 
Azekah, az-e'kah [broken up], a city of 
Judah, situated about 12 miles west of 
Jerusalem; famed for the destruction of 
five kings by Joshua, Jos. 10.xo; 15.35;-!,! 
it the Philistines were routed when David 


killed Goliath, 1 Sa. 17. 32-53. It is now j 
called Tel Zakaria. 

Azem, a'zem [a bone], a city first given to 
Judah and then to Simeon, Jos.15.29; 19.3; 
—called Ezem, iCh.4.29. 

Azgad, az'gad, Ne.10.15. 

Azmaveth, az-ma'veth [strong as death], 
a village in Benjamin, iCh.12.3; Ezr.2.24. 
Azmon, az'mon [strong], a place in the 
south of Palestine, Nu.34.4,5. 

Aznoth Tabor, az'noth-ta'bor [the ears of 
Tabor], a city of Naphtali, Jos. 19.34. 
Azotus, a'zo-tus, Ac. 8.40, the Greek form 
of Ash dod. 

Azzah, az'zah, a form of the name Gaza, 
De.2.23; 1 Ki.4.24. 


B. 


Baal, ba'al [lord,ruler], (1) The name of chief 
male divinity of the Phoenicians, Bel be¬ 
ing the Babylonian name of this god.— 
The worship of, a besetting sin of the Jews 
—prevailed also in ancient Scandinavia; 
Balak brought Balaam to the high-places 
of, Nu. 22. 41;—-the Israelites worshipped, 
Ju. 2.13; —God commandedGideon to throw 
down the altar of, 6.25;—his prophets slain 
by order of Elijah, after his victory over 
them at Mount Carmel, 1 Ki. 18. 40;—by 
Jehu, 2 Ki. 10.18.—(2) The fourth son of 
Jehiel, a Benjamite, iCh.8.30.—(3) Name 
of a Reubenite, 1 Ch. 5.5.—(4) A city of 
Simeon, iCh.4.33, same as Baalath-Beer, 
Jos. 19.8. 

Baalah, ba'al-ah [mistress, one that is go¬ 
verned], (1) A city of the tribe of Judah, 
Jos. 15.29;—same as Balah, 19.3;—assigned 
to Simeon, 1 Ch.4.29.—(2) A name for Kir- 
jath-Jearim, Jos. 15. 9, 10; 1 Ch.13.6.—(3) 
A mountain on the north-west boundary 
of Judah, Jos.15.11. 

Baalath, ba'al-ath [mistress], a city of Dan, 
about 12 miles north-west from Jerusalem, 
Jos.19.44. 

Baalath-Beer [having a well], a city of 
Simeon, Jos. 19.8. 

Baal-Berith, ba'al-be'-rith [lord of the cove¬ 
nant], an idol worshipped by the men of 
Shechem, Ju.8.33. 

Baale, ba'al-ay, of Judah, a city in the 
tribe of Judah, from which the ark was 
brought to Jerusalem, 2 Sa. 6. 2;—called 
Kirjath-Jearim, 1 Ch.13.6. 

Baal-Gad, ba'al-gad [lord of fortune], a city 
in the valley of-Lebanon, situated at the 
north-west foot of Mount Hermon, Jos.xi. 
17; 12.7; probably the same as Baal-Hek- 
mon, 1 Ch.5.23. 

Baal-Hamon, ba'al-ham'on [lord of multi¬ 
tude], a place where Solomon had a vine¬ 
yard, Ca.8.n. 

Baal-Hazor, ba'al-ha'zor fiord of a village], 
a place near Ephraim, between Bethel and 
Jericho, where Absalom had a sheep-farm, 
and where he murdered his brother Am- 
non, 2 Sa.13.23. 

Baal-Hermon [lord of Hermon], probably 
one of the peaks of Mount Hermon, ]u 2 
3! 1 Ch._5.23. 

Baali, ba'a-ll [my lord], Ho. 2.16. 

Baalim, ba'a-lim [masters], Ju. 2.11; 8.33; 
Je.2.23. 

Baalis, ba'a-lis [son of exultation], king of 
the Ammonites at time of Babylonish cap¬ 
tivity, Je.40.14. 

Baal Meon, ba'al-me'on, or Beth-Baal- 
Meon [lord of dwelling], a town given to 
the Reubenites, Nu.32.38;—the Moabites 
recovered it, and at last was destroyed by 
the Chaldeans, Eze.25.9. 

Baal-Peor, ba'al-pe'or [lord of Peor], an 
idol of the Moabites, which the Israelites 
joined them in serving, Nu. 25. 3; 31.16; 
Jos.22.17;—twenty-four thousand of them 
punished with death, 9. 

Baal Perazim, ba' al - pe/a - zim [lord of 
breaches], a place in the valley of Re- 
phaim, about three miles south-west of 
Jerusalem, where David routed the Phil¬ 
istines, 2 Sa. 5. 20;— called Mount Pera¬ 
zim, Is. 28.21. 

Baal-Shalisha, ba'al-shal'e-shah [lord of 
Shalisha], a place in Ephraim whence a 
man came with provisions for Elisha, 2 Ki 
4-38,42. 

Baal-Tamar, ba'al-ta'mar [lord of palm- 
trees], a place nearGibeah, where the other 
tribes destroyed the Benjamites, Ju.20.33. 

Baal-Zebub, ba'al-ze'bub [lord of flies], the 


god of the Philistines, at Ekron, consulted 
by Ahaziah, 2 Ki.1.2,3,6. 

Baal-Zephon, ba'al-ze'fon [lord of the 
north, or place of Typhon], a town be* 
longing to Egypt on the border of the Red 
Sea, not far from Suez, Ex. 14.2,9. 

Baana, ba'a-na [son of affliction], (1) Son 
of Ahilud, 1 Ki.4.12.—(2) Son of Hushai, 
4.16.—(3) Father of Zadok, Ne.3.4.—(4) 
One of those who returned from Babylon, 
Ezr. 2.2. 

Baanah, ba'a-nah [son of affliction], an¬ 
other form of Baana, (1) One of the sons, 
of Rimmon. In company with his brother 
Rechab, entered Ishbosheth’s house and 
cut off his head, 2Sa.4-5-8;—David pun¬ 
ished their guilt, 9-1*2.—(2) One of the 
chiefs of the Jews who returned from 
Babylon, Ezr. 2.2. 

Baara, ba'a-ra, one of the wives of Shaha- 
raim, 1 Ch.8.8. 

Baasha, ba'a-sha, the third king of Israel, 
and the son of Ahijah, succeeds Nadab, 

1 Ki.15.28;—Jehu prophesies against him, 
16.1;—his death, 6. 

Babbler, a prattler, or senseless talker, Ec. 

io.ii; Ac. 17.18; 1 Ti.6.20; 2TL2.16. 

Babel, ba'bel [confusion, mixture], Tower 
of, mentioned only once in Scripture, 
built in the plain of Shinar, 102 years after 
the flood. Materials of brick were pre¬ 
pared three years, and the building was 
carried on twenty-two years. It was of 
prodigious extent and height. About 1700 
years after its erection, Herodotus saw a 
structure at Babylon, consisting of eight 
towers, raised one above another, and each 
75 feet, in whole 600; and above the high¬ 
est was built the temple of Belus. Strabo 
says it was 660 feet in height. The top 
of the tower was reached by an easy slop¬ 
ing ascent on the outside of the building, 
which went round it in a spiral form. I n 
different portions were large rooms, with 
arched roofs, supported by pillars. The 
temple of Belus was supposed to be the 
ancient tower, but it is probable that it 
was a much more recent building. The 
building of Babel, and the confusion of 
tongues there, Ge. n. 1-9. The name 
Babel (in Heb.) was afterwards applied to 
the city Babylon, Ge.10.10, and to the 
whole province of which it was the capital, 
Eze. 23.17, margin. 

Babes, infants. Ex.2.6; Lu. 1.41,44; 2.12,16; 
—weak, or foolish, Is.2.4; He.5.13;—hum¬ 
ble and teachable persons, God reveals 
divine truth to them, Mat.11.25; Lu. 10.21. 
Babylon, bab'e-lon [confusion, mixture], 
in Hebrew and Chald. Babel, the capital 
of the country called Shinar in Genesis, 
and in the later Scriptures Chaldea. Be¬ 
sides its application to the city of Baby¬ 
lon, the name (in Heb.) is also used to 
denote the district of Chaldea lying be¬ 
tween the Tigris and the Euphrates (2 Ki. 
24.1; 25.27), as well as Babylonia, the pro¬ 
vince of the Assyrian empire (2 Ch.32.31; 
33.11), and also Persia, Ezr. 5.13. The 
city of Babylon was the capital of the pro¬ 
vince of Babylon, and of the Chaldean 
empire. It was one of the most magnifi¬ 
cent cities that ever existed. It was built 
by Nimrod, the great-grandson of Noah, 
in the place where the tower of Babel was 
erected. This city was an exact square, 
built on a large plain, and was 56 miles 
in circumference, 14 miles on each side. 
The walls were 87 feet thick, 335 in height, 
and 100 gates of solid brass, 25 on each 
side. It had fifteen streets crossing one 
another at right angles, each 150 feet wide; 
and the whole city contained 676 squares. 
The famous hanging gardens, as they are 
termed, were a succession of terraces, 
raised on arches. The river Euphrates 
ran through this city. Nebuchadnezzar, 
king of Babylon, in 1648 years after Nim¬ 
rod, and 588 before Christ, burned the tem¬ 
ple of Jerusalem, and carried many of the 
Jews to it, 2 Ki.25.8,9; Je.52.12-30;—the 
inhabitants were remarkable for their 
superstitious, lewd, and debauched prac¬ 
tices, and, in consequence, severe judg¬ 
ments were specially threatened against 
them, Is. 13.1-22; 14.22,23; 47.10-15;—its 
destruction foretold, Is.13.1, &c.; 14.4; 47. 
1;—by the Medes and Persians, 21.2;— 
their idols cannot save them, 46.1; Je.25. 
12; 50. 9,18, 35; 51.1, &c.;—Daniel was a 
captive in it, Da. 1.1,2;—the king built a 
great golden image, 3.1-7;—was besieged 
by Cyrus (b.c. 538), and the king, Bel¬ 
shazzar, was slain, 5.17-31;—Cyrus liber* 






THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


ated the Jews, and sent them to rebuild | 
the temple, 2 Ch.36.22 Darius, king of 

Persia, demolished its gates and walls, 
B.c. 538;—Xerxes pillaged the temple of 
Belus in the year 478Alexander the 
Great intended to renew it, but he soon 
died, 323;—Seleucus Nicanor carried away 
about 500,000 people to a new city called 
Seleucia on the Tigris;—a few people con¬ 
tinued till the first century of Christ; but, 
in the second, it was deserted, and fell into 
ruins. The ruins of this once famous city 
are found near the modern village of Hil- 
lafi, on the west bank of the Euphrates, 
about 50 miles south of Bagdad. The 
most remarkable of all the mounds found 
in that region is the vast ruin called Sirs 
•Nimrud, about 6 miles south-west of Hil- 
lah, and which is supposed by some, 
though on insufficient grounds, to repre¬ 
sent the tower of Babel. The mound 
called Babel is supposed to represent the 
temple of Belus; the mound of the Kasr 
(‘palace’) the great palace of Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar; and the mound of Amram the 
‘hanging gardens.’ There are many other 
great masses of ruins on both sides of the 
Euphrates not yet fully explored. 

Babylon the Great, said also to be ‘the 
mother of harlots, and abominations of the 
earth,’ is a symbolical title of Papal Rome, 
or the antichristian power, represented by 
the Popish church, Re. 17.5;—its fall pre¬ 
dicted, 14.8; 18.2;—description of cer¬ 
tain of its features, 18.1-14.—The Ba¬ 
bylon mentioned in 1 Pe.5.13 is supposed 
by some to have been a place in Egypt, 
and by others the enigmatical title of 
Rome (Re. 17. 5); but most probably it 
refers simply to the Chaldean Babylon, 
where that epistle was composed, and 
where it is known a large number of Jews 
resided. 

Baca, ba'kah [weeping], name of some val¬ 
ley, used by the psalmist as the emblem 
of devotion and sorrow, Ps.84.6;—theplur. 
of this word is rendered ‘mulberry-trees’ 
in 2 Sa.5.23,24; 1 Ch.14.15. 

Back Parts of God, denote the less glory 
of his presence, Ex.33.23. 

Backbiting, censuring or reproaching the 
absent, condemned;—in Pr.25.23 the word 
so rendered denotes secrecy in tale-bearing; 
—in Ps.15.3 to run about tattling;—in Ro. 
1. 30 an evil-speaker 1 — 2 Co. 12. 20, evil¬ 
speaking. 

Backslide, to draw back from God, or 
apostatize from the truth, 1 Ki. 11.9; Ga. 
3.1-3; 5.4; Re.2.4; Ex. 32. 7, 8; Ne.9.26;— 
the guilt and danger of those who do so, 
Pr. 14. 14; Je. 2. 19; Lu. 9.62; He. 10. 38;— 
pardoned if repented of, 201.7.14; Je.3. 
12; 36.3;—such persons invited to return, 
Je. 3.12,14; Ho. 14. 4;—God threatens to 
forsake and punish backsliders, Nu. 14.43; 
De. it. 28; Ju. 3. 7, 8; Is. 17.10, n; Je. 15. 6; 
Ho. 7. 13;— causes of backsliding: ‘cares 
of the world; improper connections; inat¬ 
tention to closet duties; self-conceit; in¬ 
dulgence; parleying with temptation;’— 
examples of: Saul, 1 Sa. 15. n; David, 

' 2 Sa. 12. 14; Solomon, 1 Ki. 11. 4 — 4°- Asa, 
2 Ch. 16.7; disciples, Mat.26.56; Jn.6.66; 
churches of Asia, Re.2.4,14; 3.2. 
Backward, unwilling, to the back, Ge.9.23; 
iSa.4,18; Job 23.8; Ps.40.14; 70.2; Is.1.4; 
59.14; Jn.18.6. 

Badger, the animal known by'this name 
was not found in southern Asia. It has 
not yet been noticed out of Europe. Most 
probably some animal of the seal species 
is intended when mention is made of the 
‘ badgers’ skins;’ others suppose that it may 
have been an animal of the antelope tribe, 
Ex.25.5; 26.14; 35.7; Nu.4.10; Eze. 16.10. 
Bahurim, ba-hu'rim [low grounds], a vil¬ 
lage of the Benjamites, about two miles 
north-east of Jerusalem, 2Sa.3-i6; 16.5;— 
Shimei was a native of, 2 Sa. 17.18; 1 Ki. 
2.8. 

Bajith, ba'jith [the house], a temple or city 
in the country of Moab, Is. 15.2. 

Bakbuk, bak'buk [a bottle], the head of 
one of the families of Nethinims, Ezr.2.51. 
Balaam, ba'Iam [devourer of the people], a 
son of Beor or Bosor, a noted prophet or 
diviner; — dwelt in Pethon, a village of 
Mesopotamia, De.23.4;—applied to by Ba- 
lak,kingof Moab, tocurse Israel; Nu.22.5; 
—his ass speaks, 28;—his prophecies con¬ 
cerning the future happy state of Israel, 
23.18, &c.; xxiv.;—he counselled Moab to 
seduce Israel to sin, 31.16 --wishes to die 
with the righteous, 23.10;—was slain, 31.8; 


Jos. 13. 22;—his doctrine mentioned by 
Christ, Re. 2.14. 

Baladan, bal'la-dan [valiant and wealthy], 
(1) The father of Merodach-baladan, king 
of Babylon, 2 Ki.20.12.—(2) A surname of 
that king, Is.39.1. 

Balah, ba'la [a contraction of Baalah, or 
Bilhah], a city in the tribe of Simeon, Jos. 
19.3.—The same as Bilhah, 1 Ch.4.29, or 
Baalah, Jos. 15.29. 

Balak, ba'lak [empty], a king of the Moab¬ 
ites, Nu.22.2,15. 

Balances, a pair of, a symbol of justice, Job 
31.6; Ps.62.9; Pr.11.1;—when used to weigh 
corn a symbol of scarcity, Re. 6.5; Le, 2 6. 
26; Eze.4.16,17. 

Bald, the head without hair;—some chil¬ 
dren in Bethel showed contempt for Elisha 
as a prophet of the Lord by crying after 
him, ‘Go up, thou bald-head,’ and forty-two 
were torn in pieces, 2 Ki.2.23. 

Baldness, when voluntary, a sign of mourn¬ 
ing, Is.22.12; Je.47.5. 

Balm, a precious gum, extracted from the 
balsam-tree, more particularly ascribed to 
Gilead,Ge.37.25; Je.8.22; 46.11; 51.8; Eze. 
27.17. 

Bamoth, b /moth [heights] (in the singular 
Bamah, Ex.20.29), a place on the borders 
of Moab, east of Jordan, which was con¬ 
quered from Sihon, Nu. 21.19, 20.—The 
same as Bamoth-Baal, Jos. 13.17. In Nu. 
21.41 it is translated ‘the high-places of 
Baal.’ 

Band, a chain or cord, Lu.8.29; Ac. 16.26; 
—a company, Ac. 10.1;—a shepherd’s staff 
so called in prophecy, Zec.11.7;—a band 
of Roman soldiers, Ac.21.31, consisted of 
the tenth of a legion;—in Ps.84.4 the word 
means the fear of death. 

Bani, ba'ni [built], (1) A Levite, iCh.6.46. 
—(2) One of David’s 37 warriors, 2 Sa.23. 
36.—(3) Ezr.2.10; 10.29,34; ca.led also Bin- 
NUI, Ne.7.15. 

Banishment, exile, transported, 2 Sa.14.14; 
Ezr.7.26; La.2.14; Ac.18.2; Re.1.9. 

Bank, the side of a river, Ge.41.17;—a heap 
of earth raised, 2 Sa.20.15;—a public stock 
of money, Lu.19.23. 

Banner, Ensign, Standard, set up for 
war, Je.4. 21; 50. 2;— displayed for truth, 
Ps.60.4. The several tribes of Israel had 
their respective banners or standards, and 
they were directed to keep by these in their 
encampments and marches, Nu.1.52; 2.2, 
10,17,18,34. 

Banquet, a sumptuous feast, Es.5.4,6; Job 
41.6; Am.6.7; Da.5.10. 

Baptism, washing by sprinkling, affusion, 
or dipping, Mar. 7.4; 1 Co. 10. 2; He. 9.10; 
Re. 19.13; Ac. 10.44,45, compared with n. 
15,16. 

--of John, Mat.3.5, &c.; Mar. 1.4, 

&c.; Lu.3.3,&c.; Jn.i.25,&c.; 3.23;—Jesus 
questions the Pharisees concerning it. Mat. 
21.25; Mar.11.29; Lu.20.4. 

-, Christian, appointed, Mat. 28. 

29;—to be administered to all who believe, 
Mar.16.16; Ac.2.41; 8.12,37; 18.8;—repent¬ 
ance necessary,Lu.3.3; Ac.2.38;—adminis¬ 
tered to the household or family of believers: 
the family of Lydia, Ac. 16.15;—of the 
jailer, 33; — of Stephanas, x Co. 1.16;—to 
both men and women, Ac. 8.12;—to Simon, 
13;—the eunuch, 38; —Saul of Tarsus, 9. 
17, 18;—Cornelius and his friends, 10.47, 
48;—called the circumcision of Christ, Col. 
2.11,12;—believers baptized into one body, 
1C0.12.13;— into Christ’s death, Ro.6.3;— 
buried and raised with him in baptism, or 
dead to sin and raised to holiness, 4 ;— 
compared to the saving of Noah by water, 
1 Pe.3.21;—with the Spirit, Mat.3.11; Mar. 
1.8; Lu.3.16; Jn.1.33; Ac.1.5;—regenera¬ 
tion, the inward and spiritual grace, signi¬ 
fied by it, Jn.3.5; Ro.6.3,4,11; Tit.3.5,6;— 
remission of sins signified by, Ac.2.38; 22. 
16;—only one baptism, Ep.4.5;—‘baptized 
for the dead,’ 1 Co.15.29;—‘baptized with 
fire,’Mat.3.11. 

_, overwhelming trials, or bloody 

sufferings,Mat.20.22; Mar.10.39; Lu.12.50. 

Barabbas, ba-rab'bas [son of Abba], a rob¬ 
ber guilty of sedition and murder, Mar. 15. 
7;—released by Pilate rather than Jesus, 
Mat.27.16; Lu.23.18; Jn.18.40. 

Barachel, ba'ra-kel, the father of Elihu, 
Job 32.2,6. 

Barachias, bar-a-ki'as, the father of Zecha- 
riah, Zec.1.1,7; Mat.23.35. 

Barak, b&'rak [lightning], the son of Abin- 
oam, chosen to liberate the Hebrews from 
the Canaanites, J 11.4.6-9;—proves victori¬ 
ous 15 ;—his, and the prophetess Debo¬ 


rah’s song, 5. 1, &c.;—his faith commended, 
He.1x.32. 

Barbarian, literally, a foreigner , a term 
used by the Greeks, Romans, and Jews, 
Ac.28.2,4; Ro.1.14; 1C0.14.11; Col.3.11. 

Barbed, jagged with hooks, Job 41.7. 

Barber, Eze. 5.x. 

Bare, naked, Le.13.45,55;—pure, mere, 1 
Co. 15.37.— Bare-foot, indication of dis¬ 
tress, Is.20.2-4; 2Sa.15.20. 

Bar-Jesus [son of Joshua], the patronymic 
of Elymas (the Turkish Uletnah ), a sor¬ 
cerer, Ac. 13. 6; — withstood Paul, 8; — 
solemnly rebuked and struck with blind¬ 
ness, 9-11. 

Bar-jona, bar-jo'nah [the son of Jona], the 
patronymic of the apostle Peter, Mat. 16. 
17; Jn.1.42; 21.17. 

Bark, to make a noise as a dog, Is.56.10;— 
to peel the bark, Joel 1.7. 

Barley, a well-known grain, Ex.9.31; Le. 
27.16; Nu.5.15; De.8.8; 2CI1.2.10; Is.28.25; 
Ho.3.2; 2Sa.14.30. 

Barn, a repository for grain, 2 Ki.6.27; Lu. 
12.24;—heaven, Mat.13.30. The word ren¬ 
dered barn in Job 39.12; 2 Ki. 6.27, signi¬ 
fies rather a thrashing-floor. 

Barnabas, bar'na-bas [son of comfort], a Le¬ 
vite of the island of Cyprus, a disciple of 
Christ, sells his possession, Ac.4.36;—sent 
from Jerusalem to Antioch about the prose- 
lytism of the Gentiles, 11.22;—‘a good man 
and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith,’ 
11.24; 15.26;—goes to Tarsus to find Paul, 
25;—accompanies him in his first progress, 
13.2;—separates from him, 15.39;—led in¬ 
to an error by Peter, Ga.2.13.—‘He bore 
such a relation to Paul as Melancthon did 
to Luther—that of a gentle, confiding, ear¬ 
nest, but subordinate co-operator.’ 

Barrel (a pitcher), a vessel for keeping flour, 
x Ki.17.12; 18.33;—for carrying water, Ge. 
24.14. 

Barrenness, unfruitfulness, Ps. to7, 34 ;— 
with no child, mentioned as a reproach, 
Ge.30.1; iSa.1.6;—removed in a miracu¬ 
lous manner from Sarah, Ge.18.10; 21.2;— 
from Rebekah, 25.21;—from Rachel, 30.22; 
—the wife of Manoah, Ju. 13.2;—from Han¬ 
nah, the mother of Samuel, 1 Sa. 1.19;—from 
Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias, Lu.1.7. 

Bars, to fasten doors or gates, Ex. 26.26; 
Ne.3.3,6;—rocks in the sea, Jonah 2.6;— 
the boundary of the sea, Job 38.10. 

Barsabas, bar'sa-bas [son of Saba], (1) Sur- 
named J ustus, highly honoured as a candi¬ 
date for the office of apostleship, Ac. 1.23. 
—(2) The patronymic of Judas, Ac.15.22. 

Bartholomew, bar-thol'o-mew [son of Tol- 
mai], one of the twelve apostles. Mat. 10.3; 
Ac. 1.13;—was a witness of the ascension, 
Ac. 1. 4,12,13;—supposed to be the same 
person who in John’s Gospel is called Na¬ 
thaniel, Jn.1.45-49. 

Bartimeus, bar-te-me'us [son of Timeus], 
one of the two blind beggars of Jericho 
who sat by the wayside begging, cured of 
blindness, Mat. 20.30; Mar. 10.46. 

Baruch, ba'ruk [blessed], a Jewish prince, 
who, from attachment to Jeremiah, acted 
as his secretary or scribe;—charged to 
take care of the writings of Jeremiah’s pur¬ 
chase, Je.32.13,X4;—writes the prophecies 
of Jeremiah, 36.4;—which are burned by 
the king, 23;—writes them anew, 32;—com¬ 
forted by Jeremiah, 45.1. 

Barzillai, bar-zil'la-i [made of iron], (1) A 
Meholathite, 2 Sa. 21. 8. — (2) A Gileadite 
of Rogelim;—his kindness to David when 
he fled from Absalom, 2Sa.17.27;—refuses 
David’s kind offers, 19.34;—David charges 
Solomon to show kindness to his family, 1 
Ki.2.7. 

Base, the foundation of a pillar, 1 Ki. 7. 27; 
Ezr.3.3;—mean, vile, Job 30.8; Is.3.5. 

Bashan, ba'shan [fruitful, or light, sandy 
soil], a district east of Jordan reaching from 
Gilead to Hermon; its early inhabitants 
were Amorites, De.3.11-13; 4.47;—its king 
opposed the Israelites, Nu. 21.33;—Moses 
gave it to the half-tribe of Manasseh, 32. 
33;—high hill of, called the hill of God, Ps. 
68.15;—bulls of, 22.12;—oaks of, Is. 2. 13; 
Eze. 27. 6; Zee. 11. 2; — its fruitfulness and 
rich pastures, Je. 50.19; Mi. 7.14; Is. 33. 9; 
Na.1.4;—it is now called Hauran. 

Bashan Havoth-Jair, name given to the 
region of Argob in Bashan, conquered by 
Jair, De.3.14; Nu.32.41. 

Bashemath, bash'e- math [fragrant], a 
daughter of Ishmael, and one of the three 
wives of Esau, Ge.26.34: 36 . 3 , 4 » I 3 - When 
first mentioned she is called Mahalath, 
Ge.28.9. 


(Ba—Be) 587 

Baskets, vessels made of twigs, &c., foi 
holding bread, Ge.40.16; Ex.29.3,23;—for 
gathering grapes, Je.6.9;—first-fruits of the 
harvest preserved in, De. 26. 2, 4;—Paul 
escapes from Damascus in, 2 Co. 11. 23;— 
fragments gathered in, Mat. 14.20; Mar.6. 
43; Lu.9.17. 

Basons, vessels to hold water, four different 
Hebrew words are so rendered. That used 
in Ex. 24. 6 is rendered ‘goblet,’ Ca. 7. 2; 
and .‘cup,’ Is.22.24. 

Bastard, one born out of wedlock, De.23.2; 
Zee. 9.6; He. 12.8. 

Bat, an animal of the order of the Cheirop¬ 
tera, or hand-winged. It comprises a great 
number of genera, species, and varieties, 
from the size of the smallest mouse to that 
of the vampire, which is as large as a squir¬ 
rel. They are common in the East. The 
bats mentioned in Scripture were the true 
Vespertilionidae, the insect-eating bat simi¬ 
lar to the European. The word in Hebrew 
means flying in the dark, Le. 11.19; Is. 2.20. 
Bath, a measure for liquids, the same with 
the ephah, each containing the tenth-part 
of a homer. Its capacity was 8 galls. 3 qts. 
The word is rendered measure in Lu.16.6;. 
Is.5.10; Eze.45.10,11,14. 

Bathe, to wash in a bath, Le. 15.5,8,n,&c.; 
—judgments from God, Is. 34.5. 
Bath-rabbim, bath-rab'bim [daughter of 
many], a gate of the city of Heshbon, Ca. 
7.4. 

Bathsheba, bath'she-bah [daughter of the 
oath, or of seven], the daughter of Eliam,. 
2Sa.11.3, or Ammiel, 1 Ch.3.5, and wife 
of Uriah;—David commits adultery with 
her, 2 Sa. 11.4,5;—the child born in adul¬ 
tery died, 2 Sa.i2.i5~x8;—she is married 
to David, 11.27;-—becomes the mother of 
Solomon, 12.24; 1 Ki. 1.11;—presents the 
request of Adonijah to marry Abishag the 
Shunamite, 1 Ki.2.13;—is called Bathshua, 
x Ch.3.5. 

Batter, to beat down, 2 Sa.20.15. 
Battering-rams, engines used to beat 
down the walls besieged, Eze.4.2; 21.22. 
Battle, an exhortation of the priest to pre¬ 
cede it, De.20.1;—who shall be dismissed 
before it, 5;—not always to the strong,. 
Ec.9.11. 

Battle-axe, a heavy axe to cut trees, 
houses, &c., in the way of victory, Je. 
51.20. 

Battle-bow, either a bow to shoot in war, 
or an army of archers, Zec.9.10; 10.4. 
Battlement, a parapet wall or balustrade¬ 
surrounding tbe top of the flat-roofed 
houses of the Jews, to prevent persons 
from falling off, De.32.8;—also used to- 
denote the fortification of a city, Je.5.10. 
Bay, the colour of one of the teams of horses. 

in Zechariah’s vision, Zec.6.3,7. 

Bay-tree, only occurs in Ps.37.35; some 
suppose it to be the laurel, and others the 
cedar of Lebanon. 

Bazlith, baz'lith [nakedness], the head of 
one of the families of the Nethinim, Ezr.2. 
52; Ne.7.54. 

Bdellium, a gum or rosin resembling 
myrrh, used as a perfume, Ge.2.12;—like 
manna in colour, Nu.11.7;—others regard 
the word as meaning pearls or precious 
stones. The LXX. render the word in 
one place carbuncle, and in another crys¬ 
tal. 

Beacon, a signal or mark on conspicuous 
places to warn of danger, or to give direc¬ 
tion, Is. 30.17. 

Bealiah, be-a-lT'ah, one of David’s Benjam- 
ite heroes, 1 Ch.12.5. 

Bealoth (the plur.of Baal', ^1) Atowninthe 
extreme south of Judah, Jos.15.24.—(2) A 
district of Asher, rendered in iKi.4. x6- 
incorrectly ‘in Aloth.’ 

Beam, a plank of wood, a thorn, or splin¬ 
ter, Ju.16.14; Mat.7.3-5. 

Beans, 2Sa.17.28; Eze.4.9. 

Bear, a fierce beast of prey;—killed by 
David, 1 Sa.17.34;—killed forty-two child¬ 
ren who mocked Elisha, 2 Ki.2.23,24;—its. 
fierceness illustrating judgments of God, 
La.3.10; Ho. 13.8;—symbolical: Da.7.5;— 
of a ferocious enemy, Pr.17.x2; Is.11.7; 
Re.13.2. 

Beard, tearing, or neglecting to trim, a 
token of deep sorrow, Ezr.9.3; Is.15.2; Je. 
4 x. 5 ;_insult offered to David’s ambas¬ 
sadors by cutting off, 2 Sa.10.4,5;—Jews, 
forbidden to cut off or mar, for the dead, 
Le.x9.27: 21.5. 

Bearers, carriers of burdens, 70,000 for 
building the temple, 2 Ch.2.18. 

Bearing with the weaknesses and infirmi- 











BIBLE AUXILIARY 


688 (Be-Be) 

ties of others, a duty, Ro.14.1-, 15.1; 1 Co. 
13.7: Ga.6.1,2. 

Beasts, all animals as distinguished from 
man, Ps.36.6;—named by Adam, Ge.2.20; 

- -Solomon’s knowledge of, 1 Ki.4.33;—not 
to be cruelly used, Pr. 12.10;—to rest on 
the Sabbath, Ex. 20.10; 23.12; De. 5.14;— 
subject to the same fate with men, Ec.3. 
18, &c.;—in Re. 4.6, 8,9; 5 6,14: 6.1; 7.11; 
14.3. 19.4, the literal rendering living one 
or living creature would be more appro¬ 
priate;—in prophetic language, heathen 
kingdoms or powers, Da.7.4-8,11,12:8.4;— 
the papal antichrist, Re.13.1, &c.; Paul 
describes some of his furious opponents as 
\v)Id-beasts,’ 1 Co. 15.32;—a similar figure 
in Ps.22.12,16; Ec.3.18. 

Beat, to smite, De. 25.3;—to overcome, 

2 Ki. 13.25; Ps. 89. 23;—to demolish, Ju.8. 

* 7 : 9 - 45 - , _ _ 

Beautify, to render comely, Ezr.7.27: rs. 
149.4: Is.60.13. 

Beautiful Gate of the Temple, Ac.3.2. 
Beauty, the vanity and danger of it, Ps.39. 
11; Pr. 6.25; 31.30:—a shepherd’s staff so 
called in prophecy, Zec.11.7;—persons re¬ 
markable for it: Sarah, Ge. 12. n;—Re- 
bekah, 24.16;—Rachel, 29.17;—Joseph,39. 
6;—Moses, Ex. 2. 2; He. n. 23;—David, 

1 Sa. 16. 12,18;—Bathsheba, 2 Sa. 11. 2;— 
Tamar, the daughter of David, 13.1;— 
Absalom, 14. 25; — Abishag, 1 Ki. 1.4:— 
Vashti, the wife of Ahasuerus, Es.i.n;— 
Esther, 2.7. 

Bebai, beb'a-I [father], the head of one of 
the families that returned from Babylon, 
Ezr.2.11. 

Becher, be’ker [first-born], the second son 
of Benjamin, Ge.46.21; iCh.7.6. 
Bechorath, be-ko'rath [first-born], great¬ 
grandfather of Ner, the grandfather of 
Saul, 1 Sa.9.1. 

Beckoned, gave a sign with the hand, Lit. 

I. 22; 5. 7; Jn. 13. 24; Ac. 19. 33; 21.40; 24. 
10. 

Bed, mattresses and skins laid on the floo?, 
used as beds, Mat.9.6:—elevated cushioned 
benches so used, 2 Ki. 1.4; 20.2;—were 
sometimes movable, Ex. 8. 3: 2 Sa.4.5-7; 
— Bedstead of Og, king of Bashan, De. 
3.11:—the grave, Is.57.2. 

Bedad, be'dad [separation], Ge. 36. 35; 
1 Ch.1.46. 

Bedan, be'dan, iSa.12.11; probably the 
same as the judge Abdon. 

Bedeiah, bed-e-i'ah [servant of Jehovah], 
Ezr. 10.35. 

Bee, common in Palestine;—deposited their 
honey in clefts of the rock, &c., Ps.8r. 
16; Ju.x4.8-,—honey a common article of 
food in Canaan, 1 Ki. 14.3; Ca.5.1;—sym¬ 
bol of the Assyrian king, Is.7.18. 
Beeliada, be-el-l'a-dah, a son of David, 

1 Ch.14.7; the same as Eliada, 2 Sa.5.16. 
Beelzebub, be-el'ze-bub, or Belzebub, 

[the god of flies], the chief idol god of 
the Ekronites, 2 Ki. 1. 3, and hence the 
chief of the devils, Satan, is so called in 
the New Testament, Mat.io.25;i2.24:Lu. 

II. 15-19. See Baalzebub. 

Beer, be'er [a well], (1) A town in Ben¬ 
jamin, probably same as Beeroth, Ju.9.21. 
— 2 A halting-place of the Israelites, Nu. 
21.16-18. 

Beer-Elim, be-er-e'lim [well of heroes], a 
place on the border of Moab, Is. 15.8. 
Beer-lahai-roi, be'er-la-ha'e-roy [the well 
of him who lives and sees me], a fountain 
near which the angel of the Lord found 
Hagar, Ge. 16.7,14 ;—Isaac dwelt near, 
Ge.24.62; 25.11. 

Beeri. be'ry [illustrious], (1) The father of 
Judith, Ge.26.34.— 2 Father of the pro¬ 
phet Hosea, Ho.1.1. 

Beeroth, be-e'roth [wells], a city of the 
Gibeonites, given to the tribe of Benjamin, 
ten miles north of Jerusalem, Jos. 9.17; 

2 Sa.4.2: near it are the remains of an old 
church, built by the empress Helena;— 
now called el-Birek, a village of 700 in¬ 
habitants. 

Beeroth, be-e'roth [of the children of Jaak- 
an], a group of wells in the wilderness, 
De.10.6, called Bene- f childrenof ) Jaak- 
an, Nu.33.31,32. 

Beersheba, be-er'she-ba [well of the oath], 
the name of a city, and also of a well, at 
the southern extremity of the Holy Land; 
—first mentioned in the history of Abra¬ 
ham, who planted agrove there, Ge.21.33; 
—made a league with Abimelech at, 26.33; 
—given to Simeon, Jos.19.2:—Elijah fled 
to, 1 Ki. 19.3. 

Ileeshterah, be-esh'te-rah [house of As- 


THE WORLD’S 

tarte], a city on the east of Jordan, Jos. 
21.27;—called Ashtaroth, 1 Ch.6.71. 

Beetle, an insect of the locust family, alto¬ 
gether different from that so called by us. 
The word occurs only in Le. 11.22. 

Beeves, the old plur. of beef, used in the 
O. T. for cattle, Le.22.19,21; Nu.31.28,38. 
Befallen, happen, Le.10.19; Nu.20.14; Es. 
6.13; Mat.8.^3. 

Beforehand, previously, Mar. 13.it; 2Co. 
9.5; 1 Pe.i.u. 

Beget, to generate or produce, Ge. 17.20; 
De.4.25; Je.29.6. 

Beggar, one who begs for alms, 1 ba.2.0; 
Ps. 109.10;—Lazarus, Lu. 16. 20-22;—the 
blind man Jn. 9.8;—thelame man, Ac. 3.2-5. 
Beginning, that which is first, Ge.1.1; Jn. 
2.11; He.3.14;—from eternity, before any 
creature was made, Jn.1.1; 2Th.2.i3; Re. 

1.8. 

Begotten, naturally, Ju.8.30;—supernatu- 
rally, He. 11.17;—spiritually, 1C0.4.15. 
Beguile, to cheat, or impose on, Col. 2.4, 
18; 2Pe.2.T4. 

Behalf, to do or speak in.one’s favour, Ro. 

16.19; 1C0.1.4: 1 Pe.4.16. 

Behaviour, conduct, course of life, i Sa.21. 
13; 1 Ti.3.2; Tit.2.3. 

Beheaded, cut off the head, 2 Sa.4.7; Mat. 
14.10; Re.20.4. 

Beheld, looked upon, Nu.21.9; 23.21; Ps. 

119.158; Mar.15.47; Re.5.6. 

Behemoth, be'he-moth, an animal de¬ 
scribed in Job 40. 15, &c. The word is 
also translated beast. Job 35.11; Ps.73.22; 
cattle, Ps.50.10;—generally supposed to 
be the hippopotamus, the river-horse of 
Egypt, an animal of great strength and 
bulk. It is frequently met with above 16 
ft. long and 7 ft. in height. ‘ He eateth 
grass like an ox.’ 

Behind, after, 2Sa.3.i6;—inferior to, 2 Co. 

11.5;—near to, Is.30.21. 

Behold. This word is not an interjection, 
but the imperative mood, expressing com¬ 
mand or exhortation. It is a call to fix 
the attention on a subject, Is.7.14; 42.1; 
Mar. 16.6; Jn.1.29: Re.3.20; 16.15; 22.7. 
Behoved, it was fit, Lu.24.46; He.2.17. 

Bel, bel' [vain, nothing], an idol of the 
Chaldeans, the same as Baal, Is.46.1; Je. 
50.2; 51.44. See Baal. 

Bela, be'lah [a thing swallowed], (1) One of 
the five cities of the plain, Ge. 14.2;—after¬ 
wards called Zoar, 19.20,30.—(2) A king of 
Edom, son of Beor, Ge.36.32,33; iCh.i. 
43.—(3) Son of Azaz, a Reubenite, 1 Ch. 

5.8. 

Belah, be'lah, eldest son of Benjamin, 
1 Ch.7.6. 

Belch, to throw out malice, Ps.59.7. 

Belial, be'h-al [worthless], a name given to 
Satan, 2 Co.6.15;—wicked men called sons 
of, De.13.13; Ju.19.22; iSa.1.16; 2.12; 10. 
27, &c. 

Believe, to give credit or assent, Ge.45.26; 
Ac.8.13;—to receive or depend on, Jn. 1. 
12:3.15,16. See Faith. 

Bellows, an instrument to blow the fire, 
Je.6.29. 

Bells, on the lower borders of the high- 
priest’s robe, that he might be heard as he 
went in and out of the holy place, Ex. 28. 
33 ; — horse bells, or bridles, inscribed 
Holiness to the Lord, i.e. a spirit of reli¬ 
gion shall pervade all the pursuits and 
occupations of men, Zee. 14.20. 

Belly, the bowels, Mat.15.17;—carnal plea¬ 
sures, Ro.16.18;—sometimes put for the 
mind or heart, Jn.7.38; Job 15.35; 20.15; 
Pr. 20. 27, 30; —the inhabitants of Crete 
called slow bellies, or given to sloth and 
gluttony, Tit. 1.12;—the ‘belly of hell,’ 
Jonah 2.2, signifies the grave or the under¬ 
world. 

Belong, appertains to, Ge.40.8; Le. 27. 24; 
Ps.47.9; Mar.9.41. 

Beloved, much valued and delighted in, 
De.21.15; Ne. 13.26; Ac. 15. 25;—the new 
Jerusalem, Re. 20.9;—Christ is. Mat. 3. 17; 
Mar. 1.11. 

Belshazzar, bei-shaz'zar [master of the 
secret or treasure], the last king of the 
Chaldees, under whom Babylon was taken 
by Cyrus:—his impious feast, Da.5.1, &c.; 
—sees a hand-writing on the wall, 5 ; — 
Daniel’s interpretation of it, 25;—his death 

30. 

Belteshazzar, bel-te-shaz'zar [Bel’s prince, 
i.e. whom Bel favours], the Chaldee name 
given to Daniel, Da.1.7; 2.26. 

Bemoan, to mourn over, Je.15.5; 16.5; 22. 
10; 31.18; Na.3.7. 

Benaiah, ben-ay'ah [made by Jehovah], 


(1) Son of Jehoiada the chief priest, iCh. 
27.5, one of David’s valiant men, 2 Sa.23. 
20 —succeeds Joab in the command of the 
army, 1 Ki.2.35; 4 - 4 -—(*) A Pirathonite, 
one of David’s thirty mighty men, 2 Sa. 
23.30.—(3) A Levite, 1 Ch. 15. 18. “(4. 1 A 
priest, 1 Ch. 15.24.—(5) A Levite in the 
time of Hezekiah, 2Ch.31.13. For others 
of the same name see iCh.4.36; Eze.11.1, 
13; Ezr. 10.25,30,35,43. 

Ben-Ammi, ben-am'mT [son of mypeople], 
father of the Ammonites, Ge.19.38. 
Benches, seats for rowers in ships, Eze.27.6. 
Beneath, under, below, Ex.20.4; Job 18.16; 
Is.14.9; 516; Jn.8.23. 

Bene-Berak, ben-ebe-rak [sons of light¬ 
ning], Jos.19.45; a city in the tribe of 
Dan. 

Benediction, form of priestly, Nu.6.23-26; 
—by Melchizedec, He. 7.1-7;—David, 2Sa. 
6.18,20. 

Benefactors, persons who confer benefits, 
or do good to others, Lu.22.25. 

Benefits, gifts of God, 2Ch.32.25; Ps.68. 
jg -—todo good, Je.18.10;—salvation, iTi. 
6.2. 

Bene-Jaakan, ben-e-ja'ti-kan [the sons of 
Jaakan], used as an abbreviation for Beer¬ 
oth—(the wells of the Bene-Jaakan, an 
encampment of the Israelites, Nu.33.31,32. 
Benevolence, good-will, 1C0.7.3. 
Benhadad, ben-ha'dad [son of Hadad], (1) 
The king of Syria, came to assist Asa, 
king of Judah, 1 Ki.15.18.— 2 Son of the 
former, besieges Samaria, 1 Ki.20.1, &c.; 
—defeated, 20;—again, 29;—taken pris¬ 
oner, but dismissed, 33.—(3} The son of 
Hazael, who succeeded his father in Syria, 
2Ki.13.24; — defeated Jehoash in three 
engagements, 25. 

Ben Hail, ben-ha'il [the son of strength], 
one of the ‘princes’ of the people sent by 
Jehoshaphat to instruct the Jews, 2Ch. 
17.7. 

Ben-Hanan, ben-ha'nan [the son of grace], 
of the posterity of Judah, 1 Ch.4.20. 
Benjamin, ben'ja-min [son of my right 
hand], the youngest son of Jacob and 
Rachel, born, Ge.35.18; with her dying 
breath his mother called him Benoni [son 
of my sorrow], but his father called him 
Benjamin;—goes into Egypt, 43.15;—his 
descendants, 1 Ch.7.6;—his sons and chief 
men, 8.1. 

Benjamites, their inheritance, Jos. 18.11; 
—almost extirpated by the other tribes, 
Ju. 20. 26, &c.; — allowed to seize wives, 

21.16. 

Ben-Zoheth, ben-z 5 'heth [son of Zoheth], 

I Ch.4.20. 

Beon, be'on, a pasture-ground east of- Jor¬ 
dan, Nu.32.3; probably a contraction for 
Beth-Meon, Je.47.23. 

Beor, be'or [a torch], (1) The father of Ba¬ 
laam, Nu.22.5.—(2) Father of Bela, Ge. 

36-32- 

Bera, be'ra [a well], king of Sodom, was 
assisted by Abraham, Ge.14.2. 

Berachah, ber'a-kah [blessing], (1) A val¬ 
ley half way between Jerusalem and He¬ 
bron, where Jehoshaphat gained a victory 
over the Moabites and Ammonites, 2 Ch. 
20.26.—(2) One of the thirty Benjamite 
warriors, 1 Ch.12.3. 

Berachiah, or Berechiah, ber-a-kl'ah, or 
ber-e-ki'ah [blessed by Jehovah], (1) The 
father of Asaph, 1 Ch.6.39. For others of 
the same name see 2Ch.28.12; 1 Ch.3.20; 
9.16; Zec.1.1,7; Ne.3.4. 

Beraiah, be-ra-T'ah [the choosing of the 
Lord], of the posterity of Benjamin, 1 Ch. 
8.21. 

Berea, be-re'a [heavy, weighty], a city of 
Macedonia, lying about 20 miles west of 
Thessalonica;—here Paul preached with 
success, Ac. 17.10;—its inhabitants com¬ 
mended for searching the Scriptures, 11. 

I I now bears the name of Verria in Rou- 
melia, and has a population of about 
20,000. 

Bereave, deprive or take away, Ec.4.8; 
Je 15.7; Eze.5.17; Ho.13.8. 

Bered, be'red [hail], a place in the south of 
Palestine, Ge.16.14. 

Beriah, be-rl'ah [inevil], (1) Ephraim’s sons 
had been slain (1 Ch.7.21-23), and hecalled 
his next son Beriah, ‘because it went evil 
with his house.’—(2) A son of Asher, Ge. 

46.17. —(3) A Benjamite, 1 01.8.13. 
Berith, be'rith [covenant], the idol of the 

Shechemites, Ju.9.46. See Baal-Berith. 
Bernice, ber-ni'se, the eldest daughter of 
Agrippa the Great, and sister of the 
younger Agrippa, king of the Jews—whom 


she accompanies on a visit to Felix, Ac.25. 

13. Her first husband was her uncle- -she ' 
was a woman of an abandoned character. 
Berodach-Baladan, be-ro'dak-bal'a-dan, a 
king of Babylon, 2 Ki.20.12;—called also i 
Merodach-Baladan, Is.39.1. 

Berothai, beFo-thay [my wells], a city of « 
Syria, north of Damascus, 2 Sa. 8. 8; the 
same as Chun, iCh.r8.8. Probably also 
the same as Berothah, Eze.47.16. 

Beryl, a transparent gem, probably the 
topaz. It was the tenth stone in the high- 
priest’s breast-plate, Ex.28.20; Eze. 1.16; 
10.9; Da. 10.6; Re. 19.20. 

Beseech, to entreat or implore, Ex. 33.18; 

Ps.80.14; Ro.12.1; Ga.4.12. 

Beset, to harass or perplex, Ps.22.12; 139. 

5; Ho 7.2; He.12.1. 

Besiege, to surround a city to take it, De. 

28.52; 1 Ki 8.37. 

Besom, to sweep with destruction, occurs 
only in Is. 14.23. 

Besor, be'sor [cold], a brook in the south¬ 
west corner of Canaan, and falling into 
the Mediterranean a few miles to the south 
of Gaza, 1 Sa.30.9;—supposed to be that 
in which the Ethiopian eunuch was bap¬ 
tized, Ac.8.26, &c. 

Besought, past of beseech, Ge. 42. 21; Ex. 

32.11; Je.26.19; Mat.8.31. 

Bestead, an obsolete word, to treat, accom¬ 
modate. In Is.8.21 the phrase ‘hardly be¬ 
stead ’ means oppressed. 

Bestiality, forbidden, Le. 18. 23 ;—punish- 
ab e with death, 20.15; Ex.22.19. 

Bestir, to hasten, 2Sa.s.24. 

Bestow, to confer upon, De. 14.26; Lu.12. 

17,18; 1 Co. 12.23; x 3 - 3 - 
Betah, be'tah [trust, security], a city in 
Syria, which David took from Hadadezer, 

2 Sa.8.8; iCh.18.8;—it is called Tibhath, 
i Ch. 18.8. 

Beten, be'ten [belly], a place on the border 
of the town of Asher, Jos. 19.25. 

Bethabara, beth-ab'a-ra [house of, ford or 
passage], in the best MSS. Bethany, a 
place on the Jordan east of Jericho, where 
John baptized, Jn.1.28. 

Beth-Anath, beth'a- nath [house of re¬ 
sponse], a city of Naphtali, nine or ten 
miles north-west from the Sea of Galilee, 
Jos. 19.38; 1.33. 

Bethany, beth'a-ne [house of dates], a town 
of some note, situated on the east side of 
the Mount of Olives, about fifteen furlongs 
(two Roman miles) from Jerusalem, the 
residence of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, 

Jn. 12.1;—here Mary anointed Christ, Mat. 
26.6,7;—from its vicinity Christ ascended 
into heaven, Lu. 24. 50;—now but a small 
and poor village of about 20 families. It 
is called by the Arabians el' Azariyeh. 
Beth-Arabah, beth-aFra-bah [house of the 
desert], a city of Benjamin, at the north 
end of the Dead Sea, Jos. 18.22. 

Beth-Aram, beth'ar-am [house of height], 
one of the towns of Gad on the east of Jor¬ 
dan, Jos.13.27;—the same as Beth-Haran, 
Nu. 32. 36. The ruins are called Beit- 
Raniah. 

Beth-Arbel, beth-ar'bel [house of God’s 
court], a place mentioned only in Hos.io. 

T 4 - 

Beth-Azmaveth, beth-az-ma'veth [house of 
Azmaveth], a village of Benjamin, Ne.7.28. 
Beth-Aven, beth-a'ven [house of nothing¬ 
ness, or of iniquity], same as Bethel, Ho. 

10. 5: 4. 15; Jos. 7. 2. The wilderness of, 
Jos.18.12. 

Beth-Baal-Meon, beth-ba'al-me'on [house 
of Baal Meon], a place in Reuben, Jos. 13. 

17. See Baal-Meon. 

Beth-Barah, beth-ba'ra [house of crossing], 
a ford or place on the Jordan named in 
J11.7.24. 

Beth-Birei, beth-bir'e-i, a city of Simeon, 

1 Ch. 4. 31;— probably the same as Beth- 
Lebaoth, Jos. 19.6. 

Beth-Car, beth'kai;, a place to which the 
Hebrews, under Samuel, pursued the Phili¬ 
stines: the site of the stone Ebenezer, 1 Sa. 

7.11. 

Beth-Dagon, beth-da'gon [the house of Da- 
gon], (1) A town of Judah, Jos.15.41.—(2) 

A place on the border of Asher, Jos. 19.27. 
Beth-Diblathaim,beth-dib-la-thairn[house 
of Diblathaim], a city of Moab, Je.48.22;— 
called also Almon-Diblathaim, Nu. 33.48. 
Bethel, beth'el [house of God], (1) A city 
12 miles north of Jerusalem, was originally 
called Luz;—first called Bethel by Jacob, 
Ge.28.19;—built an altar at, many years 
after, 35.1,6,7;—visited yearly by Samuel, 

| 1 Sa.7.16;—here Jeroboam set up his idol 











THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


589 


•calf, i Ki. 12.28,29; called for this reason | 
Beth-aven, Ho. 4. 15; 10. 5. It is now a 
mass of ruins called Beitin.- —(2) A town 
in the south of Judah, Jos.12.16; 1 Sa.30. 
27:—called also Chesil, J0s.15.30; Bethul, 
19 4; andBethuel, iCh.4.30. 

Beth-Emek, beth-e'mek [house of the val¬ 
ley], a border town of Asher, Jos. 19.27. 
Bether, be'ther [mountain of division, or of 
perfume], probably denoting those tracts 
of country that were the favourite resort of 
the hart and the roe, Ca.4.6,8; 8.14. 
Bethesda, beth-es'da [house of mercy], a 
pool on the east of Jerusalem, famed in the 
time of Christ for its healing virtue, Jn.5.2. 
Identified by Dr. Robinson with the ‘Foun- 
t iin of the Virgin’ in the valley of the Ke- 
dron, a short distance above the ‘ Pool of 
Siloam.’ 

Beth-Gamul, beth-ga'mul [houseofacamel], 
a city of Moab, Je.48.23. It is now called 
Urn el Jem&l. ‘This,’ says Mr. Graham, 

‘ is perhaps among the most perfect of the 
old cities I saw. It is surrounded by a high 
wall forming a rectangle, which seems to 
inclose more space than the modern Jerusa¬ 
lem. The streets are many of them paved. 
—There were some very large public build¬ 
ings.—The houses were some of them very 
large, consisting usually of three rooms on 
the ground-floor and two on the first story, 
the stairs being formed of large stones built 
into the house-walls and leading up out¬ 
side. The doors were, as usual, of stone; 
sometimes folding-doors, and some of them 
highly ornamented. . . Taking my 

rifle with me, I wandered about quite alone 
in the old streets of the town, entered one 
by one the old houses, went upstairs, visit¬ 
ed the rooms, and in short, made a careful 
examination of the whole place; but so per¬ 
fect was every street, every house, every 
room, that I almost fancied I was in a dream 
wandering alone in this city of the dead, 
seeing all perfect yet not hearing a sound’ 
(Biaikie’s Bible History, p. 124, «.) These 
cities of Bashan remain to this day almost 
in the state in which they were in the days 
of Og. 

Beth-Haccerem, beth-hak'ker-im [house of 
the vineyard], a city of Judah, about 8 
miles south-east from Jerusalem, Je. 6. 1; 
Ne.3.14. 

Beth-Hoglah, beth-hogTah [magpie-place], 
a city in Benjamin, now Haglah, between 
Jericho and Jordan, Jos. 18.19,21. 
Beth-Horon, beth-ho'ron [house of the hol¬ 
low], two towns of Ephraim, about 3 miles 
distant from each other, the ‘Upper,’ Jos. 
16.5; 21.22; and the ‘Nether,’ 16.3; 18.13; 

1 Ch.7.24; 2Ch.8.5, about 12 miles north¬ 
west of Jerusalem;—Solomon repaired and 
fortified the lower, 1 Ki.9.17. The sites of 
these towns are occupied by the two Arab 
villages Beit-Ur el-Foka and Beit-Ur el- 
Tnhta. 

Bethink, to recollect, 1 Ki.8.47; 2 Ch.6.37. 
Beth-Jeshimoth, beth jesh'e-moth [house 
of desolations], a city of the Reubenites, 
in the valley of Arabah, east of Jordan, at 
the north end of the Dead Sea, Nu. 33.49;— 
was seized by the Moabites, and at last de¬ 
stroyed by the Chaldeans, Jos. 13.20; Eze. 
25.9. 

Bethlehem, beth'Ie-hem [house of bread], 
a town of Judah about 6 miles south of 
Jerusalem, often mentioned in the Old 
Testament, Ge. 35. 19; Ju. 12. 8; Ru. 1.19; 1 
Sa. 16. 4; 2 Sa. 23. 15, &c. It was called 
Ephrath or Ephratah , Ge. 35. 19; 48- 7 = — 
king David born here, 1 Sa. 16.12; 20. 6, 
and anointed by Samuel, 16.1-13;—hence 
called ‘ city of David,’ Lu.2.4;—the birth¬ 
place of Christ, Mat. 2.1;—children of, slain 
by Herod, 16. Its modern name is Beit- 
Lahvi , with about 3000 inhabitants. 
Beth-Marcaboth, beth-marika-both [house 
of the chariots], a city of Simeon, Jos. 19.5; 
iCh.4.31. 

Beth Nimrah,beth-nim'rah [house of limpid 
water], a town in the valley 2 miles east of 
Jordan, Jos. 13.27;—called Nimrah in Nu. 
32.3. 

Beth-Peor, beth-pe'or [house of Peor], a city 
of Moab, east of Jordan, De. 4- 46: Jos. 13.20. 
Bethphage, beth-fa'ge [house of figs], a 
smail village situated on the east side of the 
Mount of Olives, nearer to Jerusalem than 
Bethany, Mat. 21.1; Mar. n. 1; Lu. 19. 29; 
—Jesus lodged there, Mat.21.17;—notrace 
of it is seen. 

Beth-Rapha, beth'ra-fa [house of Rapha, 
or giant], one of the posterity of Judah, 
1 Ch.4.12. 


Beth-Rehob, beth-re'hob [house of Rehob], | 
a place near which was the valley in which 
was Laish or Dan, Ju. 18.28;—called Re¬ 
hob, Nu.13.21; 2 Sa.10.8. 

Bethsaida, beth-sa'e-da or beth-sa'dah 
[house of fishing], 1 A city of Galilee, not 
far from Capernaum, on the western shore 
of the Sea of Galilee, Mat.11.21; Lu.10.13; 
— the birth-place of Philip, and the city of 
Andrew and Peter, Jn.1.44;—a woe de¬ 
nounced against it by Christ, Mat. 11.21. 
— [2] A city on the east bank of the Jordan, 
also called Julias, Lu.9.10;—a blind man 
cured at, Mar.8.22. 

Beth-Shan, or Beth-Shean, beth'shan, or 
beth-she'an [house of quiet], a city of the 
Manassites, on the west of Jordan, 60 
miles north-east of Jerusalem, and at the 
east of the plain of Jezreel, Jos.17.11;— 
after the battle of Gilboa the Philistines 
fastened the dead body of Saul to its walls, 

1 Sa.31.10. It is now a village of about 60 
or 70 Arab families. Extensive ruins still 
remain. 

Bethshemesh, beth-she'mesh [house of the 
sun], (1; A sacerdotal city on the northern 
border of the tribe of J udah, about fourteen 
miles west of Jerusalem, Jos.21.3:6;—many 
of its inhabitants struck dead for 1 ooking in¬ 
to the ark, iSa.6.19;—same as Ir-Shemesh, 
Jos.15.10; 19.41,43; 1 Ki.4.9. It is identi¬ 
fied with the modern Arab village Aiu- 
Shevis. —(2) A town of Issachar, Jos. 19. 
22.— 3) A town of Naphtali, Jos.19.38; 
Ju.1.33.—(4) Used in Je.43.13 for Helio¬ 
polis or On, an idolatrous temple in Egypt. 
Beth-Shittah, beth-shit'ta [house of the 
acaciaj, a place to which the Midianites 
fled, Ju.7.22. 

Beth-Tappuah, beth-tap'pu-ah [house of 
apples], a city of Judah, near Hebron, Jos. 
15 - 53 - 

Bethuel, be-thew'el [man of God], (1) Fa¬ 
ther of Rebekah, Ge. 22.22,23; 24.24.—(2) 
A town of Simeon, 1 Ch.4.30. 

Beth-Zur, beth'zur [house of a rock], a city 
of Judah, about twenty miles south of 
Jerusalem;—it was fortified by Rehoboam, 
Jos. 15.58; 2Ch.n.7. Now known as Beit- 
Stir, four miles north of Hebron. 

Betimes, early, Ge.26.31;—seasonably, Pr. 

13.24;—continually, Job 8.5. 

Betray, to deliver up treacherously, 1 Ch. 

12.17; Mat.24.10; 26.16. 

Betroth, or Espouse, to promise or con¬ 
tract marriage, Ge.24.57-59; Ex.22.i6;De. 
28. 30;—Mary was espoused to Joseph, 
Mat. 1.18;—believers are betrothed or es¬ 
poused to Christ, H0.2.19,20; 2C0.T1.2. 
Beulah, bvi' lah [married], a symbolical 
name applied to the land of Israel, or to 
the Jewish church, Is.62.4. 

Bewail, to mourn over, Le.10.6; Re.18.9. 
Bewitched, charmed with deceit, Ac.8.9; 
Ga.3.1. 

Bewray, to expose, discover, Is.16.3; Mat. 
26.73. 

Beyond Jordan, usually signifies, in the 
writings of Moses, the western side of the 
river, as he wrote on the eastern, Ge.50.10, 
n;De. 1.1,5:3.8,20:4.46, but in the writings 
of Joshua (5.1; 12. 7; 22. 7) it means the 
eastern side. 

Bezaleel, bez-a-le'el [the shadow of God], 
a famous artificer; he and Ahokab divinely 
instructed to make the tabernacle, Ex. 31. 

2; 35-3°- . . 

Bezek, be'zek [lightning], (1) A city of 
Judah, the residence of Adoni-Bezek, 
about two miles from Beth-Zur, and west¬ 
ward of Bethlehem, Ju.1.4. —(2) A place 
where Saul reviewed his troops, within a 
day’s march of Jabesh, on the west of 
Jordan, iSa. 11.8. 

Bezer, be'zer, a town of Reuben, one of 
the cities of refuge east of Jordan, De.4. 
43; Jos.20.8. 

Bible, the name used since about the fourth 
century to denote the volume of sacred 
writings. It is from the Greek word bib- 
los, signifying book. The different parts of 
this sacred volume were composed at differ¬ 
ent periods, during a space of about 1600 
years from the time of Moses downward. 
The books constituting the O. T. (thirty- 
nine in number) were collected in the 
time of Ezra and Nehemiah, after the 
return from Babylon. The collection of 
the books of the N. T. (twenty-seven in 
number) was gradually formed during the 
second century. The first complete trans¬ 
lation of the Bible into English was com¬ 
pleted by Wyckliffe, in 1384, about sixty 
years before the discovery of the art of 


printing. The N. T. was first printed by | 
Tyndale at Worms in 1525, and the Pen¬ 
tateuch in 1530. Till his death, in 1536, 
he was engaged in sending forth different 
editions of the N.T., and of portions of the 
O. T. Coverdale’s translation was pub¬ 
lished in 1535, and was the first complete 
English Bible printed; it was dedicated 
to Henry VIII. Tyndale’s version was 
completed by Matthew,and printed in 1537. 
In 1539, Coverdale’s Bible, revised under 
the sanction of Cranmer, was published. It 
was printed in large folio, and called the 
Great Bible. In 1540 another edition of it 
was printed ‘by authority,’ with a preface 
by Cranmer, and hence was called Cran- 
mer’s Bible. During the brief reign of 
Edward VI. eleven editions were printed. 
During Mary’s persecution, Whittingham, 
Knox, &c., in their exile, made a new 
translation in Geneva. The N. T. was 
printed in A 557, the Old in 1560. It was 
called the Geneva Bible. Archbishop 
Parker, with the sanction of Queen Eliza¬ 
beth, and aided by various bishops, re¬ 
vised the existing translations, and pub¬ 
lished an edition in 1568, which was called 
the Bishops’ Bible. This continued to be 
in common use in the churches, as re¬ 
printed in 1572, under the name of Mat¬ 
thew Parker's Bible, for about forty years. 
King James resolved to publish a revised 
translation, and for this purpose appointed 
54 learned men, 47 of whom only under¬ 
took the work, which was completed and 
published in 1611, and has ever since been 
our Authorized English Version. The divi¬ 
sion of the Scriptures into chapters and 
verses is comparativelyamodern invention; 
and, having been resorted to for thepurpose 
of facilitating reference, and not for distin¬ 
guishing the several subjects, the divisions 
are not always the most fortunate. The 
division into chapters, as they now stand in 
the Old and New Testaments, is generally 
ascribed to the schoolmen who, with Car¬ 
dinal Hugo of St. Cher, prepared in a.d. 
1240 a concordance for the Vulgate trans¬ 
lation. The Latin Bible, with post. Is or 
brief notes, published by this cardinal, 
was the first that contained chapters. 
The verses into which the New Testa¬ 
ment is divided were introduced by Henry 
Stephen in 1551, and in this he followed 
the plan which had been applied by the 
Masorites to the Hebrew Scriptures. 
Bichri, bik'ri [first-born, or first-fruits], the 
father of Sheba, 1 Sa. 20.1,2,6,22. 

Bidkar, bid'kar, Jehu’s ‘captain,’2 Ki. 9. 
25 - 

Bier, that on which something is borne, a 
frame to carry the dead upon, LU.7.T4;— 
to the rich, very splendid, 2Sa.3.3i. 
Bigthan, big'than, or Bigthana, big'tha- 
na [garden], one of Ahasuerus’ chamber¬ 
lains, who, with Teresh, conspired against 
the king’s life, Es.2.21; 6.2. 

Bigvai, big'va-I [husbandman], head of one 
of the families of Israelites, Ne.7.7; 10.16. 
Bildad, bil'dad [son of contention J, one of 
Job’s three friends, probably descended 
from Shuah, the son of Abraham and Ke-' 
turah. His answers to Job in justification 
of God’s dealings, Jobviii.xviii.xxv. 
Bileam, bil'e-am [foreign], a place in the 
plain of Esdraelon allotted to the Levites, 

1 Ch.6.70;—identical with Ibleam, Jos. 17. 
17, and Gath-Rimmon, Jos.21.25. 

Billiah, bil'hah [faltering or bashfulness], 
(ij A town of Simeon, iCh.4.29;—identical 
with Balah, Jos. 19.3.— 2 Handmaid of 
Rachel, Ge.29.29. 

Bill of Divorce, De.24.1,3; Is.50.1; Je.3. 
8 ; Mat.19.7; Mar.10.4. See Divorce. 
Billows, rolling waves, Jonah 2.3; Ps.42.7. 
Binnui, bin'nu-i [building], 1 Head of one 
of the families of Israelites, Ne.7.15.— 2) 
A Levite who returned from Babylon with 
Zerubbabel, Ne.12.8; 10.9. 

Birds, not to be taken with their young, De. 
22 . 6;—usually caught with a snare, Ps. 
124.7; Pr.7.23; Am.3.5. 

Birsha, birisha [in evil], a king of Gomor¬ 
rah, Ge.14.2. 

Birth, pangs of, Ex. 1.19;—treatment of the 
infant when born, Eze. 16.4; Lu.2.7-11;— 
premature, Ps.58.8. 

Birth-day, celebrated with great rejoicings, 
Job 1. 4: Ge. 40. 20; Mat. 14. 6;—kept by 
Herod, Mar.6.21. 

Birthright, or primogeniture, the right of 
the first-born or eldest son, Ge.25.31;—he 
was consecrated to the Lord, Ex.22.29;— 
had a double portion of the inheritance, 


(Be—B!) 

De.2x.17;—bad dominion over his breth¬ 
ren, Ge.27.29;—of Esau sold, 25.31;—of 
Manasseh transferred to Ephraim, 48.17; 
—of Reuben forfeited, 49.3; iCh.5.1. 
Bishops [overseers or inspectors], the same 
persons who are called presbyters or elders, 
comp. Ac.20.17,18 with 20.28, and 1 Pe.5. 
1,2 with 5.17;—their qualifications, Ac.20. 
28; 1 Ti.3.1, 5.1; 2 Ti.4.1; Tit. 1. 5; 1 Pe.5. 

1;—Christ the bishop of souls, 1 Pe.2.25. 
Bithiah, bith-l'ah [daughter of the lordj, a 
daughter of Pharaoh, 1 Ch.4.18. 

Bithron, bith'ron [the divided place], a de¬ 
file in the Jordan valley, 2 Sa.2.29. 
Bithynia, bi-thin'i-a, a province of Asia 
Minor, on the Euxine Sea and Propontis, 
about 200 miles in length and 120 in 
breadth, and separated from Europe by 
the narrow straits of Bosphorus. Paul de¬ 
signed to visit it, but was forbidden by the 
Holy Spirit, Ac. 16.7:—Christian congre¬ 
gation was early formed in it, 1 Pe.1.1. It 
now forms one of the districts of Turkish 
Anatolia. In Nice, its capital, the famous 
Christian council was held in 325. 

Bitter Herbs, the passover eaten with. Ex 
12.8, to remind of the bondage of Egypt; 
—bitterness, the symbol of affliction and 
misery. Ex. 1.14: Ru. 1.20. 

Bittern, a fowl about the size of a heron, 
retired into the wilds and fens;—Isaiah 
foretold that Babylon should be a place 
for, Is. 14. 23; — Zephaniah predicted the 
same of Nineveh, Zep.2.14. T hese pre¬ 
dictions denote the utmost solitude and 
desolation. 

Bitterness, a bitter taste, Ex. 15.23:—deep 
sorrow, Job7.11; Pr.14.10;—malice, 2 Sa. 
2.26. 

Bizjothjah, biz-joth'jah [contempt of Je¬ 
hovah], a town in the south of Judah, Jos. 
15.28;—identical with Baalah and Balah, 
19.2,3: also Baalath-Beer, 19.8: and Bil- 
hah, iCh.4.29. 

Biztha, biz'tha, the second of the seven 
chamberlains of Ahasuerus Xerxes , Es. 
1.10. 

Blackness, terror, or judgments, Joel 2.6; 

Is.50.3; Na.2.10;—hell, Jude 13. 

Blains, blisters, pustules, or putrid sores, 
the sixth plague on the Egyptians, Ex. 
9.9. 

Blameless, innocent, Ge. 44. 10; Ju.15. 3; 
Mat.12.5; Lu.1.6. 

Blasphemy, speaking reproachfully or irre¬ 
verently of God, or of his Word. Ps.74.18; 
Is.52.5; Ro.2.24; Re. 13.6; 16.11,21;—pun¬ 
ishable with death, Le.24.15,16,23;—blas¬ 
phemer executed, 23;—of Sennacherib, 2 
Ki. 19.8-19,37; 2Ch.32.9-, Is.36.1, &c.:—of 
the Pharisees in ascribing the miracles of 
Christ to Beelzebub, Mat.9.34:12.24; Mar. 
3.22; Lu.n.i5:Jn.io.2o;—againstthe Holy 
Spirit—the ascribing of the cure of blind 
and dumb men to the agency of Satan—not 
to be forgiven. Mat.12.31; Mar.3.28; Lu. 
12.10; — idolatry reckoned blasphemy, Is. 
65. 7; Eze.20.27,28;-inconsistent conduct 
of believers leads others into it, 2 Sa.12.14; 
Eze. 36. 22, 23; 1 Ti. 5. 1. In the original 
Greek the word often occurs when applied 
to reproaches or calumny not aimed against 
God, but a prophet, an angel, a good man, 
&c.; and is rendered rail, revile, speak 
evil, &c.; as in Mat.12.31; 27.39; Mar. 15. 
29; Lu.23.39; Ro.3.8; 14.16; 1 Co.4.13; 10. 
30; Ep.4.31; 1 Ti. 6.4; Tit.3.2; iPe.4.4,14; 
2 Pe.2.10,11; Jude9,io. See Sin against 
the Holy Ghost. 

Blast, to parch, Hag.2.17;—storm of wind, 
Ge.41.6; 1 Ki.8.37;—God’s anger, Ex.15. 
8; 2 Sa.22.16. 

Blastus, blas'tus, chamberlain of Herod 
Agrippa, Ac. 12.20. 

Blaze, to publish about, Mar.1.45. 
Bleating, the crying of a sheep, Ju.5.16; 
1 Sa. 15.14. 

Blemish, imperfection or deformity, no 
beast having any to be sacrificed, Le.22. 
19; De.15.21; 17.1; Mai.1.8,14. 

Bless, God blesses us, by bestowing benef ts 
on us, Ge.12.2,3: Ex.20.24; Job 42 12; Ps. 
45.2: Ep.x.3;—we bless God, by our as¬ 
cribing to him the praise and glory which 
are his due, Ps.36.12: 34.1: 96.2; 103.1,2; 
104. 1; 145.1-3;—men bless their fellowmen 
(i) when they expressed good wishes to¬ 
ward them, Ge.14.19; He.7.1,6,7; ;2 when 
in spirit of prophecy they predicted bless¬ 
ings to come upon them, Ge.49.1-28; He. 
ii. 21; De.23.1-29. 

Blessed, happy, enjoying the favour of 
God. Persons who are, Ps.65. 4: 89.15; 

| 32.1,2; 144.15; Is. 30.18; Je.17.7. Lu.1j.28; 









THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


590 (BI—Br) 


12.37: Re.16.15; 22.14; 14. 13;—in posses¬ 
sion of certain graces, Mat. 5.3-12. 
Blessing, or Benediction, the form of it 
in the wilderness, Nu.6.22;—the patriar¬ 
chal blessing of sons: Isaac blessing Jacob 
and Esau, Ge. xxvii.;—Jacob his twelve 
sons, Ge.xlix.:—Moses the twelve tribes, 
De.xxxiii.;—at the removal of the ark, Nu. 
10. 33 J—and curses to be pronounced at 
MountGerizimand Ebal, Jos.8.33;—apos¬ 
tolic, 2 Co. 13.14. Cup of, 1 Co. 10.16. 
Blind, naturally, not to be misled, Le.19. 
14;—cursed is he that does it, De.27.18;— 
cured see Miracles) ;— morally, ignorant. 
Is 6. 10; 42.18,19; Mat. T5. 14; R0.2.19;— 
spiritually , not enlightened by God, Re. 
3.17; t Jn.2.11;—men may be made so ju¬ 
dicially, Ps.69.23; Is.29.10; 44.18; Mat.13. 
13-15; Jn. 12.40. 

Blindfolded, the eyes covered, L11.22.64. 
Blindness, inflicted on the Sodomites, Ge. 
19 11;—on the Syrians,2 Ki.6.18;—on Paul, 
Ac.9.8;—on Elymas, 13.11;—cured, Mat. 
12.22; 9.27; 20.30; Mar.8.22; 10.46; Jn.9.1; 
Ac.9.18. 

■-, Spiritual, is want of a proper 

discernment of spiritual things, Ep.4.18; 1 
Jn. 2. 11;—produced and maintained by 
love of sin, Jn. 3. 19, 20; Ro. 1.21;—pro¬ 
moted by the devil, 1 Ki. 22.22; 2 Co. 4.4;— 
voluntary and wilful, Ps.82.5; Eze.12.2; 
Ac.28.27; Ro.i.19-21; 2Pe.3-5;—inflicted 
as a judgment, 1Ki.22.23; Is.6.9,10: 29.10; 
44.18; Mat.13.14,15; Jn.12.40; Ro.11.10;— 
can be removed only by divine power, 
Is.42.7; Lu.4.18; Jn.1.9; 8.12:9.39; 2C0.3. 
16,17. 

Blood, not to be eaten, Ge.9.4; Le.3.17; 7. 
26; 17.10,14; 19.26; Eze.33.25; Ac.15.29;— 
of sacrifices, how disposed of, Ex.23. i8;Le. 
4 - 7 » i 8 ; 5 - 9 I 17-14;—avenger of, he who 
avenged the death of his relatives, Nu.35. 
24; 27;—metaphorically: race, Ac. 17. 26; 
—slaughter, Is. 34. 3; Eze. 14. 19;—prema¬ 
ture death, Eze. 32.6; 39.18. 

—-of Christ, his righteousness, includ¬ 

ing the whole of his obedience and suffer¬ 
ings, of which the shedding of his blood 
was the completion;—called precious, 1 Pe. 
1.19; —blood of the covenant, Zee. 9.11; H e. 
13. 20;—blood of sprinkling, 12. 24;—re¬ 
demption through it, Ep.1.7: Col.1.14; 1 
Pe. r. 18; Re.5.9;—sanctification through 
it, He.10.27;—cleanses from sin, ijn.1.7; 
Re. 1. 5;—the wine in the eucharist, or 
Lord’s supper, so called, Mat.26.28; Mar. 
14.24; Lu.22.20; x Co. 11.25. 

Blossom, a flower that grows oq a plant, 
Ge.40.10; Is.5.24; 27.6; 35.1,2. 

Blot, a scorn or reproach, Job 31. 7; Pr.9. 
7—out, or obliterate, as sin. Ex.32.32; Ps. 
51.1; Is.44.22. 

Blue, azure, or sky colour, was anciently 
considered as a rich and magnificent colour, 

Ex. 25.4; 28.31; 39. 3 ; Nu. 15.38; 2 Ch. 2.7 ;Es. 

i-6; 8.15; Eze.23.6. 

Boanerges, bo-a-ner'ges [sons of thunder], 
a surname given by our Lord to Tames and 
John, on account of their earnest impetu¬ 
ous spirit, Mar. 3.17. 

Boar, a male swine, Ps.8.13;—in all other 
instances the word is rendered, ‘swine,’ 
Le.n.7;De.i4.8; Pr.11.22; 15.65.4:66.3,17. 
Boasters, proud of speech, R0.1.30; 2l'ira. 

2 : Ja ; 3 - 5 ; 4 j6. 

Boasting, with haughty speech, censured, 
Ps.52.1; Pr.20.14; 25.14; 1C0.4.7; 2 Co.io. 
12,15. 

---, examples of: in Sennacherib, 

2 Ki.18.19;—in Nebuchadnezzar, Da.3.15; 
4.29;—in Herod, Ac. 12.20. 

Boaz, bt/az [strength], or Booz, (1) A de¬ 
scendant of Judah, a man of rank and 
wealth, kinsman to Elimelech the husband 
of Naomi, Ru.2.1;—showed kindness to 
Ruth, who gleaned in his fields, 8-17;— 
married her,4.13;■—mentioned in the genea- 
logv, Mat. 1.5.—(2) The name of the left- 
hand brazen pillar erected by Solomon in 
the court of his temple, 1 Ki.7.21; 2 Ch 
3 -i 7 - 

Bocaeru, bok'e-ru [the first-born is he], one 
of the six sons of Azel, a descendant of 
Saul, 1 Ch.8.38; 9.44. 

Bochim, bc'kim [the weepings], a place 
near to Gilgal where the Israelites wept 
when reproached by the angel, Ju.2.1,5 
Body, to be kept pure, Ro.12.1; 1 Co.6.13; 

1 Ih.4.4;—not to be disfigured, Le.19.28; 
*1.5; De. 14.1;—changed at the resurrec¬ 
tion, Mat.22.30; 1 Co.15.42,51; Phi.3.21. 

* °f Christ, his church so called, Ro. 
12.5; 1 Co. 12.27; Ep. 1. 22,23; 4 12; Col. 1. 
18; 2.19;— the bread in the Lord’s supper 


! figuratively so called, Mat.26.26; Mar. 14. 
22; Lu.22.19; 1 Co. 11.24;—‘of sin,’ R0.6. 
6, called also ‘of this death,’ Ro. 7. 24, 
means the system and habit of sin, the 
sinful nature viewed as a loathsome bur¬ 
den. 

Bohan, bo'han [a thumb], a memorial stone 
set up in the valley of Achor, Jos. 15. 6; 
18.17. 

Boil, an inflammatory swelling, Ex.9.9;— 
rendered ‘botch’ in De.28.27,35;—the dis¬ 
ease of Job, 2.7. 

Boisterous, stormy, Mat. 14.30. 

Bold. See Courage. 

Boldness, signifies in certain passages con¬ 
fident trust, Ep.3.12; He.10.19; Phi.1.20; 
— in prayer, He. 4.16. 

Boiled, an old word, once only in the Bible, 
and which means podded, full and ripe, 
Ex.9.31. 

Bondage, slavery or captivity, Ex.1.14; 
Ezr.9.8;—spiritual subjection, He.2.15;— 
—servile-fear, Ro.8.15. 

Bondmen, not to be ill-treated, Le. 25.39. 
Bones, of the paschal lamb not to be broken, 
Ex.12.46; Nu.9.12;—of Jesus not broken, 
Jn.19.36; Ps.34.20. 

-, Dry, their revival represents the 

restoration of the Jews, Eze.37.i,&c. 
Bonnet, a simple head-dress or turban, con¬ 
sisting of a piece of cloth folded about the 
head, worn by females. Is. 3.20;—bypriests, 
Ex. 29. 28; Eze. 44.18. In Ex.28.40; 29.9; 
39.2,8; Le.8.13, a different word is used in 
the Hebrew original, denoting the sacred 
cap or turban of the common priests as dis¬ 
tinguished from the high-priest’s mitre. 
Book. Books in their modern form were 
unknown to the ancient Jews. The earliest 
writing is inscription on a rock. The 
works of Hesiod were written on sheets of 
lead; the laws of Solon on wooden planes; 
the decalogue on tables of stone. Tablets 
covered with wax in common use, De.27. 
2,3; Lu. 1.63. Such tablets were used in 
Europe during the middle ages, and were 
called codicqs. Leaves and bark of trees 
were also used, especially the inner bark, 
called by the Greeks biblos, whence book. 
Parchment (so named from Pergamus, 
where its manufacture was carried on) was 
the principal writing material for many 
ages, Is.8.1; Je.36.2,6; Eze.2.9,10; Zee.5.1; 
Is. 29.11. The papyrtis, or paper-reed of 
the Nile, was used till about the nth cen¬ 
tury. The five books of Moses, called the 
Pentateuch, are the most ancient, being 
written between fifteen and sixteen hun¬ 
dred years before Christ. 

- , Sealed, exhibited to John, Re.5.1; 

—open, 10.2;—to eat a book is to consider 
its contents carefully, Je. 15.16; Eze. 2.8-10; 
3.1-3,14; Re. 10.9;—book of judgment, Da. 
7.10;—of life, Phi.4.3. 

Books, either included in Scripture under 
other names, or not preserved, because not 
inspired:—of the wars of God, Nu.21.14; 
—of Jasher, Jos. 10.13; 2 Sa.i. 18;—of Sam¬ 
uel concerning the kingdom, 1 Sa.10.25;— 
of Solomon, 1 Ki.4.32,33;—the chronicles 
of David, 1Ch.27.24;—the acts of Solomon, 

1 Ki.11.41;—of Nathan, Samuel, and Gad, 

1 Ch.29.29; 2 Ch. 9. 29;—of Ahijah the Shi- 
lonite, 29;—the visions of Iddo, 29;—of 
Shemaiah the prophet, 12.15;—of Jehu, 20. 
34;—the sayings of the seers, 33.19. 

Booths, tents formed of branches of trees, 
made by Jacob for his cattle, Ge.33.17;— 
Israelites lodgein,during the feast of taber¬ 
nacles, Le. 23. 42,43; Ne.8.14;—a remark¬ 
able one, Jonah 4.5. 

Booty, the spoil or pillage, Nu.31.32; Je. 
49.32; Habra. 7. 

Borders of garments enlarged by the Phari¬ 
sees, Mat.23.5. See Phylacteries. 

Born Again. See Regeneration. 

Borrow, the Hebrews from the Egyptians, 
or rather, Heb., ask or demand. Ex.3.22; 

law respecting, 22.14;—the wicked bor¬ 
row and pay not, Ps. 37. 21; —the incon¬ 
venience of it, Pr.22.7. 

Boscath, bos'kath, in 2 Ki.22.1 for Bozkath 
[strong region], a city of Judah, Jos. 15.39. 
Bosom, the breast of the arms, Nu.11.12; 
—the heart, or the best affection, Ru.4.16; 

—Christ in the bosom of the Father, Jn. 
t-tS; Christ carries his lambs in his, Is. 
40.11. 

Bosor, bo'sor, the Aramaic form of the name 
Beor, the father of Balaam, 2 Pe.2.15. 

Boss, the exterior convex part of a buckler. 
Job 15.26. 

Bottles, anciently made of leather, or the 
skins of animals;—used for milk, Ju.4.19; 


—for wine, Jos.9.4,14; 1 Sa. 16.20; Mat.9. 
17; Marra.u; Lu.5.37,38;—for water, Ge. 
21. 14, 15,19 ;—strong drink, Ho. 2.15 ;— 
those of the Gibeonites rent and bound 
up, Jos.9.4;—the psalmist like a bottle in 
the smoke, old, dry, and shrivelled, Ps. 
119.83;—new wine not to be put into old, 
Mat.9.17. 

Bottomless, deep beyond conception;—pit, 
hell, or endless or perpetual punishment. 
Re.9.1,2,11; 11.7; 17.8; 20.1,2. 
Bountifulness, simplicity, sincerity, 2 Co. 

9 .n. 

Bounty, a free gift, 1 Ki.10.13; 2 Co.9.5. 
Bow, for shooting arrows, Ge.27.3;—sym¬ 
bol of conflict and victory. Re. 6.2;—of de¬ 
ceit (because apt to turn aside), Ho.9.16; 
Je.9.3;—the rainbow, Ge.9.13,14;—its per¬ 
manency, ver. 15,16. 

-down the head, or the knee, to give 

homage to men, Ge.24.26; 27.29; 43.28;— 
to worship God, Ps. 95. 6; Ro. 14.11; Ep.3. 
14 - 

Bowels, used in a figurative sense for affec¬ 
tions or emotions of the heart, 2 Co. 6.12; 
Phile.7;—pity or compassion, Is.63.15; Je. 
31.20;—for the seat of wisdom or under¬ 
standing, Job 38.36; Ps.51.10; Is. 16.ii. 
Box-tree, a shrub evergreen, but in the 
East, its native country, it attains the size 
of a forest-tree, and the wood is of con¬ 
siderable use, Is.41.19; 60.13. 

Bozrah, boz'rah [inclosure], (1) a city of 
Moab in ‘the land of Mishor,’ Je.48.24. 
Identified with Busrah, a village of about 
15 families, about 60 miles south of Damas¬ 
cus. — (2) An ancient city of Edom, in 
Arabia Petrea, the capital of the land of 
Edom, and about 150 miles south-west of 
the former;—Jobab, king of Edom, was a 
native of it, Ge.36.33;—it was ravaged by 
the Assyrians, and afterwards by the Chal¬ 
deans, Is. 34.6; 63.1; Je. 49.22; Am. 1. 12; 
Mira. 12. 

Bracelets, ornamental chains of silver, gold, 
&c., about the wrist, Ge.24.30; Ex. 35.22. 
Bramble, properly thorns, J11.9.14, 15;—a 
man of base and evil condition, Lu.6.44. 
Branch, genuine believers, so called with 
reference to their union to Christ, Jn. 
i 5 - 5 i—children, or posterity, Job 8.16; 15. 
3 2 > 33 :—a symbol of kings descended from 
royal ancestors, Eze. 17.3,10; Da. 11.7;—a 
symbol of the Messiah, Is.ii.i; Je.23.15; 
Zee.3.8; 6.12. 

Brandish, to shake a glittering sword, Eze. 
32.10. 

Brass, a compound metal, formed of copper 
and zinc, which was first made in Ger¬ 
many in the 13th century. The Hebrew 
word rendered brass means copper, or rather 
bronze, a native production found in the 
h ills of Palestine, De. 8.9;—used for armour, 

1 Sa.17.5,6;—musical instruments, 1 Ch. 
15-19:—symbol of baseness and obduracy, 
Eze.22.18;—a brow of, signifying boldness 
and impudence in sin, Is.48.4; Je.6.28;— 
the Grecian monarchy, under Alexander 
the Great, called a kingdom of brass, Da 
2- 39 - 

Bravery, finery, ‘of their tinkling orna¬ 
ment,’ Is.3.18. 

Brawling, speaking loud, or quarrelling, 
Pr.25.24. 

Bray, to cry harsh for thirst, Job 6.5; 30. 

7; to bruise or pound, Pr.27.22. 

Brazen Sea, Ex.30.18; 38.8; 1 Ki.7.23-26; 
2CI1.4.2-5, the great laver placed in the 
priests’ court of the temple. 

Brazen Serpent, erected by Moses in the 
camp of Israel, Nu.21.9. 

Breach, a gap in a wall, Eze.26.10;—not 
to perform a promise, Nu. 14.34;— punish¬ 
ment, 2Sa. 6. 8;— an injury or hurt, Le. 
24.20. 

Bread, the manna in the wilderness, Ex. 

16.4, &c.; Jn. 6. 32;— Christ, 33;— believers 
called one, 1 Co. 10.17;— the gospel, Pr.9.5; 
Mat.15.26;— of wheat or barley, Is.28.28; 
—of sorrow, Ps.137.2;— of tears, Ps.80.5,’ 
—of wickedness, Pr.4.17;— of deceit, 20’ 

17 - 

-, twelve loaves presented every Sab¬ 
bath before the Lord at the golden table; 
hence the name show-bread, i.e. bread of 
face, or bread of setting before, Ex.25.30; 
Le.24.5,6. 

Breadth, the measure from side to side, 
Ge.6.i5:i3.i7;Exra7.i8;Ep. 3 .i8;Rerai.i6. 

Break, to dash to pieces, Ex. 34.13- — to 
weaken, Ps. 10.15;—to shine, Cara. 17. 
Breastplate, (1) Of the high-priest, a piece 
of embroidery of about ten inches square, 
and of very rich work; it was made double, 


so as to form a bag or pouch, in which 
the Urim and Thummim were deposited. 
It contained twelve precious gems, set in 
gold, each representing a tribe of Israel. 
It was called the 7 iiemorial, Ex.28.12,29; 
the breastplate of judgment, 28.15. See 
Urim. —(2) An article of ancient armour. 
Is. 59. 17; Ep. 6. 14; Re. 9. 9; translated 
coat of mail, 1 Sa. 17. 5, 38; habergeon, 
2Ch.26.14; Ne.4.16. 

Breath, air for the lungs. Job 9.18;—the 
life, Ps. 146.4; Da. 5.23. 

Breathe, to infuse the soul, Gera.7;—the 
gifts of the Holy Ghost, Jn.20.22. 
Brethren, one of the common appellations 
of Christians;—to forgive each other, Mat. 
5.23,24; 18. 21, 22;—to bear one another’s 
burdens, and admonish each other, Ga.6. 
2; 2Th. 3.13-15; to confess their faults, 
and pray for each other, Ja.5.16;—to love 
each other, Ro. 12.10; 1 Th. 4.9; He.13.9; 
how to prevent anger and hatred between. 
Mat. 18.15. See Brother and Brothers. 
-of Christ, his kinsmen, or rela¬ 
tions, Mat.12.46; 13.55; Mar.6.3; Lu.8.19. 
Bribery, the crime of giving or taking re¬ 
wards for bad practices,—censured, Ex. 
23.8; De. 16.19; J°b *5- 34; Pr- 17- 23; 29. 4; 
Ec.7.7; Is.5.23; Eze. 13.19; Am.2.6. 

-, examples: of the lords of the 

Philistines to Delilah, Ju. 16. 5;—of the 
sons of Samuel, 1 Sa.8.3;—of Asa to Ben- 
hadad, 1 Ki. 15. 19; — of Judas Iscariot, 
Mat.26.14;—of the soldiers who guarded 
the sepulchre of Jesus, 28.12;—of Simon 
the sorcerer offered to Peter, Ac. 8. 18; 
—expected of Paul's friends by Felix, 
24.26. 

Brick, clay kneaded, and baked, or hard¬ 
ened, usually by the heat of the sun, also 
in kilns, 2 Sa. 12.31; Je.43.9; Na.3.14;— 
tower of Babel built of, Ge.11.3;—the He¬ 
brews compelled to make, in Egypt, Ex. 1. 
* 4 : 5 - 7 - 

Bride, figuratively, the saints and the 
church, Re.18.23; 21.2,9; 22.17. 
Bridegroom, a man betrothed or newly 
married, Jn.2.9;—Christ compared to. Mat. 
9.15; Mar.2.19; Lu.5.34; Jn.3.29. 

Bridle, figuratively, the restraints of God’s 
providence, 2 Ki.19.28; Is.30.28;—pruden¬ 
tial and pious watchfulness, Ps.39.1; Ja.i. 
26: 3.2. 

Briefly, in few words, Ro.13.9; 1 Pe.5.12. 
Briers, figuratively, an enemy, the As¬ 
syrian army. Is. 10.17;—mischievous per¬ 
sons, Eze.28.24; Mi.7.4;—sins and lusts, 
He.6.8. 

Brigandine, a coat of mail or habergeon, 
composed of iron rings, Je.46.4; 51.3. 
Brightness, light, Is. 59.9;—form of beauty. 
Da. 4.36;—glory and splendour, Eze.28.7; 

Da.12.3; He. 1.3. 

Brimstone (i.e. burning stone), and fire, 
rained on Sodom, Ge. 19. 24;—shall be 
rained on the ungodly, Ps.11.6; Job 18.15; 

Is. 34.9, in allusion to the destruction of 
the cities of the plain;—corrupt and infer¬ 
nal doctrine compared to, Re.9.17;—sym¬ 
bol of torment, Ps.9.6; Re. 14.10. 

Broidered, wrought with various colours 
of needle-work, Ex. 28.4; Eze. 16.10,13;— 
on plaited hair, iTi.2.9; comp. 1 Pe.3.3. 
Broiled, roasted on the fire, Lu.24.42. 
Broken, destroyed, shivered, Ge.i7.i4;Le. 

15.12; Mat.15.37; Jn.19.36. 

Brooks, rivulets, such as Arnon, Jabbok, 
Kidron, Sorek, &c., which arise from 
subterranean springs—also wdnter torrents, 
which are dried up in summer (Job 6.15, 
19), as the River of Egypt, Nu.34.5; Jos. 
I 5 - 4 » 47 > and most of the torrents of Pales¬ 
tine. 

Broth, soup, Ju. 6.19,20;—in Is. 65. 4 the 
word means pieces of bread over which 
broth is poured. 

Brother. Brothers are properly male chil¬ 
dren of the same parents (Ge.4.2), but used 
of more remote kindred, Ge.13.8; Es.10.3; 
Ac. 7.25,28;—used to denote spiritual rela¬ 
tionship, Mat.i2.46,47;Mar.3.3i; Lu.8.19; 

—a penitent, to be forgiven and restored, 
Ga.6.1;—offended, hard to be won, Pr.18. 
19;—brothers of our Lord, Mat.13.55. See 
Brethren. 

Brotherhood, society, union. Zee. 11. 14; 

1 Pe.2.17. 

Brotherly, like brothers, Am.1.9; R0.12. 

10; 1 Th.4.9; He.13.1; 2 Pe.1.7. 

Brothers,examplesofenmitybetweenthem: 

of Cain to Abel, Ge.4.8;—Esau and Jacob, 
27.1, &c.; —the brethren of Joseph, 37.1, 

&c.;—Amnon and Absalom, 2Sa.13.28;— 
Jehoram and his brethren, 2 Ch.2 1.4;—two 


























THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT (Br-Caj 591 


| Buy, the truth, Pr. 23.23;—the blessings of 
salvation without money, Is. 55.1;—Christ 
bought his people, Ac. 20. 28; 1 Co. 6.20; 


that applied to Jesus to divide their in¬ 
heritance, Lu. 12.13. 

Bruise, heel of Christ bruised by Satan, 
Ge.3.15;—Christ bruises Satan’s head, Ro. 
16.20;—Christ bruised for our iniquities, 
I s - 53- 5‘—'bruised reeds Christ will not 
break, Is.42.3; Lu.4.18. 

Bruit, a word of French origin, meaning 
report, rumour, or noise, Je. io.22:Na.3.19. 
Brutish, resembling a beast, Ps.92.6; Pr. 

12.1; Is.19.11; Jude 10; 2 Pe.2.11. 

Bucket, a vessel to draw up water in, Nu. 
24.7; Is.40.15. 

Buckler, Shield, Target, a piece of de¬ 
fensive armour, to ward off arrows, or the 
blows of a sword or spear, 1 Ch.5.18; 12. 
34; 1 Ki.10.16; 1 Sa.17.6,7; Pr.2.7; Ps.18.2. 
Buffeted, beaten or harassed, Mat. 26.67; 

1 Co. 4.11; 2 Co. 12.7; 1 Pe.2.20. 

Builders, faithful ministers, 1 Co. 3.10;—the 
church a building, 1 Co.3.9-17. 

Bukki, buk'ki [waster], the fifth from 
Aaron in the line of high-priests, father of 
Uzzi, iCh.6.5,51. 

Bukkiah, buk-ki'ah [wasted by Jehovah], 
a Kohathite Levite, one of the temple 
musicians, 1 Ch.25.4,13. 

Bui [rain], the eighth month of the Jewish 
sacred year, and the second of their civil, 
corresponding to part of our October, 
i Ki.6.38. 

Bulls, symbol of powerful and insolent per¬ 
secutors, Ps.22.12; 63.30; 68.30; Is.34.7. 
Bullock, a young bull, never castrated by 
the Jews, Ex. 29.3,11; Le.4.4;—used in the 
plough, 1 Sa. 14.14;—for treading out corn, 
De.25.4;—in waggons, Nu. 7.3;—for bur¬ 
dens, 1 Ch. 12. 40. Illustrative, Ps.22.12; 
68f3o; De.33.17. 

Bulrush, a shrub growing in fens, and 
easily bowed by the wind. From the in¬ 
side bark of this vegetable the papyrus of 
the Egyptians was derived. It was used 
for writing (see Paper), when prepared in 
one way, and for food when prepared in 
another, Je. 15.16; Eze. 3.1,3; Re. 10.8-10. 
Baskets and even boats were made of the 
bulrush, Ex.2.3; Is. 18.2; 35.7. 

Bulwark, towers erected on the walls of 
cities, usually at the corners, 2CI1. 26. 15; 
Zep.1.16; Ps.48.13; Is.26.1;—also mounds 
erected by the besiegers, De.20.20. 
Bunah, bu'na [discretion], one of Judah’s 
posterity, 1 Ch.2.25. 

Burden, predictions sometimes, though not 
exclusively, of heavy judgments thus called; 
—of Babylon, Is. 13.1;—of Moab, 15.1;—of 
Egypt, 19. i;—of Tyre, 23. 1, &c.;—the 
weight of sin and trouble, Ps.38.4; 55.22; 
He. 12.1;—of infirmity, Ga.6.2. 
Burdensome, grievous, troublesome, Zee. 

12. ; 2 C0.11.0; 12.13,14. 

Burial, the Jews did to their dead enemies, 
1Ki.11.15;—the want of it a calamity, De. 
28.26; Ps. 79. 2; Ec. 6. 3; Is.14.19; Je.7.33; 
16.4,6; 25.33:34.20;—a pompous one of 
Jacob, Ge.50.7, &c.;—body of deceased 
washed and laid out for, Ac.9.37;—of La¬ 
zarus, Jn.11.44;—of Jesus, Mat.27.57. 
Burn, to inflame with anger, La. 2.3;—vio¬ 
lent lusts, 1 Co.7.9;—holy zeal, 2C0.11.29. 
Burning Bush, the Lord appeared in, to 
Moses, at the foot of Mount Horeb, Ex. 
3 - 2 - 

Burnished, polished, Eze. 1.7. 

Burnt offerings, daily, Ex. 29.38-42; Nu. 
28.3-8;—on the great festivals, Le.23.37; 
N11.28.11-27; 29.2-22; Le.16.3;—on Sab¬ 
bath, Nu.28.8-10;—offered at other times, 
Ex.29.15; Le. 12.6,8; 14.19; 15.15,30. 
Burst, to break asunder, Pr.3.10; Je.2.20; 
Mar.2.2T; Ac. 1.18. 

Bushel, a corn measure, the Roman modizis 
— 2 gallons = % of an English bushel, 
Mat.5.15; Mar.4.2i. 

Bushy, full of small branches, Ca.5.11. 
Business, diligence in, commanded, Ro. 12. 

11; 1Th-4.11; 2Th.3.12;—advantages of, 
Pr.22.2y; Ep. 4.28;—the neglect of, to be 
punished, Pr. 19.15; 2Th.3.io. 
Busy-bodies, officious persons, who meddle 
with other people’s concerns, censured, 
Pr.20.3; 26.17; iTh.4.11; 2Th.3.n; iTi.5. 

i 3 ;iPe. 4 .i 5 . 

Butler [bottler], a servant employed in fur¬ 
nishing the table, Ge.40.1,9,21; 41.9; Is.7. 
15; Ne.1.11. 

Butter, as used in Scripture, sour or coagu¬ 
lated milk, which, mixed with water, makes 
a refreshing beverage, Ge.18.8; De.32.14. 
Job 29. 6, * I washed my steps with but¬ 
ter,’ denotes abundance. 

Buttocks, the thickest part of the thigh, 2 
Sa. ic.4; Is.20.4. 


1 Pe.1.18. 

Buz [contempt], the son of Nahor, by Mil- 
cah, and ancestor of Elihu, the companion 
of Job, Ge.22.21; Job 32.2; Je.25.23. 

Buzi, bu'zi, a priest, the father of the pro¬ 
phet Ezekiel, Eze. 1.3. 


C. 


Cab, a measure containing one-third of an 
omer, or an eighteenth part of an ephah, 
about 3! pints wine-measure;—during the 
siege of Samaria, the fourth-part of a cab 
of doves’ dung, or rather chick-pease , was 
sold for five pieces of silver, 2 Ki.6.25. 

Cabbon, kab'bon [cake], a place in the plain 
of Judah;—a city in the tribe of Judah, 
Jos. 15.40. 

Cabin, small cells for the separate confine¬ 
ment of prisoners, Je. 37.16. 

Cabul, ka'bul [bound, boundary, as noth¬ 
ing], (1) A city on the frontier of the lot of 
Asher, Jos. 19. 27; probably the modern 
Kabfil, 8 miles east of Accho.—(2) A dis¬ 
trict of ‘twenty cities,’ that Solomon gave 
to Hiram, king of Tyre, 1 Ki. 9.10-13. 

Caesar. See Cesar. 

Cage, for birds, or wild beasts, Je.5.27; same 
word rendered ‘basket,’Am.8.1;—in Re. 
18.2 used in sense of prison. 

Caiaphas, kay'a-fas, a high-priest at the 
time Christ was put to death: the office 
was formerly for life, but at this time the 
Romans appointed to the office and re¬ 
moved from it at their pleasure;—his ad¬ 
vice to put Jesus to death, Jn.11.49; *8.14; 
—Jesus examined before him, Mat.26.57; 
Mar. 14. 53; Lu. 22. 54; Jn. 18.14;—he be¬ 
longed to the sect of the Sadducees, Ac. 5. 
17. Annas was probably his vicar or de¬ 
puty. 

Cain, kain [possession, lance], (1) The eldest 
son of Adam;—his mother, too sanguine in 
her hopes, seems to have imagined that he 
was the promised seed, when she called him 
a man, the Lord, Ge.4.1;—a tiller of the 
ground, 2;—offered fruit, 3;—was angry, 
and reproved by the Lord, 5-7;—kills his 
brother Abel, 8;—alluded to with censure, 
1 Jn.3.12; Jude n.—(2) A city in the low¬ 
lands of Judah, Jos.15.57. 

Cainan, kay'nan [possession], the son of 
Enos, and father of Mahalaleel, Ge.5.9-14. 
In Lu. 3. 36 he is called the son of Ar- 
phaxad, but probably this was another of 
the same name. 

Cakes, bread of fine flour, Ex. 12.39; Le.7. 
12; 24.5; Nu.15.20; Ju.7.13;—the ‘cakenot 
turned ’^mixture of truth and error, Ho. 
7.8. 

Calah, ka'lah [vigorous old age], one of the 
most ancient of the cities of Assyria, Ge. 
10.12; probably represented by the modern 
Nimriid. 

Calamities. See Afflictions. 

Calamus, an aromatic plant, an ingredient 
in the sacred perfume, Ex. 30.23; Ca.4.14; 
—an article in the trade of Tyre, Eze. 27. 
19;—called sweet cane, Is.43.24; Je.6.20. 

Calcol, kal'kol, one of the five sons of Ma- 
hol, who were famous for their wisdom, 1 
Ch.2.6;—called Chalcol, 1 Ki.4.31. 

Caldron, a large cooking vessel, 1 Sa.2.14; 
—an emblem of the destruction of Jerusa¬ 
lem, Eze. 11.3,11. 

Caleb, ka'leb [a dog, or the valiant hero], 
(1) The son of Jephunneh, was one of the 
twelve who were sent by Moses to spy the 
land;—gives a good account of the land of 
Canaan, Nu.13.30; 14.6; De.1.36:—obtains 
Hebron, Jos.14.6; 15.13.—(2) The son of 
Hur, his descendants, 1 Ch. 2. 50.—(3) A 
district about Carmel, of Judah, allotted 
to Caleb, iSa.30.14; Jos.14.13. 

Calf, made by Aaron, in imitation of the 
Egyptian idol Apis, Ex.32.4;—Jeroboam 
made two golden calves, and set the one 
in Bethel and the other in Dan, 1 Ki.12. 
28;—the calves were a snare to the people 
till the time of the captivity;—a fatted, 
the choicest animal food, 1 Sa.28.24; Am. 
6.4: Lu.15.23. 

Calkers, carpenters, who build and repair 
ships, Eze.27.9,27. 

Call, God’s invitation in the gospel, ad¬ 
dressed to all men, Pr.8.4; Is.45.22; 55.1; 
Mar. 16.15;Jn. 7-37 > Re-22.17;—rejected by 


many, Mat.20.16; 22.14; Jn.5.40;—awful | 
doom of those who refuse, Pr. 1.24, &c.; 
Je.26.4-6; 35.17; Ac. 13.46; 18.6; He. 12.25; 
Mat. 22.3-7; Re. 2.5. 

Call, effectual, by which the Spirit of God 
brings sinners to Christ;—it is a call from 
death to life, Jn.5.24,25;—from darkness 
to light, Ac.26.18; 1 Pe.2.9;—from bond¬ 
age to liberty, Ga.5.13;—from fellowship 
with the world to the fellowship of Christ, 

1 Co. 1.9;—from enmity to peace, 1 C0.7. 
15; Col. 3.15;—from sin to holiness, 1 Th. 
4.7;—from misery to happiness, 1 Co. 7.15; 
—made effectual, Ps.110.3; Ac.13.48; 2.47. 
In its tiature it is 0/grace, Ga. 1.15;—a 
holy calling, 2TL1.9;—a high calling, Phi. 
3.14;—a heavenly calling, He. 3.1;—and 
without repentance, or final rejection, Ro. 
11.29; — t0 ^e eternal glory of Christ, 

2 Th.2.14; 1 Pe.5.10. 

Calm, repose, rest, Ps. 107.29; Jonah 1.11, 
12; Mat.8.26. 

Calneh, kal'ne [fortified dwelling], a city 
on the west bank of the Tigris, built by 
Nimrod, Ge. 10. 10; supposed to be the 
same as Cahio, Is. 10.9, and Canneh, whose 
inhabitants traded with the Tyrians, Eze. 
27. 23;—its site identified by some with 
the modern Niffer, 50 miles south-east of 
Babylon. 

Calvary, kal'va-re [skull], mentioned but 
once, in Lu.23.33 ( xn the Greek Cranion, a 
skull), as the place where Christ was cru¬ 
cified. It is a term adopted from the Vul¬ 
gate version, so called because executions 
were performed there, and skulls were 
probably left lying on the ground; or pro¬ 
bably because it was a bare round spot 
like a skull. In Jn.19.17 it is called Gol¬ 
gotha. The identity of the present site 
of Calvary is doubtful. 

Calve, to bring forth young, Job 21.10; 39. 

1; Ps.29.9; Je.14.5. 

Calves, young cows, Ps.68.30; H0.10.5; 13. 

2; He.9.12,19;—of the lips, figuratively re¬ 
presents praise to God, Ho. 14. 2; He. 
I 3 - I 5 - 

Camel [carrier], a large quadruped, with a 
long and slender neck, long legs, and short 
ears; and which can carry a heavy burden, 
and travel long without drink, during in¬ 
tense heat. The Bactrian camel has two 
humps on its back, while that generally 
mentioned in Scripture has only one. 
Abraham had many, Ge.12.16;—Job had 
three thousand, Job 1.3;—coarse raiment 
made of their hair, Johti, Mat.3.4; 2 Ki.i. 

8; Zee. 13.4. The dromedary is a smaller 
and nimbler species of, Is.66.20; Je.2.23. 

Camon, ka'mon [full of stalks], the burial- 
place of Jair the Gileadite, Ju.10.5. 

Camp, the order of tents for the Hebrews 
in the desert; forty-one encampments in 
the journey through the wilderness are 
mentioned, Nu. xxxiii. The form of en¬ 
camping described, Nu.2.2,3;—the taber¬ 
nacle was placed in the midst, and Moses, 
Aaron, and their families had their tents 
on the east of it; and the angel of the 
Lord went before the camp, Ex. 14.19;— 
an army in the open air, 1 Sa.4.6. 

Camphire, a plant of great beauty and 
fragrance found in Egypt and the East, 
called al-henna and khofreh by the Nu¬ 
bians. From its leaves an orange dye is 
made, Ca.1.14; 4.13. 

Cana, ka'nah, of Galilee [reedy], (1) A 
village about eight miles north of N azareth, 
and sixteen from the lake;—Jesus’ first 
miracle here, Jn.2.1, &c. It was the native 
place of Nathanael, 21.2. The true site 
of Cana is disputed. The probability is 
that Kana-el-jeltl is the true site.—(2) A 
town of the tribe of Asher, near Sidon, 
Jos. 19.28. 

Canaan, ka'nan [low or lowland], (1) The 
fourth son of Ham, who sported with his 
father’s shame, Ge.9.22;—was cursed, 25; 
—his posterity was numerous and was 
subjugated by the Israelites, the descend¬ 
ants of Shem, thus fulfilling Noah’s pro¬ 
phecy, 2 Ch.8.7-9. His eldest son Zidon 
was founderofthecityof the same name.— 
(2) The Land of, so named from Canaan, 
the son of Ham, bounded by Arabia on 
the east; on the south by the wilderness 
of Paran, Idumea, and Egypt; on the west 
by the Mediterranean; and on the north 
by the mountains of Lebanon. Canaan 
proper was about 158 miles long, and on 
an average about 40 broad. As occupied 
by all the tribes, including those on the 
east of Jordan, it consisted of about 19,000 
square miles. But as extended by con¬ 


quest in the time of David and Solomon 
the kingdom reached to the Euphrates, 
and to the remotest confines of Edom and 
Moab, 1 Ki.4.21. It has since been dis¬ 
tinguished by other names, such as the 
Land of Promise, the Holy Land, Judea, 
and Palestine. It is described as ‘a land 
flowing with milk and honey.’ It was well 
watered, very fruitful, abounding with rich 
pastures and flowers, and much diversified 
with hills and valleys, resembling the 
southern counties of Scotland. From its 
position its climate was very hot during 
eight months in the year;—described in 
reference to many of its natural advan¬ 
tages, De. 8. 7-9; 11. 10-12;—promised to 
Abraham, Ge.12.7;—its boundary, Ex.23. 
31; Nu.34.1; Jos.1.3;—conquered by Jo¬ 
shua, 11.16;—its kings enumerated, 12.9; 
—the names of those who were to divide 
it, Nu.34.16;—how to be divided, 26.52;— 
divided by lot, Jos.14.1, &c.;—its borders 
not conquered, 13. i;Ju.2. 3;—its ruined 
cities to be rebuilt, after the return of the 
Israelites from their dispersion, Is.49.19; 
51. 3; 52. 9; 54. 3; 61. 4; Eze. 36. 33;—what 
portion of it will be for the sanctuary, 45. 
1, &c.;—for the city, 6;—for the prince, 
7;—its boundary,47.13;—its division by lot, 
48.1. At the time of Christ it was divided 
into five provinces, Judea, Samaria, Ga¬ 
lilee, Perea, and Idumea. This once beau¬ 
tiful land has been constantly suffering 
under the horrors of servitude and frequent 
wars. After the destruction of Jerusalem, 
a.d. 71, the land remained almost desolate 
till about the 4th century, when pilgrims 
began to resort to it. In the beginning 
of the 7th century it was occupied by the 
Saracens, who held it till it was taken by 
the Crusaders in the 12th. For about 80 
years after that it was the scene of con¬ 
stant wars between the Christians and 
Saracens. After passing through various 
revolutions it was finally absorbed in the 
Turkish empire in 1317. Its once noble 
cities are now poor villages, and most of 
the former villages are utterly extinct. Its 
barren, poverty-stricken, and altogether 
ruinous condition affords a remarkable 
example of the fulfilment of the divine 
threatening, ‘He turnethrivers into a wil¬ 
derness, and the watersprings into dry 
ground; a fruitful land into barrenness, for 
the wickedness of them that dwell there¬ 
in,’ Ps. 107.33,34. Its cities, mountains, 
rivers, brooks, and valleys are mentioned 
each apart. 

Canaan, Language of, Is. 19.18, the lan¬ 
guage of the Jews in Palestine, the He¬ 
brew. 

Canaanites, idolatrous, to be extirpated. 
Ex.23.31; 34.12; Nu.33.50; De.20.16;—not 
wholly conquered by Joshua, 16.10; 17.12; 
Ju.1.27, &c.; 2.20; 3.1, &c.;—six nations 
of, Ex.3.8,17; 23.23:33.2. 

Candace, kan-da'se, a queen of Ethiopia, 
that region in Upper Nubia called by the 
Greeks Meroe;—her high treasurer con¬ 
verted by the preaching of Philip the evan¬ 
gelist, Ac. 8.27. 

Candle, light originally with oil-lamps, Job 
18.6;—the soul, Pr.20.27;—ministers, Mat. 
5 - x 5 - 

Candlestick, for the tabernacle, formed of 
gold, with six branches, and with oil. Ex. 
25.3 1 ; 37.17;—stood in the holy place, on 
the south side, i.e. on the left of the per¬ 
son entering, and opposite the table of 
show-bread, Ex.26.35;—shown in vision to 
Zechariah, Zec.4.1;—the seven churches, 
Re. 1.20. In Mat.5.15, a lamp-stand. 
Candour, fair, open, and impartial dealing, 
commended and exemplified, 2 Sa. 12.7; Ps. 
15.2,3; Mat.7.1,12: 2C0.1.12. 

Cane, a tall sedgy plant with a hollow stem, 
1 Ki.14.15; Job 40.21; Is.19.6; 35.7;— com¬ 
mon in Arabia and Syria;—used in writ¬ 
ing. The Hebrew word is usually ren¬ 
dered reed, except in Is.43.24 and Je.6.20, 
where it is rendered cane. Sweet cane 
[reed of fragrance], enumerated among 
other aromatic substances, Ca.4.14; Eze. 
27.17. See Calamus. 

Canneh, kan'nay [a plant], Eze.27.23; same 
as Calneh or Calno. 

Canker [gangrene], an eating sore ending in 
mortification, aTi.a.17; Ja.5.3. 

Canker worm, one that preys upon the 
fruits, and is much like to the locusts, Joel 
1. 4; Na. 3. 15, 16;—elsewhere called the 
caterpillar, Je.51.27; Ps.105.34. 

Canticles,kan'ti-kelsf song],the Latin name 
given to the Song of Solomon. 







592 (Ca—Ch) 

Capernaum, ka-per'n&-um [city of com¬ 
fort]. a city on the north-west shore of the 
Sea of Galilee, and distant about ninety-six 
miles from Jerusalem, Mat.4.13,14;—here 
Christ preached to multitudes, and per¬ 
formed many mighty works, Mat.8.5; Lu. 
7.1; Mat.8.14; Lu.4.38; Mat.9.1; Mar.2.1; 

I. 33; Lu.4. 33. Christ uttered a fearful 
prophecy against, Mat.n.23;Lu.io.i5. In 
Christ’s day it was a flourishing town, Mat. 

II. 23;—Jesus very frequently visited this 
city, it was called ‘his own city,’ Lu.4.16- 
31. The site of this city is still matter of 
dispute. 

Caphtor, kaftor fchaplet, knop], the ori¬ 
ginal seat of the Philistines, De.2.23; Am. 
9.7;—it is called an * isle’ or coast country, 
Je. 47. 4. Some say that it was Cappa¬ 
docia, others the island of Cyprus, others 
the coasts of the Egyptian Delta. Most 
probably it was Upper Egypt. 

Caphtorim, kafftor-im, the Philistines, De. 
2.23;—the descendants of Mizraim, Ge. 10. 
I4 ‘ 

Cappadocia, kap-pa-do'she-a,the most east¬ 
ern province of Asia Minor, extending from 
Mount Taurus to the Euxine Sea, and was 
bounded by Pontus on the north, Lycaonia 
and part of Armenia on the south, Galatia 
on the west, and by the Euphrates on the 
east. 11 contained many rich and populous 
cities;—persons from it present in Jerusa¬ 
lem, when the apostles preached, Ac.2.9; 
—Peter addresses the strangers in, 1 Pe. 1. 

I. It became a Roman province a.d. 17. 
It was wrested from the Romans by the 
Turks, under whose dominion it continues. 
A number of Christians still remain, but 
greatly corrupted. It is now called Ama- 
sia. 

Captain, a military officer, J0s.10.24; Ju. 

II. 6, ii; Is. 22. 3;—the praetorian prefect, 
Ac. 28. 16; — the superintendent of the 
priests who kept watch in the temple by 
night, Ac.4.1; 5.24;—Christ, captain of sal¬ 
vation, He. 2.10. 

Captive, one taken prisoner, Ge.14.14; Ex. 
12.29; Ps- 106. 46; 137. 3; Je.13.17,19; Da. 
11.8. 

Captives, female, how to be treated, De. 
21.10. 

Captivity, slavery, or bondage, of the ten 
tribes forming the kingdom of Israel, by 
the Assyrian Shalmanezer, b. c. 720, 2 
Ki 15. 29; 17. 3-5; 1 Ch. 5.26;—of the two 
tribes, the kingdom of Judah, by the Chal¬ 
deans, 2 Ki. xxiv.; 2 Ch. xxxvi.; Je. xxv. 
xxvi. xxix. xxxii.xxxiv. li.; Eze.xii.; Da.i. 

1: the sufferings of the captivity, Ps. 137. 
1-5; Je.4. 19-31.—‘ He led captivity cap¬ 
tive' — led captive all his foes, Ep.4.8;— 
‘children of the captivity,’ Ezr.4.1;—psalm 
of praise on their return from it, Ps.cxxxvi.; 
Is. xxvi. 

Carbuncle [flashing as lightning], a very 
elegant gem, of a deep red colour, mingled 
with scarlet. It was the third in the first 
row of the high-priest’s breastplate. Ex. 28. 
17; Is.54.12; Eze.28.13. Under this name 
are comprehended several brilliant stones 
of the same family, as the ruby and the 
garnet. 

Carcase, a dead body of man or beast, Le. 

5.2; Is.j4.19; Mat.24.28. 

Carchemish, karike-mish [fortress of Che- 
mosh], a town of the Assyrians, on the 
banks of the Euphrates. It commanded 
the passage of the river, and was therefore 
the battle-field of Egypt and Assyria, Is. 
10. 9; Je. 66. 2;—taken by the Egyptians, 
2Ch.35.20:—retaken by Nebuchadnezzar, 
Je.46.1-12. 

Careah, ka-re'ah, 1 Ki.25.23; Je.40.8. 
Carefulness, great care, vigilance, Eze.12. 

18; 1 Co. 7.32: 2 Co. 7.11. 

Careless Persons, or those who are secure 
and unconcerned, called to serious thought¬ 
fulness, Is.32.9-11. 

Cares, anxious. See Anxiety. 

Carmel, kar'mel [park, garden], (i) A city 
in the mountains of Judah, ten miles south¬ 
east of Hebron, Jos. 15. 55;—here Saul 
erected a monument, 1 Sa. 15. 12 ;—here 
Nabal dwelt, 25.5.—(2) Acelebrated moun¬ 
tain on the coast of the Mediterranean. It 
is about 1728 feet in height. This range 
extends about twenty-eight miles, and in 
the south-east is connected with the moun¬ 
tains of Samaria. For its beauty and 
luxuriant forests it was compared with 
Bashan, Ca. 7. 5; Is. 33. 9; 35. 2; Je. 46. 18. 
Here Elijah offered his sacrifice, which 
was consumed by fire from heaven, 1 Ki. 
18.21-38;—here 450 prophets of Baal were 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


slain, 40. Carmel is now called Jebel Mar 
Elyas. 

Carmelite, karimel-ite, a designation of Na¬ 
bal, 1 Sa.27.2; 30.5;—of Abigail, 2 Sa.3.3; 
—of one of David’s warriors, 23.35. 

Carmi, karimi, one of the sons of Reuben, 
Ge.47.9; Ex.6.14. 

Carmites, karimites, a family of Reuben, 
Nu.26.6. 

Carnal, fleshly, sensual, sinful, Ro.7.14; 8. 
9; 15.27; 1 Co.3.1,3; 9.11; 2C0.10.4; He. 7. 
16; 9.10;— mind, its enmity against God, 
Ro.8.7;—the ceremonial parts of the Mo¬ 
saic dispensation were, He.7.16; 9.10^— 
weapons of Christian warfare are not, 2 Co. 

10.4. 

Carpenter, Christ reproached as the son of, 
Mat. 13.55;—himself so called, Mar.6.3. 
Carpus, kar'pus [fruit, or fruitful], a convert 
of Paul, who dwelt at Troas, 2Ti.4.i3- 
Carriage, a load for man or beast, Ju.i8. 
21; 1 Sa. 17.22;—baggage, Is.10.28;—‘they 
took up their carriages ’ = packed up their 
baggage, Ac.21.4. 

Carry, to bear, protect, or drive, Ge.37.25; 
42.19; Ex.33.15; Is.23.7; Mar. 6. 55; Ep. 4. 
14 - 

Carshena, kar-she'na, an officer of Ahasu- 
erus, Es. 1.14. 

Cart, a carriage for luggage, 1 Sa.6.7:2Sa. 
6.3; Is. 28. 28;—the same word rendered 
‘waggon,’ Ge.45.19,20,27; Nu.7.3,6,7,8;— 
‘chariot,’ Ps.46.9;—‘litter,’ Is.66.20. 
Carving, cutting figures or images, Ex. 31. 
5; Ju. 18. 18; 1 Ki.6.18; 2Ch.33.71 Ps.74.6; 
Pr.7.16. 

Casement, a window or grate with hinges, 
Pr.7.6;—translated lattice in Ju.5.28. 
Casiphia, ka-sifl-a [silver], a place sup¬ 
posed to have been near Babylon, where 
Levites had settled during the captivity, 
Ezr.8.17. 

Casluhim, kas-lu'im [hopes of life], a peo¬ 
ple descended from a son of Mizraim, Ge. 
10.14; 1 Ch. 1.12. 

Cassia, a sweet aromatic spice, an inferior 
kind of cinnamon, used in making the 
sacred oil, and other perfumes, Ex. 30.24; 
Ps. 45. 8;—was an article of Tyrian trade, 
Eze.27.19. 

Cast-away, a lost person, 1 Co. 9.27. 
Cast-out, to excommunicate, Jn.9.22,34. 
Castles, places fortified, Ge.25.16; 1 Ch.6. 
54; 2 Ch. 27.4;—the castles of the sons of 
Ishmael were watch-towers, Ge.25.16. 
Castor and Pollux, kas'tor and pol'lux, 
called the Dioscuroi in the original, Ac. 
28.11. In the Greek and Roman mytho- 
logy they were reckoned the twin-sons of 
Jupiter ; they were the tutelary deities of 
sailors; their images, therefore, were affix¬ 
ed to the heads of ships. 

Caterpillars, insects which prey on leaves 
and fruits, 1 Ki.8.37;—often employed in 
execution of God’s judgments, Ps. 78. 46; 
105.34.—represent a great multitude, Is. 
33.4; Je.51.14,27. 

Cattle, to be watered, or freed from danger, 
on the Sabbath-day, Mat.12.11; Lu. 13.15; 
i 4 - 5 - 

Caul, 1) A net-work that covers the heart 
of some animals, Ex.29.13; Le.3.4.—(2; A 
cap of a net-work worn by females. Is. 3. 
18. 

Causeless, without reason, 1 Sa. 25.31; Pr. 
26.2. 

Causeway, a paved way, i Ch.26.16: 2 Ch. 

9.4. The same word is rendered ‘ways,’ 
Ps.84.5. 

Caves, places of habitation, Ge. 19.30;—of 
concealment, Jos. 10.16; Ju.6.2; iSa.13.6; 
22.1,2; 24.3; 2 Sa.23.13;—places for burial, 
Ge.23.17,19; 49.29; Jn.11.38;—of Adullam, 
1 Sa.22.1;—Makeddah, Jos. 10.16;—in the 
wilderness of Engedi, 1 Sa.24.3. 

Cease, to leave off, 1 Sa. 7.8;—to be for¬ 
gotten, De.32.26;—to be removed, La.5. 
14;—to abstain from, Ps.37.8; Is. 1.16. 
Cedar, the noblest of trees. It rises to the 
height of 70or 80 feet; its branches spread 
out almost horizontally to a distance 
sometimes of 120 feet; is always green, 
and affords a delightful shade, 2Ki. 19. 
23; Ca.5.15; 2 Sa.7.2; 1 Ki. 4. 33; Ps. 80.10; 
92. 12; Am. 2. 9;—the temple of Solomon 
built with it, 1 Ki. 6. 15;—he applies to 
Hiram for it, 5.6;—he wrote of it, 4.33;— 
an emblem of the future prosperous state 
of Israel, Eze.17.22. 

I Cedron, Jn.18.1. See Kidron. 

! Ceiling, of a room, Hag. 1.4;—of cedar or 
fir, 1 Ki.6.15; 2 Ch.3.5; Je.22.14. 

! Celebrate, to praise, Le.23.32,41; Is.38.18. 
j Celestial, heavenly, 1 Co. 15.40. 


Celibacy, or abstinence from marriage, 
commended under certain circumstances, 
Mat. 19. 12; 1 Co. 7. 1-35;—forbidding to 
marry is a character of the apostasy, 1 Ti. 
4.3. 

Cellars, stores for wine, &c., 1Ch.27.28;— 
the same word applied to the treasury of 
the temple, 1 Ki.7.51, and of the king, 14. 
26. 

Cenchrea, ken-kre'a [millet], the eastern 
seaport of Corinth[ on the Saronic Gulf. 
It was distant about 9 miles from Corinth. 
Paul sailed thence for Ephesus, Ac. 18.18; 
Ro.16.1. 

Censer, a vessel in the form of a cup, for 
the purpose of carrying the fire in which 
incense was burned, Le. 16.12;—of Korah, 
&c., to be applied to the covering of the 
altar, Nu. 16.6,37,38. That used on the 
great day of atonement made of pure gold, 

1 Ki.7.50; He.9.4. It is spoken of under 
the designation of a ‘spoon,’ Nu.7.14, and 
a ‘vial,’ Re.5.8. 

Centurion, a Roman officer having the 
command of a hundred soldiers;—one of 
them came to Christ, and begged him to 
heal his servant. Mat.8.5;—another con¬ 
fessed the Messiahship and innocence of 
Christ at his crucifixion, Mat. 27.54; Lu. 
23.47;—Cornelius the first Gentile convert 
to Christianity one of them, Ac. 10.1. 
Cephas, se'fas [a rock, or stone], the Syriac 
surname given to Peter, Jn. 1.42. 
Ceremonies, rites, Nu.9.3, or ordinances, 
He.9.1, used in the Jewish worship. See 
Types. 

Certain, sure, some, Nu.16.2; De. 13.13; 
Mat. 20.20; Ga.2.12. 

Certainty, that which is real and fixed, Jos. 
23.13; Pr.22. 21; Da.2.8; Lu. 1.4; Ac.21.34; 
22.30. 

Certify, to give sure information, 2Sa.i5. 
28; Ezr.4.16; Ga. 1.11. 

Cesar, or Caesar, se'zar, the regal title of 
the Roman emperors, as Augustus, Lu.2. 
1;—Tiberius, Mat.22.21;—Nero, Ac.25.11; 
—Claudius, 11.28, who banished (a.d. 50) 
the Jews from Rome, 18.2. 

Cesarea, se-zar-e'a, a city on the shore of 
the Mediterranean, about 60 miles north¬ 
west of Jerusalem, and was built by Herod 
the Great, in honour of Augustus;—was 
the residence of Philip, Ac.8.40;—and of 
Cornelius, 10.1,24;— scene of Herod Agrip- 
pa’s death, 12.19;—Paul was brought to, 
after his conversion, 9.30;—Cornelius sent 
messengers from, to Peter, ii.n; —Paul 
was sent to, to be tried before Felix, 23. 
23. It bore the names of Cesarea Stra- 
tonis. Maritime Cesarea, and Cesarea 
Palestinae, to distinguish it from Cesarea 
Philippi. Herod made it his residence, 
and thus elevated it to the rank of civil and 
military capital of Judea. During the 
Crusades the city was taken in 1101 by king 
Baldwin, and retaken and destroyed in 
1187 by Saladin. Only now extensive 
ruins, called Kaisariyeh. 

-Philippi, a city that stood between 

Sidon and Damascus, near the sources of 
the Jordan, Mar.8.27. Its ancient name 
was Paneas. It was enlarged and embel¬ 
lished by Philip the tetrarch, who called it 
Cesarea, in honour of his emperor Tibe¬ 
rius Cesar, adding Philippi, to distinguish 
it from the Cesarea on the sea-coast. It 
is now called Baneas, a wretched village 
of about forty houses. The ruins cover 
a wide space. 

Chafed, highly provoked, 2,Sa. 17.8. 

Chaff, the husk of corn, Ps. 1.4; 35.5;—false 
doctrine, Je.23.28;—ungodly, vile, worth¬ 
less persons, Zep.2.2; Job 21.18; Mat. 3.12. 
Chain, a series of links, Ge.41.42; Ex. 28. 
14;—bondage, La. 3.7;—prisoner, Ac. 12.7; 
—hell, Jude 6. 

-, of gold, with which Joseph was 

honoured, Ge.41.42;—on the camels of the 
Midianites, Ju.8.26;—on Daniel, Da.5.29; 
—an emblem of the fate of Israel, Eze.7. 
23 - 

Chalcedony, kal'se-do-ne, a precious stone, 
a species of quartz of very many shades of 
colour, Re. 21.19. 

Chaldea, kal-de'a [Heb. Kasdim\ a coun¬ 
try in Asia, which lay eastward of Syria. 
It was situated on the banks of the Ti¬ 
gris and the Euphrates, extending south¬ 
ward to the Persian Gulf. It is first 
mentioned in Ge. 11.28. Its soil was very 
fertile. It was well watered by the an¬ 
nual inundations of the Tigris and the 
Euphrates, Je.50.10; 51.24,35; Eze. 16. 29; 
23.16. The two names Chaldea and Ba¬ 


bylonia were often applied to the same, 
country, Je. 24. 5; 25. 12; 50.8; Eze.12.j3. 
By the conquest of neighbouring tribes 
and nations the Chaldeans founded the 
vast empire, which, from them, was called 
Chaldea. From 1639 it has been under 
the dominion of the Turks. 

Chaldeans, or Chaldees [Heb. Kas dint ], 
denotes until the captivity the inhabitants 
of Chaldea Shinar , the capital of which 
was Babylon, 2 Ki.xxv.; ls.13.19; 23. 13; 
45.14; Je.21.4. But in the book of Daniel 
the Chaldeans are mentioned in connec¬ 
tion with the magicians and astronomers 
as a distinct priestly class. The Chaldeans 
were one of the original Cushite tribes 
that inhabited the plains of Chaldea. They 
gradually gained the ascendency over the 
other tribes, and gave name to the whole 
country. The language of this old Cushite 
tribe was the learned language for scien¬ 
tific and religious literature, and all who 
became acquainted with that ‘learning’ 
)Da. 1.4) were called Chaldeans. They 
were the learned class, which compre¬ 
hended the priests, magicians, and as¬ 
tronomers. 

Chalk-stones, a soft mineral like limestone, 

ls.27.9. 

Chamber, the private apartments of a house 
called chambers, 2Sa. 18.33;Ps. t9-5;Da.6. 
10; — guest-chamber, Mat. 14. 14;—inner, 
2 Ki.9.2— little, 2 Ki.4.10;—upper, Ac. 9. 
37;—of imagery, Eze. 8.7-12;—the clouds,. 
Ps. 104.13. 

Chambering, riot or debauchery, Ro. 13. 
1 . 3 - 

Chamberlain, Es. 1.10,12,14; 2.3,14,15,21; 
4.4,5;—generally elsewhere more correctly 
rendered eunuch, Da.1.3,7; Is.56.3,4, &c.; 
—an officer in eastern courts;—in Ro. 16. 
23, the city treasurer. 

Chameleon, a little animal of the lizard 
kind, which has the power of changing the 
colour of its skin, Le. 11.30. 

Chamois, a species of goat, De.14,5. 
Champaign, a plain, open country, De. 11. 
30 - 

Champion, a ‘mighty man,’ 1 Sa. 17. 51;— 
in 17.4,23, it is used of Goliath, as a man 
between the two, who stood between the 
armies of the Hebrews and the Philistines. 
Chance, unforeseen, a thing unexpected 
or unlooked for, 1 Sa.6.9;—accident, 2 Sa. 
t . 9;—excluded by Divine Providence, Ps. 
91.3, &c.; Pr. 16. 33; Mat. 6. 26; 10.29; Lu. 
12.6. 

Chancellor, a high officer of the Persian 
court, Ezr.4.8,9. 

Chanceth, happeneth, De.23.10. 
Changeable, fickle, Is. 3.22. 

Changes, alterations, Ge. 45. 22; 2 Ki. 5. 5; 
Job 10.17; Ps.55.19. 

Chanaan, ka'nan, Ac. 7.11, another form of 
Canaan. 

Channel, the bed of a stream, Ps. 18.15; Is. 
8. 7; 27. 12;—elsewhere ‘stream,’ ‘river,’ 
&c. 

Chant, to sing, occurs only in Am.6.5. 
Chapel, a holy place, a place of worship, 
Am.7.13;—elsewhere rendered sanctuary. 
Ex.25.8; Le. 12.4 ; 21.12; 2 Ch.22.19, &c. 
Chapiters, ornaments on the tops of pillars, 
&c., called in modern architecture capi¬ 
tals, the uppermost parts of columns, Ex. 
36.38; 38.17; 1 Ki.7.16. 

Chapmen [travellers], i.e. for purposes ol 
traffic, 2 Ch.9.14;—called spice merchants, 

1 Ki. 10.5. 

Chapt, rent with drought, Je. 14.4. 

Charge, an order, injunction, or command; 
—of God to Adam, Ge.2.16;—of Moses to 
Joshua, De.31.7; -of God to Joshua, Jos. 
1.2;—of Joshua te the people, 22.1:23.2; 
— of David to Solomon, 1 Ki.2.1; iCh.22. 
6;—of Jehoshaphat to the judges, 2 Ch.19. 
6, 9;—of Jesus to the apostles, Mat. 10. 1, 
&c.;—to the seventy, Lu. 10.1;—to Peter, 
Jn.21.15;— t0 the apostles before his as¬ 
cension, Mat. 28.19,20 ;M ar. 16.16;—of Paul 
to the elders of Ephesus, Ac. 20.17, &c. 
Chargeable, costly, 2 Sa.13.25, Ne. 5.15; 

2 Co. 11.9; 1 Th.2.9. 

Charger, a shallow basin or bowl, now 
called a salver, Nu.7.13,19, &c.; Ezr. 1.9; 
Mat. 14.8; Mar.6.25;—elsewhere rendered 
dish. Ex. 25.29136.16; Nu.4.7. 

Chariots, frequently used in ancient times 
in war, drawn by two or more horses, and 
carrying two men. Pharaoh pursued Is¬ 
rael with six hundred, Ex. 14.7;—Philis¬ 
tines fight against Israel with thirty thou¬ 
sand, iSa.13.5;—Solomon had a thousand 
and four hundred, 1 Ki. 10. 26;—Jabin, 














THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


king of Canaan, had nine hundred of 
iron, Ju.4.3. The ‘chariot’ in Ca.3.9,10 
was probably a palanquin;—‘of the cheru- 
bims’ (1 Ch.28.18), the frame on which the 
cherubim rested;—horses, 2 Ki. 7. 14;— 
man, 2Ch.18.33;—of the sun, 2Ki.23.11. 
Charity, or Love, and general benevol¬ 
ence recommended, Ex. 23.4; Le. 19.18; De. 
15.7; 22.1; Job 31.16, &c.; Pr.24.17; 25.21; 
Ec. 11.1; Mat.7.12; 22. 39; 1 Co. xiii.; Ja.2. 

8. See Affection and Love. 

Charm, as enchanter, used of serpent¬ 
charming, Ps.58.5; Je.8.17; Ec. xo.11. 
Charran, kar'ran, Ac. 7.2,4. See Haran. 
Chasten, to correct in love, Ps. 118.18; Re. 

3. i9;-*-to punish, Le.26.28; Pr. 19.18;—to 
humble, Da. 10.12. 

Chastisement, correction, Job 34.31; He. 
12.8;— of our peace, on Christ, the punish¬ 
ment by bearing which he reconciled us 
to God, Is. 53.5. See Affliction. 
Chastity, enjoined, 2Co.6.4,6; Ga.5.19-22; 

1 Co. 7. 5; Phi. 4. 8; 1 Ti. 4. 12; Tit. 1.8; 2.5; 

1 Th.4.3;—an example of it in Joseph, Ge. 
39.7;—in Job, Job 31.1. 

Chatter, to make noise like birds, Is.38.14. 
Chaws, jaws, Eze.29.4; 38.4. 

Chebar, ke'bar [strength or power], a river 
in Chaldea, where Ezekiel saw several of 
his visions, Eze.1.1; 3.15; 10.15,20. Com¬ 
monly supposed to be the Chaboras of the 
Greeks, now called Khabour, falling into 
the Euphrates at Circesium; by others 
supposed to be the Euphrates, but most 
probably it was the Royal Canal, the 
Nahr Malcha, of Nebuchadnezzar. 
Checker-work, flowers, images, &c., 1 Ki. 
7.17. 

Chedorlaomer, ked-or-la'o-mer [binding of 
a sheaf], a king of Elam, takes Sodom, Ge. 
14.11;-—defeated by Abraham, 15. 
Cheerful, gay, merry, frank, Pr. 15. 13; 
Zec.8.19; 2 Co.9.7. 

Cheerfulness, liveliness, recommended, Pr. 

12.25; i5-i3> x 5; 17-22. 

Cheese, slices of curdled milk, 1 Sa. 17.18;— 

" coagulated milk, Job 10.10; 2 Sa. 17.29. In 
each of these passages the original term so 
rendered is different. 

Chelubai, ke-lu'by, a son of Hezron, 1 Ch. 
2.9;—called Caleb, 18,19. 

Chemarims, kem'a-rims, the name of Baal’s 
priests, Zep.1.4. The same word rendered 
‘idolatrous priests,’ 2Ki.23.51 H0.10.5. 
Chemosh, ke'mosh [subduer or fire-god], 
the national god of the Moabites, Nu.21 
29; 1 Ki. 11.7; Je.48.13. See Baal-Peor. 
Chenaanah, ke-na'a-nah, (1) A warrior in the 
time of David, 1 Ch. 7. 10. —(2) The father 
of the false prophet Zedekiah, 2CI1.18.10, 
23. 

Chenaniah, ken-a-nl'ah [God’s goodness] 
a Levite of the family of the Izharites, and 
a chief musician of the temple, 1 Ch. 15.22, 
27. 

Chephirah, kef-l'rah [the village], one of 
the Gibeonite towns of Benjamin, Jos. 9.17 
Ne. 7. 29; Ezr. 2.25; now Kefir , about 11 
miles west from Jerusalem. 

Cherethims, ker'eth-ims, probably Cre 
tans, Eze.25.16; the word rendered ‘Cher 
ethims ’ is in Zep. 2. 5 rendered ‘ Cher- 
ethites.’ 

Cherethites, found alone only in 1 Sa. 30.^ 
14 and Zep.2.5. Elsewhere‘Cherethites* 
are named along with the ‘Pelethites. 
These two classes constituted David’: 
body-guard, 2 Sa. 8.18; 15* 18; 1 Ki. 1.38,44 
Cherish, to nurse up and comfort, 1 Ki.1.2 
4; Ep.5.29; iTh.2.7. 

Cherith, ke'rith [separation], a brook of 
which Elijah drank till it was dry, 1 Ki.17. 
3,4. It was probably the valley of Achor. 
now called the Wady Kelt, between Jeru 
salem and the Jordan. 

Cherub, tsher'ub [as a master], (1) A place 
mentioned in Ezr. 2.59; Ne.7.61, supposed 
to be in Babylonia.—(2) An order of spirit 
ual intelligences. The word Cherubim 
first occurs in Ge.3.24;—figures of, for the 
ark, Ex. 25.18-20; 37.6;—between them God 
dwelt, or manifested his presence, 1 Sa.4.4; 
Ps.80.1; Is.37.16;—for the temple, 2CI1.3. 
n;—seen in vision by Ezekiel, Eze. 1. 4; 
10.8; 11.22. 

Chesed, ke'sed, the fourth of the eight sons 
of Nahor, Ge.22.22. 

Chesil, ke'sil, a town in the south of Judah, 
Jos. 15. 30; probably the same as Bethul, 
Jos. 19.4. 

Chestnut-tree, probablythe tree now known 
as the plane-tree, Ge.30.37; Eze.31.8. 
Chesuiloth, ke-suHoth [the hopes], a city 
in the tribe of Issachar (Jos. 19.18), on the 


border of Zebulun, at the foot of Mount 
Tabor, and hence called Chisloth-Tabor, 
Jos. 19.11. Now Iksal. Probably same as 
Tabor of 1 Ch.6.77. 

Cheweth, grindeth with the teeth, Le. 11.4, 
7;De.i4.6,8. 

Chickens, the young brood of hens, Mat. 
23 - 37 - 

Chide, to reprove or blame, Ex. 17. 2; Ju. 
8.1; Ps.103.9. 

Chidon, che'don [a dart], 1 Ch. 13.9;—called 
the threshing-floor of Nachon, 2 Sa.6.6. 
Chief, the principal, dearest, or greatest, 
Ge.40.9,21,22; Nu.3.32; Ps.78.51; Mat.20. 
27; Ep.2.20;—of Asia, Ac.19.31;—‘among 
the captains,’ 2 Sa.23.8. 

Chiefest, the best, 1 Sa. 9. 22; 2 Ch. 32. 33; 

Ca.5.10; Mar. 10.44; 2 Co. 11.5. • 
Childbirth, the purification after it, Le.i2. 
1, &c.;—exemplified by Mary, the mother 
of Jesus, Lu. 2.22-24. 

Childhood, infancy, iSa.12.2; Ec. 11.10. 
Childish, puerile, trivial, 1 Co. 13. n. 
Childless, having no children, Ge. 15. 2; 1 
Sa. 15.33. S ee Barren. 

, to be so, a curse to the wicked, 


Le.20.20; 2 Sa. 6.23; Je. 22.30; Ho.9.14; 
promises to good men who are so, Ps.68.6; 
113.9; Is.56.4. 

Children, to be instructed, Ge.18.19; De.4. 
9; 6.6; 11.19; Ps.78.5; Ep.6.4. 

, their duty, to regard the direc¬ 


tions of their parents, Le. 19.3; Pr.1.8; 6. 
20; 13.1; 15.5; 23.22; Lu.2.51; Ep.6.1; Col. 
3. 20;—not to grieve their parents, Pr. 19. 
26;—not to rob their parents, 28. 24;—not 
to despise them, De.27.16; Pr. 15.5,20; 23. 
22; 30.17; Eze. 22.7;—to honour and main¬ 
tain them, Ex.20.12; De.5.16; Ep.6.2,3;— 
the smiting of their parents punishable 
with death, Ex. 21.15; Le. 20.9; De. 21.18, 
&c.;—not to bear malice, but to love one 
another, Jn. 13. 34; 15. 12,17; Ro. 12.9,10; 
He.13.1; 1 Jn.2.9,10; 3.23; 4.7,11,20. 

the duty of parents to chastise 


them for their faults, Pr.13.24; 19.18; 22. 
15:23.13,14; 29.15,17;—this duty neglected 
by David to Absalom, 1 Ki. 1.6;—by Eli to 
his sons, 1 Sa. 2.22-25; 3- I 3- 

— to suffer for the sins of their par¬ 


ents to the third and fourth generation, 
Ex. 20.5; De. 5.9;—this to be reversed, Eze. 
18.1, &c. 

—, good, a blessing to their parents, 


Pr. 10.1; 15.20; 23. 24; 27.11; 29. 3;—God’s 
heritage, Ps.127.3. 

wicked, and undutiful, a disgrace 


and a curse, Pr.10.1; 17.21,25; 19.13; 28.7; 
29.15. 

- of God. See Adoption. 


Chileab, kilie-ab [protected by the father], 
the second son of David by Abigail, 2 Sa. 
3.3;—also called Daniel, 1 Ch.3.1. 

Chilion, kil'le-on [pining], the younger son 
of Elimelech and Naomi, Ru.1.2. 
Chilmad,kirmad, a place mentioned in Eze. 
27.23. 

Chimham, kim'ham [pining], the son of 
Barzillai the Gileadite, for whose sake 
David honoured him; and whence, it ap¬ 
pears, he. built a town, 2 Sa.19.37,38; Je. 

4 I - I 7 - , . 

Chimney, a passage for smoke, an opening 
covered with lattice-work, Ho. 13. 3;—in 
the houses in the East the smoke escapes 
through the windows, Is.44.16; 47.14. 
Chinneroth, kin'ner-oth, De. 3.17; Jos. 21. 
35.— Sea of Chimiereth, Nu. 34. n; Jos. 
13.27;—afterwards called Sea of Gennes- 
aret. See Cinnereth. 

Chios, ke'os, an island in the ZEgean Sea, 
near to Lesbos, and about twelve miles 
from the shore of Smyrna, Ac.20.15. It is 
now called Scio. 

Chisleu, kis'lu, the ninth month of the sa¬ 
cred year of the Jews, and the third of 
their civil, commencing with the new moon 
of our December, Ne.1.1. 
Chisloth-Tabor, kis'loth-ta'bor [flanks of 
Tabor], a place on the border of Zebulun, 
Jos.19.12. Also called Chesuiloth. It is 
the modern Iksdl. 

Chittim, kit'tim [those that bruise], 
branch of the descendants of Javan, the 
son of Japheth, Ge. 10.4;—mentioned in the 
prophecy of Balaam, Nu.24.24; and in Is. 
23.1,12; Da. 11.30. The name is supposed 
by some to be equivalent to Hittites. 
Chiun, ke'un, the Heb. form of the Arabic 
Kaivan, an Egyptian idol, thought by 
some to be Saturn, Am. 5.26. 

Chloe, klb'e [verdure], a woman at Corinth 
noted for piety, 1 Co.i.ii; Ro.i6.io,ti. 
Chode, quarrelled, Ge.31.36; Nu.20.3. 


Choler, irascibility, great anger, Da. 8. 7; | 
11.11. 

Choose, to select, Ex.17.9; Nu.16.7; Ps.25. 
12; Lu.6.13. See Election. 

Chorazin, ko-ra'zin, one of the cities in 
which our Lord’s mighty works were done. 

It lay on the western coast of the Sea of 
Galilee, near to Capernaum, Mat. n. 21; 
Lu. 10.13. The modern Kerazeh probably 
marks its site. 

Chozeba, ko-ze'ba [lying], a city of Judah, 
iCh.4.22. It is probably identical with 
Achzib, Ge.28.5, and Chezib, Jos. 15.44. 

Christ, the Greek word corresponding to 
the Hebrew Messiah, both meaning an¬ 
ointed, so called in allusion to the anoint¬ 
ing with oil of those who were set apart to 
a sacred office, Ex. 28.41; 29.7; 1 Sa.9.16; 
15.1; persons so anointed were consecrated 
to God, 1 Sa.24.6; 2 Sa. 19.21; 1 Ch.16. 22. 
The anointing was also an emblem of the 
effusion of the Holy Spirit, Mat. 3.16,17; 
Jn. 3.34; 1 Jn.2.20,27. Thus, Jesus, the 
saviour, is th z anointed, Is.61.2; Da.9.25; 
Ps.ii. The name Christ was originally 
used as descriptive of character or office, 
Mat. 26.63; Mar. 8.29; 14.61; Jn. 1.20,25, &c. 
Jesus, the personal name of our Lord, gra¬ 
dually came to be absorbed in his official 
name Christ. He is described«by various 
names and titles:—Advocate, 1 Jn. 2. 1;— 
alpha and omega. Re. 1.8; 22.13;—amen, 
3.14;—apostle, He. 3.1;—beginning of the 
creation of God, Re. 3.14;—branch, Zee. 3. 
8; 6. 12;—commander. Is. 55. 4;—corner¬ 
stone, 1 Pe.2.6;—living stone, 2.4;—David, 
Je.30.9; Eze.34. 23; 37. 24; Ho. 3. 5;—day¬ 
spring, Lu.1.78;—deliverer, Ac. 7. 35; Ro. 
11. 26;—Emanuel, Is. 7. 14; Mat. 1. 23;— 
first-begotten from the dead, Re. 1.5;—first 
and last, 1.17;—God blessed for ever, Ro. 
9.5;—governor, Mat.2.6;—holy one, Lu.4. 
34; Ac. 3.14; Re. 3. 7;—horn of salvation, 
Lu.1.69;—image of God, 2 Co. 4.4;—just 
one, Ac.3.14; 7.52; 22.14;—king everlast¬ 
ing, Lu.1.33;—king of Israel, Jn.1.49;— 
king of the Jews, Mat.2.2;—king of kings, 
Re.17.14; 19.16;—lamb of God, Jn.1.29, 
36;—lamb who opened the sealed book, 
Re. 5. 6;—lamb slain from the foundation 
of the world, 13.8;—leader, Is.55.4;—light, 
true, Jn.1.8,9; 3.19; 8.12; 9.5; 12. 35, 46;— 
Lord, Mat.3.3; Mar.11.3;—lord of glory, 

1 Co.2.8;—lord oflords, Re.17.14; 19.16;— 
lion of the tribe of Judah, 5.5;—maker and 
preserver of all things, Jn.i.3,io;i Co.8.6; 
Col.1.16; He. 1.2,10; Re. 4.11;—mediator, 

1 Ti. 2.5;—mediator of the new covenant, 
He. 12. 24;—Nazarene, Mat. 2. 23;—high- 
priest, He. 3.1;—prince, Ac. 5. 31;—prince 
of life, 3.15;—prince of peace. Is. 9. 6;— 
prince of the kings of the earth. Re. 1. 5; 
—prophet, De. 18. 15, 18; Lu. 24. 19;—re¬ 
deemer, Job 19.25;Is. 59.20;—our righteous¬ 
ness, Je.23.6; 33.16;—root of David, Re. 
5.5;—root and offspring of David, and 
bright and morning star, 22.16;—ruler, Mi. 
5.2;—saviour, Lu.2.11 ;Ac.5.3i;—shepherd 
in the land, Zee. 11. 16;—good shepherd, 
Jn. 10.11;—great shepherd of the sheep, 
He. 13.20;—son of the highest, Lu.1.32;— 
son of God, Mat.3.i7;8.29;Lu.i.35;—only 
begotten son, Jn.1.14,18; 3.16,18;—son of 
man, Mat.8.20; Jn.1.51;—son of David, 
Mat.9.27; 21.9;—star and sceptre, Nu. 24. 
17;—bright and morning star, Re.22.16;— 
true, 3.7; 19.11;—witness, Is.55.4;—faith¬ 
ful witness. Re.1.5:3.14; 19.11;—word, Jn. 
1.1;—word of God, Re. 19.13. 

was above Moses, He. 3.5;—and all 


the Levitical priests, He.7.21; 8.1, &c. 

-, was co-eternal with the Father, Jn. 


1.1,3; 17.5; Col. 1. 17; He. 13. 8;—co-equal 
with the Father, Mat.28.18; Jn.5.23; 16. 
15; 17.10; Phi.2. 6; Col. 1. 16; 2.9;—of one 
substance with the Father, Jn.io. 30,38; 12. 
45; 17.11,22; 14.9;—though, in his human¬ 
ity, inferior to the Father, Jn. 14.28; —King 
of kings, Lord of lords, and God of gods, 
Ro. 14. 9; Phi. 2.9; Col.2.10,15; 1 Pe. 3 - 22; 
Re.17.14; 19.16;—has a name above every 
name, Phi. 2.9. 

, was perfect man, Mat.4.2; 8.24; 26. 


38; Jn.1.14; 4.6; 11.35; 12.27; 19.28; Phi.2. 
7; He. 2. 14; —was without sin, though 
tempted as other men, Jn.8.46; 2 Co.5.21; 
He.4.15: 7.26; 1 Pe.2.22; 1 Jn.3.5. 

was perfect God, as appears from 


the names and titles of God given him; 
— God, Jn.1.1;—th t great God, Tit. 2.13;— 
the mighty God, Is. 9. 6 -.—the true God, 
1 Jn. 5.20 —God over all, blessed for ever, 
Ro.9.5 ;— Lord, or as it is in Hebrew, Je¬ 
hovah, Is.6.1, compared with Jn. 12.41; Is. 


(Ch-Ch) 593 

40.3, compared with Jn.1.23;—the attri¬ 
butes of God are ascribed to him: such as 
eternity, Jn.1.1; 8.58; Col.1.17; Re. 1.10- 
18; Mi. 5.2, compared with Mat.2.6;— om¬ 
nipotence, Phi.3.21; Col.2.9,10; Re.1. 8;— 
omniscience, Jn.21.17; 2.24,25; Re. 2. 23;— 
omnipresence. Mat. 18.20; 28.20; Jn. 3.13; 
Ep. 4. 10;— immutability, He. 13. 8;—the 
works of God are ascribed to him; such 
as, the creating of all things, Jn.1.3; Col. 

1.16;— upholding all things, He. 1.3; Cob 

I. 17;— govertiing all things, Ep.i.22;Ma\. 
28. 18 —forgiving sins, Mat.9.2,6; Lu. 5. 
20;—giving eternal life, Jn. 10. 2^, — pro¬ 
mising and sending the Holy Ghost , Jn. 
14.26; 15.26; Ac. 1.5; 2.4;— raising himself 

from the dead, Jn.2.19; 10.17,18;— raising 
all the dead, Jn. 5.28 —judging the world , 

5. 22; Ac. 17. 31; — sentencing both the 
righteous and the wicked to their everlast¬ 
ing portions, Mat. 25. 31-46;— religious 
worship is given to him, equally with the 
Father, 28. 19; Ac. 7. 59, 60; 2 Co. 13.14;— 
angels are commanded to worship him , 
He. 1.6;— the redeemed in heaven worship 
him, Re. 5. 8-14;— all men are to honour 
him, even as they honour the Father, Jn. 
5 - 23 - 

Christ, was the Messiah spoken of by the 
prophets, Lu.24.27; Jn.1.45; 4.25; 5.39,46; 

II. 27;Ac. 26.22;—came down from heaven, 
Jn.3.13,31; 6.38,50; 16.28;—for our sakes. 
Mat. 18. n; Lu. 19.10; Jn. 3.17; 10.10; 12. 
47;—was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, 
Mat. 1.18; Lu.1.35. 

-, died for our sins, Is.53.8; Da.9.26; 

Mat. 20. 28; Ro.4.25; 5.6; 1 Co.15.3; Ga.i. 

4; Ep.5.2;He.9.28;—abolished death, 2Ti. 

1.10. 

-rose again the third day, Lu.24.1,46, 

47; Ac.2.24; 3.15; 4.10; 5.30; 10.40; 17.31; 
R0.10.9; 1C0.6.14; 15.3,4; 1 Th. 1.10; He. 
13.20; 1 Pe.3.18. 

-ascended up to heaven, Mar. 16.19; 

Lu.24.51; Ac.i.2,9; Ep.4.8; iTi.3.16. 

--sitteth on the right hand of God, 

Mar.16.19; Ac.7.56; Ep.1.20; Col.3.1; He. 
1.3; 8.1; 10.12; 12.2; 1 Pe.3.22. 

-is the alone head of the church, Ep. 

1.22; 4.15; 5.23; Col.1.18. 

-is the only foundation of the church. 

Is. 28.16; Mat.16.18; 21.42; 1C0.3.11; Ep. 
2.20; 1 Pe. 2.4-7. 

-, is employed as the advocate of his 

people, Ro. 8. 34; He.7. 25; 1 Jn.2.1;—and 
in preparing mansions for them, Jn.14.2. 

-will come again to judge the world, 

Ac.1.11; 1 Th.4.16; 2 Ti.4.1. 

-was expected by the Jews at the time 

of his coming, Mar.15.43; Lu.2.25,38:3.15; 
Jn.1.25,45; 4.25; 10.24; 11-27. 

-is the pattern that we ought to fol¬ 
low, Mat.11.29; Jn.13.15; Phi. 2.5; 1 Pe.i. 
15; 2.21; 1 Jn.2.6. 

-was trusted in by Abraham and the 

patriarchs, Jn.8.56; He.11.1, &c. 

-to be the object of our faith, Jn.14. 

1; Ac. 16.31;—all who believe in him shall 
be saved, Jn.3.14-16,36; 6.40;—they who 
believe not in him shall perish, Jn.8.24; 3. 
36; 1 Jn. 5.10-12. 

-to be the object of our love, 1 Co. 16. 

22; Ep.6.24; 1 Pe.i 8. 

-not to be denied, Mat.10.33; Mar.8. 

38; Lu.9.26; 12.9; Ro. 1.16; 2Ti.2.12; 1 Jn. 
2.23. 

-, excellencies of his character: holi¬ 
ness, Ac.4.27; He.7.26; Re.3.7; Ac.3.14;— 
righteousness, 15.53.11:32.1; 11.4; He.1.9; 
—faithfulness, Is. 11. 5; 1 Th. 5. 24; 2 Th. 
3. 4 \— guileless, Is 53.9; 1 Pe. 2. 22;— spot¬ 
less, 1 Pe. 1. 19; Jn.8.46; 2C0.5. 21;— zeal, 
Jn.2.17, with Ps.69.9; Lu.2.49;— meekness. 
Is. 53. 7, with Mat. 26. 63; 27.12; Zee. 9. 9; 
Mat. 11. 29;— compassion. Is. 40. 11; Mat. 
14.14; 20.34; Lu. 19.41; Ja.5.11;— -filial obe¬ 
dience, Ps.40.8: Jn.4.34; Lu.2.51. 

-- } predictions respecting. See Pro¬ 
phecy. 

-, events of his life. See Jesus. 

-, his miracles. See Miracles. 

-, his parables. See Parables. 

-, his example. See Example. 

Christians, the term first used at Antioch, 
Ac. 11.26. 

-, the salt of the earth, Mat 5.13; 

—the light of the world, 14;-their privi¬ 
leges, 1 Pe.2.5, &c.; He.12.22;— the sons 
of God, 1 Jn 3. 1, 2; Ro. 8. 14, &c.; one 
with Christ and the Father, Jn.17.11,21;— 
all one body, Ep.4.15,16;—the temple of 
God, 1 Co. 3.16. 

Chronicles, annals, state-papers, records 
of history, 1 Ki.1419: 1 Ch.27.24; Es.6.1. 




































THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


5U4 (C'.i—Co) 


| God=Jerusalem, Ps.46.4;—holy, Ne.n.i; | Cock-crowing, denotes the time from mid 


In the Hebrew Bible the Books of Chroni¬ 
cles are placed last. Ezra was probably 
their author. They appear to be supple¬ 
mentary to the two Books of Kings. They 
contain an epitome of all the sacred his¬ 
tory down to the year of the return from 
Babylon—3500 years. 

Chrysolite, kry'so-lyte [gold stone], a pre¬ 
cious stone of a golden or yellow colour, 
probably the topaz of the moderns, Re. 21. 

20 

Chrysoprasus, kry-so-pra'sus [gold leek], 
a precious jewel of a green colour mingled 
with yellow. Re. 21.20. The word is else¬ 
where rendered beryl. 

Chub, kub, an Ethiopian province, Eze. 
30 - 5 - 

Chun, kun, a Syrian city, 1 Ch.18.8; called 
Berothai, 2Sa.8.8. 

Church, a number of persons, organized 
as a body, who meet to worship the Lord, 
and to observe the ordinances of Christ, 
J11.10 16; Ro.12.5; 1 Co. 10. 17; 12. 13; Ga. 
3.28; He.n.40; 12.23;—sometimes means 
the whole body of professing believers, 
Mat. 16.18; Ac.2 47; Ep.3.10,21; Col. 1.24;— 
sometimes a single, local, or private con¬ 
gregation, Ac. 14.27; 18.22; Ro. 16. 5; 1 Co. 
14.23; 3 J11 9;—sometimes the governors of 
the church, Mat. 18.17; Ac. 14.27;—some¬ 
times, as some think, the place of worship, 
1C0.11.18; 14.19,34. The phrase, catholic 
church, is only rightly applied to the church 
universal, including all true believers. 
Churches, reverence to be observed in 
them, Le. 26. 2; Ps. 93. 5; Ec.5.1; Je.7.30; 
Eze.5 11; 1 Co. 11.1, &c.; 14 23, &c. 

--, instances of a profanation of 

them censured, 2 Ki.21.4; 201.33.7; Mat. 
21.12; Jn.2.13. 

Churl, a rude, surly, ill-bred man; also a 
miser, a niggard, Is.32.5,7; comp. 1 Sa.25. 
3,10,11,17. 

Churning, making butter, Pr.30.33. 
Chushan-rishathaim, ku'shan-rish-a-thu'- 
im, a king of Mesopotamia who oppressed 
Israel for eight years, Ju.3.8-10. 

Chuza, tsu'za or ku'za [possession], the 
steward of Herod Antipas, Lu.8.3. 

Cieled See Ceiling. 

Cilicia, sil-ish'e-a, the most south-eastern 
province of Asia Minor, the capital of 
which was Tarsus, the birthplace of Paul; 
—men from, disputed with Stephen, Ac. 
6.9;—Paul and Silas went through, con¬ 
firming the churches, 15.41. 

Cinnamon tree, a species of the laurel. 
The aromatic called cinnamon, made 
from its inner bark, was one of the in¬ 
gredients of the holy oil, Ex.30.23; and an 
article of commerce, Re.18.13. 

Cinnereth, sin'ne-reth, or Chinneroth 
[lyrej. a city of the tribe of Naphtali, on 
the west of the Sea of Gennesareth, Jos. 
11.2; 12.3; 19.35; 1 Ki. 15.20. 

Circuit, a route, iSa.7.16;—of the sun, 
Ps. 19.6. 

Circumcision, the cutting of the foreskin 
of males on the eighth day after their 
birth, instituted, Ge. 17.10;— of the She- 
chemites, 34.24;—of the sons of Moses, 
Ex 4.25:—of the Israelites in Gilgal, Jos. 
5.2;—a dissension about it, Ac. 15.1, &c.;— 
the apostles consulted, 6;—their decree 
concerning it, 29;—when it profiteth, Ro. 
2.25;—of the heart, 29; De. 10.16; 30.6;— 
the true, among Christians, Phi.3. 3 ;Col.2. 
11;—not to be submitted to by the Gentile 
converts, Ga.5.2;— the gospel of, com¬ 
mitted to Peter, 2.7;—Abraham justified 
without, Ro.4.10. The rite still practised 
by the modem Jews. 

Circumspect, watchful, Ex. 23.13. 
Circumspection, looking around with cau¬ 
tious and careful conduct, recommended, 
Ex.23.13; Mat.24.42; Ro.12.17; 2 €0.8.21’; 
Ep.5.15; Phi.4.8; iTh. 4 .i 2 ; 5 .6; iPe.2.i2- 
3 - 16 - 

Cistern, a large vessel, or a reservoir, to 
retain water. Cisterns were very neces¬ 
sary in Canaan, where fountains were 
scarce, 2 Ki.i8.3i;Pr.5.i5;—these cisterns 
or pits when empty were used as places 
of punishment, Je.38.6; Ps. 40.2;—the left 
ventricle of the heart, Ec.12.6. 

Cities of Refuge, six of the sacerdotal 
cities so set apart, Nu.35.9-34. See Re¬ 
fuge and Levitical. 

Citizen, one born in a city, Ac.21.39;—one 
who has the freedom and privileges of a 
city, 22.28. 

City, a walled town, 2 Ki.ro.2; Is.36.i;De. 

3 ; 5 :—of David, 1 Ch. n. 5;-Bethlehem 
also called city of David, Lu. 2 .ii - 0 f 


—the church on earth, Re. 11.2;—heaven, 
He. 11.10,16. 

Civility, or kindness and politeness to 
others, recommended, Lu. 14. 10; Ro. 12. 
10; 13.7; 1 Pe.2.17. 

Clamorous, loud, noisy, Pr.9.13. 

Clauda, klaw'da, a small island, about 7 
miles long and 3 broad, near the south¬ 
west coast of Crete, passed by Paul in his 
voyage to Rome, Ac. 27.16. 

Claudia, klaw'di-a, a pious Roman lady, 
2 Ti.4.21. 

Claudius Caesar, klaw'di-us se'zar, the 
fifth of the Roman emperors, the succes¬ 
sor of Caligula (a. D.41); great dearth fore¬ 
told to take place during the reign of, 
Ac. 11.28;—banishes the Jews from Rome, 
18.2. 

Claudius Lysias, klaw'di-us lys'i-us, the 
Roman tribune who commanded the 
guard at Jerusalem, rescued Paul, Ac. 21. 
33;—commanded him to be scourged, 22. 
24;—sent him under a guard, with a letter, 
to Felix, 23.26. 

Claws, the distinctive mark of a clean 
beast, De. 14.6;—of a beast or bird of prey, 
Da.4.33; 2 ec.n.r 6 . 

Clay, the bodies of men likened to, Job 4. 
19; 13.12; 33.6; Is.64.8; Je. 18. 6;—worldly 
riches compared to, Hab.2.6. 

Clean, ceremonially pure, Le.xi.-xv.; Nu. 
xix.;—free from sin, Ps.51.7;—empty, Pr. 
14.4. 

Cleave, to adhere to with affection and 
constancy, as a man to his wife, Ge. 2. 
24; Mat. 19. 5;—Israel to the Lord, De. 
4.4; Jos.23.8;—to the Lord Christ, Ac.11. 
23 - 

Clemency, mercy, humanity, A:.24.4. 
Clement, klem'ent [mild], a noted Chris¬ 
tian preacher, Phi. 4.3. 

Cleopas, kle'o-pas, the form Cleophas 
occurs, Jn. 19. 25;—one of the two with 
whom Jesus walked to Emmaus, Lu.24. 
18;—not the same person as the Cleopas 
(properly Clopas), who was also called 
Alphaeus (Mat. 10.3), mentioned in Jn.19. 
25. He was the husband of Mary, the 
sister of the mother of our Lord. 

Clerk, one very wise in Ephesus, Ac. 19. 
35 - 

Climbed, ascended, Je.4.29; Lu. 19.4. 
Cloak, (1) A large outward covering, Mat.5. 
40;—worn by the high-priest under the 
ephod, Ex.28.31;—bypersons of rank, 1 Sa. 
15-27; J°b 1.20;— by women, 2 Sa. 13.18;— 
the * cloak * mentioned in 2TL4.13 was a 
thick upper garment called paenula, worn 
by the Romans as a protection from the 
weather. (2) A fair pretence, or conceal¬ 
ment, Jn.15.22; 1 Th.2.5; 1 Pe.2.16. 

Close, to shut up, Ge.2.21;—to cover, Je. 
22.15. 

Clothes, garments, vestments. The He¬ 
brews wore a sort of shirt or tunic, of 
linen, reaching to the calf, generally with 
sleeves, but sometimes having only arm¬ 
holes. A girdle confined it to their waist. 
Over this various garments were worn, ac¬ 
cording to the quality of the person. All 
classes wore something in the form of a 
large shawl, called a cloak, or upper gar¬ 
ment, reaching to the ankles, Mat.21.8. 
When a person had nothing on but the 
tunic he is said to be naked, Jn.21.7. In 
this manner the person condemned was 
stoned to death, Ac. 7.58. Rending of, an 
expression of the highest grief, Ge.37.29; 

2 Sa.13.31; Jos.7.6; 2 Ki. 19 1. 

Cloud, a pillar of, was the Shekinah, or 
symbol of God’s presence with his people; 
—conducts the Israelites through the Red 
Sea, Ex. 14. 19;—through the wilderness, 
Nu.9.15;—‘ of witnesses,’ He.12.1. 

Clouds, multitudes, armies, Je.4.13; Is.44. 
22; 60.8;—the chariot of God, Ps.104.3. 
Clouted, old and patched, Jos.9 5. 

Cluster, a bunch, like grapes, raisins, &c., 
Ge.40.10; Nu.13.23; Mi.7.1; Re. 14.18. 
Cnidus, nl'dus, a city at the extreme south¬ 
west end of Asia Minor, on a promontory 
in Caria, Ac.27.7;—its ruins are seen, from 
which it is judged to have been a very im¬ 
portant city. 

Coals, seldom used to warm men, except in 
the nights of winter, Jn. 18.18;—faggots of 
wood or bushes chiefly used for fuel, Ps. 
58.9; Ec.7.6; Jn.15.6;—of juniper, terrible, 
and of long continuance, Ps. 120. 4;—of 
nre, the lightnings proceeding from God 
Ps. 18.8,12,13; 140.10. 

Cock, apprised Peter’s denial of Christ 
Mar.14.68,72. 


night to daybreak, Mar. 13.35. 

Cockatrice, a species of serpent or viper, 
Is.n.8; 14.29; 59.5; Je.8.17. 

Cockle, a weed that grows among corn, 
but more probably a species of night¬ 
shade or aconite, Job 31.40. The plural of 
this word is rendered ‘ wild grapes,’ Is.5.2. 
Coffer, a chest, 1 Sa.6.8,11,15. 

Coffins, were not used by the ancient Jews, 
except for persons of distinction, Ge.50.26. 
Cogitations, thoughts or meditations, Da. 
7.28. 

Col Hozeh, kol-ho'zeh [every seer], a de¬ 
scendant of Judah, Ne.3.15. 

Collar, the opening of a garment that closes 
around the neck, Job 30.18;—among the 
spoils of the Midianites, a kind of ear¬ 
drop, Ju.8.26. 

Collection, for the poor Christians at Jeru¬ 
salem, Ac. 11. 29; 1 Co. 16.1; 2C0.8.1; 9.1, 
&c.; Ro.15.26. 

College, the residence of the prophetess 
Huldah, 2 Ki.22.14; 2 Ch.34.22. 

Collops, slices or thick pieces of flesh. Job 
i 5 - 2 7 - 

Colony, a province occupied by Roman 
citizens, a designation given to Philippi, 
Ac. 16.12. 

Colosse, ko-los'se [punishment or correc¬ 
tion], an ancient city of Phrygia, near the 
source of the river Lycus, and not far from 
Laodicea and Hierapolis, Col. 2.1;—an epis¬ 
tle, written probably at Rome during his 
first imprisonment (Ac. 28.16,30), was sent 
by Paul to the church in, Col. 1.2. 

Colours, coat of many, Ge.37.3. 

Colt, a young ass, Mat. 21.2,7; Mar.11.5; 
Lu.19 35. 

Comely, decent, graceful, 1 Sa.16.18; 1C0. 
7.35; 11.13; 12.24. 

Comfort, joy, ease, assistance. Job 6.10; 

Ps.119.50; Ac.9.31; Ro.15.4; Phi.2.19. 
Comfortable, giving comfort, pleasing, 2 
Sa.14.17; Zec.1.13. 

Comforter, one of the titles of the Holy 
Spirit, whose office it is to comfort the 
saints, Jn. 14.16,26; 15.26; 16.7. The word 
in the original is Paraclete, and means one 
whostands by another to helphim. In 1 Jn. 
2.1, it is rendered advocate, and is applied 
to the Saviour. 

Commandments, the ten delivered by God 
from Mount Sinai, Ex. 20. 1, &c.; De.5.6, 
&c.;—written by God himself, Ex.24.12; 
31.18; 34.1; De.5.22; 9.10;—not abrogated 
by Christ, Mat.5.17; Mar.ro. 17; Lu.18.18; 
—summed up by Christ, Mat. 22. 37-40; 
Mar. 12.29-31. 

Commission, a trust, Ezr.8.36; Ac.26.12. 
Commodious, convenient, Ac.27.r2. 
Common, ordinary or usual, Nu. r6. 29; 
Ec.6.1;—ceremonially unclean, Ac. 10.14; 
n.8;—all things common, Ac. 2.44,45. 
Commotion, a tumult, LU.2T.9. 

Commune, to converse or talk together;— 
Abraham communed with the children of 
Heth, Ge.23.8;—Hamor with Jacob, 34.6, 
&c.;—to converse with our own hearts, 
Ps.4.4; 77.6. 

Communion, a sharing something in com¬ 
mon with another, Jn.15.1-7; 17.10,20-26; 
Ro. 12.4,5; 2C0.13.14; Ep.4.16; 1 Jn.1.3,6, 
7;—the Lord’s Supper so called, 1 Co. 10. 
16. See Lord’s Supper. 

--— with God, or the communica¬ 
tion of divine graces from him, and the 
return of devout affections to him, enjoyed 
by believers, 1 Jn. 1. 3;— experienced by 



him, Ps.73.25; Jn.14.23;—vain for men to 
make pretensions to it, who are living in 
sin,' 1 Jn.1.6 ;—to obtain it, we must study 
to know his will, Jn. 5. 39;—be often in 
prayer, Lu.8.1;—embrace opportunities of 
retirement, Ps.4.4;—frequently meditate 
on his perfections, providences, love, and 
promises, 104. 34; —watch against vain 
thoughts, 119.113;—and be found in the 
use of all the means of grace, 27. 4;— 
its advantages are, humility and hatred 
of sin, Job 42. 5, 6 ;—deadness to the world, 
Phi.3.8; Ga.6.14;—patience under trouble, 
Ro.8.18; 2 Co.4.17;—fortitude in danger, 
Ro.8.31;—gratitude for mercies received, 
Ps.103.1;—direction under difficulties, Pr. 
3.5,6;—happiness in death, Ps.23.4; 1 Co. 
* 5 - 55 ! And panting desires for heaven, 
2 Ti.4.7,8. 

Compact, closely and firmly united, knit 
together, Ps. 122.3; Ep.4.16. 

Companion, associate, partner, Ex. 32.27; 
Ps.119.63; Pr.13.20; 28.7; Re.1.9. 


| Company, bad, to be avoided, Ps.1.1; 26. 
4; Pr.1.10; 2.12; 4.14,15; 12.11; 13.20; 14.7; 
19.27; 22.24; 28.7,19; 29.24; Ro.1.32; 1 (Jo. 
5 - 9 i I 5 - 33 J 2C0.6.14: Ep.5.7. 

-may be necessary, and do good. 

Mat.9.10; 11.19; Mar.2.15; Lu. 15. 2; 1 Co. 
5.10; 1 Th.5.14. 

-of the wise and good, beneficial, 

Pr.13.20; Mai.3.16,17. 

Companies, travelling, Is.21.13; Ge.37.25. 
Comparison, the art of comparing, Ju.8.2; 
Hag.2.3; Mar 4.30. 

Compassion, pity, sympathy, Mat.9.36;— 
recommended, Pr. 19. 17; Zee. 7. 9; Lu. 10. 
33.37: Ga.6.2; 1 Pe.3.8. 

Compel, to force, Le.25.39;—to urge by 
reasonable motives, Lu.14.23. 
Competency, sufficiency, what it consists 
in, Ge.28.20; Pr.30.8; He. 13.5; 1 Ti.6.8. 
Complaint, accusation, Ac.25.7;—lamenta¬ 
tion, iSa.1.16;—Psalms of: iii.vi.vii.x.xii.- 
xiv. xvii. xxii. xxxii. xxxv. xxxvi. xxxviii. 
xxxix. xli.-xliv. li. liii. lv.-lvii. lix. lx. Ixxiv. 
Ixxvii. lxxix. Ixxx. lxxxiii. lxxxviii. xciv. cii. 
cix.cxx.cxxix.cxxx.cxl.cxlii.cxliii. 
Complete, full, perfect, Le. 23.15; C0I.2. 
10; 4.12. 

Compliances, submissions, in important 
things dangerous, De.13.3; Pr.1.10; Da.3. 
16; 6. 10; Ga.2.5,11;—in things indifferent 

advised, 1C0.9.20. 

Comprehend, to conceive, Job 37.5; Ep.3. 
18. 

Conceal, to hide, Ge.37.26;Pr.n.i3; 12.23. 
Concealment, hiding of crimes, the guilt of 
it, Ps.50.18; Pr.28.13; 29.24; 2 Jn.n. 
Conceit, pride, censured, Pr.3.7; 14.16:26. 
12; Is.5.21; Ro.12.16. 

Conception, a conceiving in the womb, 
Ge.3.16; Ru.4.13. 

Concision, used by Paul to cast contempt 
on the ordinance which the Jews valued 
so highly. By this term he designates the 
zealots for circumcision, Phi. 3. 2. When 
circumcision ceased to be a sacred ordin¬ 
ance by divine appointment, its perform¬ 
ance might well be called a concision, or 
mere cutting of the flesh, for its spiritual 
significancy was gone. 

Conclude, to infer, as from premises, R0.3. 
28;—to decide, to make a final judgment, 
Ro. 11.32; Ga.3.22; —resolution, Ac.21.25. 
Concubines, wives of the second rank, and 
subordinate to the mistress of the house, 
Ge.25.6; 2 Sa.5.13; 1 Ki.11.3, &c. In the 
N. T. concubinage is ranked with fornica¬ 
tion and adultery, Mat.19.5; 1 Co.7.2. 
Concupiscence, inordinate affection, evil 
desire, censured, Ex.20.17; Ga.5.16; 1 Th. 
4-5: 1 Pe.-2.11; translated lust, Jn.8. 44; 
desire, Lu.22.15; Phi.1.23. 

Condemnation, all men under, as sinners, 
Ro. 5. 16, 18; Jn. 3. 18;—necessary conse¬ 
quence of sin, Ro.6.23; Pr.11.5; 12.2; 13.6; 

— all freed from, who are in Christ, R0.8.1. 
Conduit, a water-course, or trench for 
water to flow in, 1 Ki. 18.32,35;—the aque¬ 
duct made by Hezekiah, which conveyed 
water from the pool of Gihon, or upper 
pool, into the city on the west side, 2 Ki. 
18.17; Is.7.3; 36.2. 

Coney, is believed to be the ivubar, known 
by natural historians as the Hyrax syria- 
cus, a gregarious animal generally inhabit¬ 
ing the e'efts of rocks. The Hebrew name 
is shaphan, Ps.104.18; Pr.30.26. 
Confederacy, a league or alliance, Is.8.12: 
Ob. 7. 

Confession of Christ, a necessary duty. 
Mat. 10.32 ;Mar.8.38;Lu.9.26; 12.8; Ro.io. 

9; 2 Ti.2.12; 1 Jn.2.23; 4- I 5- 

■-to God, Ju.io. 10,15; Ezr. 9. 5; 

Ne. r. 6; Ps.32.5; 38.18; 41.4: 51.3; 119.67, 
176; Pr. 28. 13; Je.3.13; Da.9.5,20; 1 Jn. 1. 
8,9. 

—-to one another, Le.5.5; N11.5. 

7; Mat.3.6; Mar. 1.5; Ac. 19.18; Ja.5.16. 
Confidence, trust, reliance, assurance, Ps. 
65.5; 118.8; Ga.5.10; Ep.3.12. 

Confirm, to strengthen, 1 Ch.14.2; -to ful¬ 
fil, Da.9.12,27. 

Confiscation, the act of transferring for¬ 
feited property to public use, Ezr.7.26. 
Conflict, combat or struggle, Phi. 1. 30; 

Col.2.1. 

Conformable, suitable, Phi. 3.10. 
Confounded, baffled, Ac.9. 22;— ashamed. 
Job 6.20; Je.31.19;—destroyed, Je.1.17;— 
amized, Ac.2.6. 

Confusion, perplexity, disorder, Le. 18.23; 

1 Co.14.33; Ja.3.16. 

Congealed, freezed, Ex.15.8. 
Congratulation, to express joy for happi¬ 
ness, 1 Ch.18.10. 























I'HE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


Congregation, the entire community of the 
circumcised, Nu. 15.15;—gathered together 
by the blowing of silver trumpets, 10.1-3;— 
this was the H ebrew parliament; the daugh¬ 
ters of Zelophehad a pealed to it, 27.1-3; 
—an assembly, a church, Lc.10.17; 16.33; 
Nu. 10. 7; Jos.9.27; Ps. 1. 5; 22.22;—found 
only once in N. T., Ac. 13.43, to denote 
the assembled worshippers in a syna¬ 
gogue. 

Coniah, ko-nl'ah, Je.22.24,28; 37.1;—called 
Jehoiachin, 2 Ki.24.8;—Jeconiah, 1 Ch. 3. 
17:—jeconias,Mat.i.i2. He succeeded his 
father Jehoiakim as king of Judah. 
Cononiah, kon-o-ni'ah, a I -evite in the reign 
of Hezekiah, who had the charge of ‘ the 
offerings, and the tithes, and the dedicated 
things,’ 2 Ch.31.12,13. 

Conquerors, those who subdue their ene¬ 
mies, Ro.8.37; Re.6.2. 

Conscience, that in every human breast 
which judges of the moral character of our 
actions, Pr.20.27; Ro.2.14,15;—a weak one 
to be respected, Ro.14.2; i C0.8.12. 

■-, the happiness of a good one, 

Job 27.6; Pr. 14. 14; 28.1; 29. 6; Ro. 14. 22; 
2 Co.i. 12; Ga.6.4; 1 Ti. 1. 19; 1 Jn.3.19,21; 
Ac. 23.1; 24.16; 1 Co.4.4; 2 Ti.1.3; He.13. 
18. 

- , the terror of an evil one, Ge. 

42.21; 2 Sa.24.10; Ps.38.3; 40.12; Pr.14.14; 
18.14; 28.1; 29.6; Jn.8.9; Mat.27.3; Ac.24. 
25; Tit. x. 15. 

--, purified only by the blood of 

Christ, He.9.14; 10.2,10,22. 

Consecrate, to make sacred, or devote to 
the service of the Lord, as were all fhe 
first-born, both of man and beast, Ex. 13.2; 
—the tribe of Levi consecrated, Nu.3.6— 
10;—the whole nation of the Jews, Ex. 19. 
6 ;—all genuine believers, 1 Pe.2.9. 
Consent, to be of the same mind, Ge.34.23; 
Ac.8.1; Ro.7.16. 

Consideration, serious thoughts, recom¬ 
mended, De.4.39; 32.29; Ps. 77. 6; 119. 59; 
Pr.15.28; 22.3; Is.1.3; Eze.18.28; Hag.1.5, 
7; Lu.14 28; 1 Ti.4.15; 2TL2.7. 
Consolation, comfort, Je. 16. 7; Lu. 2. 25; 
Ro. 15.5; 2C0.1.5 ;Phi. 2. x; He. 6.18;—Christ 
is called, Lu.2.25. 

Consorted, associated, Ac. 17.4. 
Conspiracy, a conjunct plot, 2 Sa.15.12,31; 
2 Ki. 12.20;—arejection of God’s authority, 
Je. 11.9; Eze.12.25. 

Constancy, or steadiness, required of us, 
in our devotions , Lu.x8.i; 1 Th.5.17,18;— 
under our sufferings, Mat.5.11,12; 1 Pe.4. 
12,13;—in our prqfession, He. 10.23;— in 
our beneficence , Ga.6.9;—in our friend¬ 
ships, Pr.27.10;—in our obedie7ice, Ps.119. 

Constellations, an assemblage of stars, Is. 
13.10. 

Constrained, compelled, Mat. 14.22;Lu.24» 
29; Ac. 16.15; 2C0.5.14. 

Consulted, took counsel with, or together, 

1 Ki.12.6; 1 Ch.13.1; Ps.83.3;Da.6.7; Hab. 
2.10; Mat.26.4; Jn.12.10. 

Consume, to waste, destroy, or spend, Ge. 
41.30; Ex.33.3; Job20.26; Ps.39.11; Is. 10. 
18; 2Th 2.8; Ja.4.3. 

Consummation, completion, Da. 9.27. 
Consumption, a waste, Le.26.16; De.28. 
22; Is. 10.22,23; 28.22. 

Contain, to comprise, hold, 1 Ki.8.27; Jn. 
21.25; 1 Co.7.9. 

Contemn, to scorn, Ps.10.13; 15.4; Is. 16. 
14; Eze.21.10,13. 

Contemptible, base, Da. 12.2; Mai. 1.7,12; 

2 Co. 10.10. 

Contemptuously, scornfully, Ps.31.18. 
Contend, to strive, contest, De.2.9; Job 9. 
3; Is. 49. 25;—to reprove, Ne. 13. n;—to 
punish, Am.7.4. 

Content, satisfied, Ge. 37.27; Mar. 15.15; 
Lu.3.14; He.13.5. 

Contention, strife or disput^, Pr. 13.10; 
Phi. 1.16; 1 Th.2.2. 

Contentious, quarrelsome, perverse, Pr.21. 

19; 26.21: 27.15; Ro.2.8; 1 Co. 11.16. 
Contentment, satisfaction, recommended, 
Pr.30.8,9; He.13.5; 1 Ti. 6. 6; 1 C0.7. 20; 
of Esau, Ge. 33.9;—of Barzillai, 2Sa.19.35: 
—of the Shunammite, 2 Ki.4.13;—of Paul, 
Phi.4.11;—it is opposed to envy, Ja.3.16; 
—avarice, He. 13. 5;—pride, Pr. 13.10; — 
anxiety, Mat.6.25,34;—repining, 1 Co. 10. 

IO. 

Continual, lasting, incessant, Ex. 29.42; 

Nu.4.7; Pr.15.15; Is.14.6; Lu.18.5; Ro.9.2. 
Contradiction, opposition, whether by 
words, reproaches, or attempts to defeat, 
He.7.7: 12.3. 

Contraiy, disagreeing, opposite, Le.20.21, 


Mat.14.24; Ac.17.7; 18.13; Ro. 11. 24; Ga. 
5.17; Tit.2.8. 

Contribution, joint giving money for the 
poor, Ro.15.26. 

Contrite, Contrition, for sin; a heart 
broken, bruised, or deeply affected with 
grief for sin;—promises to such, Ps.34.18; 
51.17; Is.57.15; 61.1; 66.2;—examples of it: 
in David, 2 Sa. 12.13; Ps. 51. 3,4;—Peter, 
Mat.26.75. 

-> evidences of. See Repent¬ 
ance. 

Controversies, disputes, vain and profit¬ 
less ones to be avoided, 1 Ti. 1.4; 6.4,20; 2 
Ti.2.16; Tit.3.9. 

Controversy, a dispute, De.17.8; Ho.4.1; 
12.2; 1 Ti.3.16. 

Convenient, fit or proper, Pr.30.8; Je.40. 
4; Mar.6.21; Ro.1.28; 1 Co. 16.12; Ep.5.4; 
Phile.8. 

Conversant, familiar, Jos.8.35; 1 Sa 25.15. 
Conversation, familiar discourse, but in 
Scripture it means generally the whole out¬ 
ward course of a man’s life, his conduct, 
behaviour, Ps.37.14; 50.23; 2 Co.i 12; Ga. 
1.13; Ep.2.3:4.22; He.13.7; Ja.3.13; 1 Pe. 
2.12; 3.1,2,16; 2 Pe. 3.11;—religious and 
edifying, recommended, De 6.7; 11.19; Ps. 
35 28; 37.30; 40.10; 71.22; 7712; 105 2; Pr. 
10 31; Mai.3.16; Mat. 12. 35; Ep.4.29;Col. 
3.16; 4.6; 1 Th.4.18; 5.11.—In Phi.3.20 the 
word rendered ‘conversation,’ however, 
means ‘ citizenship;’ He.13.5, ‘disposition.’ 

-, with the profligate and idle 

to be avoided, Mat. 12. 36; Ep.4.29; 5.3; 
Col.3.8; 2 Pe.2.7. 

Conversion, the turning of a sinner, in 
heart and practice, from what is forbidden 
to what is commanded, 2 K.i.17.13; Ac.26. 
18; Ps.51.13; Is.6.10;—spoken of as being 
‘renewed,’ Ep.4.23,24;—restored to sight, 
1.18; Re.3.18;—raised from the dead, Jn. 
5.21-24; Ep.2.1;—earnest calls to it, Is.55. 
7: Eze.33.11; Ac.3.19;—those who do turn 
shall be saved, Eze.18.27; Is.55.7;—those 
who do not, must perish. Mat. 18.3;—bene¬ 
ficial to those who promote it, Da. 12.3; 

1 Ti.4.16; Ja.5.19;—accomplished by the 
grace of God, 1 Ki.18.37; Jn.6.44; Ac. 3. 
26; 11. 21, 23; 16. 14; Ro. 15. 18;—promises 
connected with, Ne.1.9; Je.3.14; Eze.18. 
27; Ho.6.1-3;—subject of prayer, Ps.80.7; 
85.4; Je.31.18; La.5.21. 

-, the evidences of, are, hatred 

of sin, Ps.*ioi. 3; 119. 104;— love to God, 
73.25;—delight in his people, Jn. 13. 35;— 
attendance on and love to his ordinances, 
Ps.27.4;—trust in his word and mercy, 9. 
10;—obedience to his will, Mat.7.20. 
Convert, change, Ps.51.13; Mat. 18.3; Jn. 
12.40; Ja.5.19. 

Convey, to carry, 1 Ki.5.9; Ne.2.7; Jn.5. 
x 3 - 

Conviction, a detection of sin, sometimes 
the fruit of natural conscience, Jn. 8. 9;— 
produced by the Holy Spirit, 16. 8;—guilt 
and danger of stifling, Ps.29.1; He.3.7,8. 
Convince, to make sensible by plain proofs, 
Job32.12; Jn.8.46; Tit. 1.9; Ja.2.9; Jude 15. 
Convocation, the assembling of multitudes 
for the worship of God, Ex. 12.16; Le.23. 
27; N 11.28.26. 

Coos, kO'os [top], an island of the Mediter¬ 
ranean, one of the Sporades, near the 
coast of Caria in Asia Minor, Ac. 21.1. 
St. Paul passed a night in it on his voyage 
from M iletus to Rhodes. Its present name 
is Stanchio. Its population is about 8000. 
Copied, transferred from some other book, 
or transcribed, as from an original, Pr.25.1. 
Copper, a hard, heavy, and ductile metal, 
next to silver, Ezr. 8. 27 ;—the word so 
rendered here is generally elsewhere ren¬ 
dered brass. Palestine abounded in, De. 
8.9, and it was used for many purposes;— 
the word is translated steel, 2Sa.22.35: Ps. 
18. 34; Job20. 24; Je. 15. 12;—vessels of, 
brought to Tyre, Eze.27.13. 
Coppersmith, Alexander, an adversary of 
Paul so called, 2T i.4.14. 

Copy, a manuscript or transcript, De.17.18; 

Jos.8.32; Ezr.4.11; Es.3.14. 

Cor, Homer, a measure, consisting of 10 
baths or ephahs, Eze.45.14. 

Coral, formerly supposed to be a plant, but 
now known to be a congeries of small 
marine animals; or, properly, the shells 
they form gathered into large solid masses, 
and oft forming rocks in the sea. It is 
very common in the Red Sea, the Persian 
Gulf, &c.; and is exceedingly dangerous 
to ships. An article of Tyrian merchan¬ 
dise, Eze.27.16; Job 28.18. 

Corban, a Hebrew word meaning a gift 


consecrated to God or to his sendee— 
occurs only once in N. T., Mar.7.ti,i2. 
Cords, small ropes, Ex.35.18;— silver cord, 
spinal marrow, Ec.12.6;—of love, Ho.n. 
4;—of sin, the power of sinful habit, Pr. 
5.22. 

Coriander, a plant with a hot seed, Ex. 
16.31. 

Corinth, kor'inth, the capital of Achaia, 
situated on the isthmus or neck of land 
which joins the Morea to Attica on the 
north. It was founded about 1514 years 
B.c., and therefore is one of the most 
ancient cities in the world. Its commo¬ 
dious haven and advantageous situation 
gave it a vast commerce and immense 
wealth. Riches introduced pride, luxury, 
and lewdness, to a vast degree. Here the 
fine arts were cultivated with the greatest 
success; and the splendid style ofits public 
buildings gave rise to the most elaborate 
of the four orders of Grecian architecture. 
At the time of Paul’s visit (a.d. 52), Gallio 
the Roman pro-consul, a brother of Seneca, 
resided in;—here Paul preached, and met 
with much opposition, Ac. 18.1,6;—encour¬ 
aged in a vision, 9;—a church was formed, 
to which he afterwards wrote two epistles, 
which bear the name of this place. After a 
long struggle with the Turks, the inhabit¬ 
ants obtained success in 1823, and it now 
belongs to the kingdom of Greece. Its for¬ 
mer glory has passed away. The modern 
village of Gertho rises up amid its ruins. 
Corinthians, two epistles written by Paul 
to the Christians in Corinth—the first pro¬ 
bably from Ephesus between 56 and 59, 
and the second shortly after the first, from 
some place in Macedonia. 

Cormorant, in Le.11.17; De.14.17, is asso¬ 
ciated with the ‘gull’as an unclean bird. I11 
Is. 34.11 and Zep.2.14 a different Hebrew 
word is used (elsewhere rendered ‘pelican,’ 
Ps. 102.6); and the cormorant is mentioned 
as an emblem of ruin and desolation. 

Corn, the general Scripture name for all 
kinds of grain, Jos.5.11; 1 Sa.17.17; Mar.4. 
28; Jn.12.24. 

Cornelius, kor-ne'li-us, a centurion, the 
first Gentile convert, Ac.10.1, &c. 
Corner-stone, one at an angle, Job 38.6;— 
Christ himself, Ps. 118.22; Ac. 4.11; Is. 28. 
16; comp. 1 Pe.2.6; Ep.2.20. 

Cornet, an instrument like a flute made of 
rani’s horn, used by the priests for sound¬ 
ing in war or at religious solemnities, 1 Ch. 
15.28; Ps.98.6; Je.4.5,19; comp. Job 39.25; 
Da.3.5; Ho.5.8. 

Correct, punish, Ps.39.11; 94.10; Pr.29.17; 
Je(2'.i9; 10.24. 

Correction, amendment, punishment, Job 
37.i3;Pr.3.11:7.22; Je.2.30; 5.3; Hab.1.12; 

2 Ti. 3.16. 

Corrupt, to defile, taint, or bribe, Ge.6.11; 
De.4.16; Ps.14.1; 73.8; Eze.20.44; La.2.9; 
Mat.7.17,18; Ep.4.22; Re.19.2. 
Corruptible, that which may be corrupt, 
Ro.1.23; 1 Co.9.25; 1 Pe.1.18. 

Corruption, or depravity, of human nature 
universal, Job 14.4; Ps. 51.5; J11. 3.6; Ro. 
3.23; Ga.5.17; Ep.2.1, &c.; Col.2.13. 

.-, called the flesh, Jn.3.6; Ro. 8. 

5; Ga.5.17;—the natural man, 1 Co.2.14;— 
the old man, Ro. 6.6; Col. 3.9;—the vanity 
of the mind, Ep.4.17;—evil concupiscence, 
Col. 3. 5; iTh. 4. 5;—the carnal mind, Ro. 
8.7. 

-applied to the grave, or putre¬ 
faction of the body, Ps.i6.io; Ac. 13.34,35; 
Ps. 49.9;—to sinful courses,2 Pe. 1.4:2.12,19. 
Coaam, ko'sam [diviner], one of our Sa¬ 
viour’s ancestors, Lu.3.28. He is not men¬ 
tioned in the O. T. 

Costly, dear, expensive, 1 Ki.5.17; 7.9; Jn. 
12.3; 1 Ti.2.9. 

Cotes, huts or shelters, 2 Ch.32.28. 

Cottage, a hut foFmed of boughs, a ‘booth,’ 
as the word is elsewhere rendered, Is. 1.8; 
—a hanging bed suspended between trees 
so called, 24. 20; the same word being 
rendered ‘lodge,’ 1.8. In Zep. 2. 6 the 
word ‘cottages’ is more correctly ren¬ 
dered ‘cisterns’ for holding water. 
Couches, beds, Ge.49.4; Ps.6.6; Lu.5.19, 
24; Ac.5.15. 

Coulter, a ploughshare, 1 Sa. 13.20,21. 
Council, a consultation, Mat.12.14;—coun¬ 
sellors, Ac.25.12; — a throng or company 
of persons, Ps. 68. 27;—the Sanhedrim, or 
supreme council of the Jews, Mat.5.22;— 
tribunals subordinate to the Sanhedrim, 
Mat. 10.17; Mar. 13.9. 

Counsel, advice, Pr .90 18; God’s purpo e, 

Ac. 4.28; Ep. 1. 11;—his counsels are un- 


(Co—Co) 595 

changeable, Ps.33.11; Job 23.13; Pr 19.21; 
R0.9.11; He.6.17,18;—are sovereign. Da. 
4.35; Ps.115.3; i 35 > 6;—shall be performed, 
Is.14.24; 46.11. 

Counsellor, an adviser, Pr. 11.14; 15.22; 
R0.11.34;— a state counsellor, 2Sa.15.12; 
Ezr.7.28;—a chief man of the government. 
Job 3.14; 12.17;—a member of the Sanhe¬ 
drim, Mar. 15.43; Lu.23.50;—the Messiah, 
Is.9.6. 

Countenance, the face of man, 1 Sa. 1.18;— 
discovers his mind, Pr.15.13; Ge.31.5; Da. 
5 - 6 - 

-, of God shining on his people, 

his dealing kindly with them, Ps 4.6: 11.7; 
21.6; Nu.6.26;—the rebuke of God’s coun¬ 
tenance, Ps.80.16. 

Counteivail, to make up the loss, Es.7.4. 
Country, native, the love of it expressed, 
Ne.2.3;—as distinguished from the city, 
the field, Mar. 15.21. 

-, heaven, called a better than 

Canaan, in respect of its society, privileges, 
employments, and pleasures, He. 11.16; 12. 
22; Re.7.17; 21.4. 

Countryman, one of the same country, 2 
Co. 11.26; 1 Th.2.14. 

Couple, a pair, 2Sa.13.61 16.1; Is.21.7. 
Courage, the foundation of it, Job 11.13-15; 
Ps.3.6; 27.1:46.1; 56.4,11; 112.7; 118.6; Pr. 
28.1; He. 13.6. 

-, mental, Ps.119. 46; Mar. 8. 38:2 

Ti.1.8; 1 Pe.4.16. 

-, examples of in Jonathan, 1 Sa. 

14.6;—David, 17. 32;—Shadrach and his 
companions, Da. 3. 18; — Daniel, 6. 10 ;— 
Peter and John, Ac.4.19;—Peter and the 
other apostles, 5.29;—Paul, 20.24; 21.13; 
— the Christians in general, Ro.8.38. 
Courageous, brave, noble, Jos. 1.7:283. 
13.28; Am.2.16. 

Court, an area in Connection with a house, 
inclosed by walls, oft called a court-yard, 

2 Sa.17.18;—the tabernacle for God’s wor¬ 
ship, Ex. 27.9;—the courts, or uncovered 
spaces connected with the temple were 
three, 2 Ki.21.5; 2Ch.28.6. 

Courteous, kind, affable, 1 Pe.3.8. 

Cousin, Lu. 1.36,58, a blood relative or 
* kinsman,’ as the word is elsewhere ren¬ 
dered, 14.12; 21.16: 2.44; Ro.9.3. 
Covenant, a contract or agreement between 
two parties. The word is rendered ‘league,* 
Jos. 9. 6,7,11,15;— ‘confederacy,’ Ob. 7. 
The Hebrew word is derived from a root 
meaning ‘to cut,’ because when a cove¬ 
nant was ratified, the animals sacrificed 
were divided into two, and the persons 
contracting passed between the parts, Ge. 
15.9,10,17,18; 23. 3, &c.; Je. 34.15,18,19. 
The covenant of God with Noah, Ge.9.12;—- 
with Abraham, 17.4,10;—of Abraham with 
the Hittites, 23.3, &c.:—of Isaac and 
Abimelech, 26.31;—of Jacob and Laban, 
31.44:—of Joshua and the people, Jos.24. 
25;—made by Josiah, 2 Ki. 23. 3;—of the 
Jews after their return from Babylon, Ne. 
10. 1, &c.; — a new one to succeed the 
Mosaic, Je. 31. 31; 32.37: He. 8.6; 10.16;— 
Christ the mediator of it, He.8.6; 9.15: I2 - 
24;—fulfilled in him, Lu. 1.68-79:—ratified 
by his blood, He. 9. 14-24. In Ro. 9. 4 
‘covenants’ mean the promises made to 
Abraham;—the word denotes the two dis¬ 
pensations, the Jewish and the Christian, 
He.8.7-13; comp.Ex.xx.-xxiv.;—sign of a 
covenant, Ge.9.12; * 7 * TI ! Ex. 31.16,17. 
Covenant of salt, Nu. 18.19 ; 2 Ch. 13. 5; 
salt the emblem of incorruption used in the 
ratification of a perpetual covenant. 
Covert, a retreat, 1 Sa. 25. 20;—a thicket. 
Job 38. 40;—a hiding-place, 2 Ki.16.18;— 
Christ, Is.32.2. 

Covet, to desire what is good, 1 Co. 12.31;— 
to desire what is sinful, Ex.2o.i7;Mi.a.9. 
Covetousness, or immoderate desire of 
earthly things, forbidden, Ex.20.17: Dc.5. 
21; R0.7.9; 13.9;—absorbs the affections, 
Eze.33.31; 2 Pe.2.14—boundless, Ec.5.10; 
Hab. 2. 5;—censured, Pr.23.7; Lu.12.15; x 
C0.6.10; Ep.5.5: Col.3.5: 1 Ti.6.9; He.13.5; 
1 Jn. 2.15;—threatenings against, Job 20. 
15; Is. 5.8; 57.17; Je. 6.12,13; Mi. 2. 1,2; 
Hab.2.9,11: Ro.i.18,29. 

_-_, examples of: in Achan, Jos. 

7.21.—Eli’s sons, 1 Sa.2.12—15;- Samuel's 
sons, 8. 3;—Gchazi, 2 Ki. 5. 20;— Balaam, 
N11. 22. 17,21: 31.8; 2 Pe. 2. 15: Jude 11; 
—Ahab, 1 Ki. 21. 22 ;—young ruler, Mat. 
19.22:—Judas Iscariot, Mat.26.14;—Ana¬ 
nias and Sapphira, Ac. 5.1, &c.;—Deme¬ 
trius, 19^24.— Felix, 24.26;—the folly of it, 
Ec.4.8; 5.10. 

Cowardice, want of courage, the cause of 






















THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


590 (Co—Da) 

it, Le.26.17, 36; Ps.53.5: Pr.28.1; — of Adam \ 
and Eve, Ge.3.8;—of Sarah, 18.15;—of the I 
disciples of Jesus in the ship, Mat. 14.26; 
—of Peter, 30;—of all the disciples when 
he was apprehended, 26.56. 

Cozbi, ktfz'bi, with a number of her country¬ 
women Midianites), came into the camp 
of the Israelites, to seduce them to un¬ 
cleanness, Nu. 25.6-18. 

Cracknels, a sort of hard, thin cakes, 
punctured with holes, 1 Ki. 14.3. 

Craft, deceit or guile, Da.8.25; Mar. 14.1; 

—a trade or occupation, Ac.18.3; 19.25,27. 
Crane, the original word so rendered means 
leaper, with reference to the swiftness of 
the bird, Is.38.14; Je.8.7. Some inter¬ 
preters translate the word ‘ swallow; ’ 
Luther prefers the rendering ‘heron.’ 
Crave, to ask earnestly, Mar. 15.43. 
Creation, ascribed to God, Ge.1.1; Ps.124. 
8; 146.6; Ne. 9.6; Ac.14.15, 17.24;—was 
wrought by the second person in the God¬ 
head, Jesus Christ, Jn.1.3,10; 1 Co.8.6; 
Ep. 3.9; Col.1.16; He.1.2; Re.4.11;—the 
whole creation groaneth, Ro.8.22. 

Creator to be remembered in youth, Ec. 

12.1. 

Creature New), spiritually renewed, 2 Co. 
5.17;—the whole creation, Ro.8.39; Col.i. 
15;—the whole human race, Ro.8.20,21. 
Creditors, they to whom a debt is owed, 
their duty, De. 15. 2;—certain rules pre¬ 
scribed to them, Ex. 22.26,27; De.24.6,10, 

11; 23.20; Le.25.35,36; Mat.18.23. 
Credulity, too great easiness in believing 
men; caution against, Pr. 14.15; Je. 29.8; 
Mat.24.4,23; Mar.i3.5;Lu.2i.8; 1 Jn.4.1. 
Creek, a small bay or inlet from the sea, 
Ac. 27.39. 

Crescens, kres'sens, one of Paul’s helpers, 
supposed to have been one of the seventy 
disciples of Christ, 2 Ti.4.10. 

Crete, kreet, one of the largest islands in 
the Mediterranean, to the south-east of 
the Morea, is about 140 miles in length, 
and varies from 6 to 35 miles in breadth. 
It was originally called the happy island, 
from its fertility and salubrity. Some 
have supposed that it is the Caphtor men¬ 
tioned in Scripture, Je.47.4; while others 
think that it was settled by Philistines 
from Egypt, some of whom afterwards 
passed over to Palestine and were called 
Caphtorim, Ge. 10. 14; and Cherethims, 
Eze.25.16. It contained a hundred cities 
or considerable towns. The present popu¬ 
lation is estimated at about 300,000, mostly 
Greeks. It is now cal ed Candia. Paul 
sailed close by, Ac. 27 12,13;—left Titus 
there. Tit.1.5;—its inhabitants infamous 
for falsehood, &c., 12. 

Cretians, kre'shi-ans, the inhabitants of the 
island of Crete, Tit. 1.12. 

Crimes, many of them accounted capital 
among the Jews, and to be punished with 
death. See Death. 

Crimson, a very deep red colour obtained 
from an insect called by the Arabians 
kermes, 201.2.7; 3.14; Is.1.18; Je.4.30. 
Crisping-pin, Is. 3.22; a female ornament, 
probably a reticule or small ornamented 
bag. It is rendered ‘bag’ in 2 Ki.5.23. 
Crispus, kris'pus, the chief ruler of the 
Jewish synagogue at Corinth, converted 
and baptized by Paul, Ac. 18.8; 1 Co.1.14. 
Crocodile. See Leviathan. 

Cross, a sort of gibbet consisting of two 
pieces of wood placed across each other in 
the form of f or X, but that of our Saviour 
is said to have been of the former kind. 
Christ was put to death on, Mat. 27 32. The 
word is used figuratively for crucifixion it¬ 
self, Ep.2.16; He. 12.2; 1 Co.i.17,18; Ga.5. 
11; 6.12,14; Phi.3.18;—also for any severe 
suffering; the self-denial and sufferings of 
the Christian life, Mat. 10.38; 16.24; Mar.8. 
34; 10.21; Lu.9.23; 14.27. 

Crouch, to stoop low, 1 Sa.2.36; Ps.10.10. 
Crown, a diadem or head-band, a ribbon 
surrounding the head, Eze.16.12;—worn 
by newly married persons, Ca.3.11; Eze. 
16.12;- usually a mark of royalty,' 1 Ch. 
20.2; Es.i.n;—worn by the Jewish high- 
priest, Ex.29.6; 39.30; Le.8.9;—the glori¬ 
ous reward of the redeemed called a crown 
of life. Re. 2.10; 3.11—of righteousness , 2 
11.4.8;—of glory, 1 Pe. 5.4;—incorruptible, 

1 Co.9.25. 

Crucify, the Roman custom, to nail a slave 
to a cross, Mat.20.19; 27.31; He.6.6. 
Cruelty, a want of feeling, forbidden, Ge. 
49.5, &c.; De.25.3; Pr.11.17; 12.10: Eze. 
18.18examples: of Simeon and Levi, Ge. 
34-25 : 49 - 5 : — of Pharaoh, Ex 1. 14;—of 


Adpni-bezek, Ju.1.7;—of Menahem, 2 Ki. 
15.16;—of Jehoram, 2Ch.21.4j—of Herod 
the Great, Mat. 2.16. 

Crumbs, for dogs, the Gentiles so called, 
Mat. 15.27; Lu. 16.21. 

Crystal, a transparent stone, the finest 
species of quartz;—was anciently sup¬ 
posed to be pure water congealed by 
length of time into hard ice, and hence 
the Greek word for it, which properly sig¬ 
nifies ice. Job 28.17; Re.4.6; 21.11; 22.1. 
Cubit, the measure from the point of the 
elbow to the point of the middle finger, 
commonly reckoned half a yard. By some 
the cubit of Scripture has been reckoned 
at nineteen, by others at nearly twenty- 
two inches, Ge.6.16; De.3.11; Mat.6.27. 
Cuckoo, a solitary bird, well known by its 
peculiar cry, Le.11.16. 

Cucumber, a plant, the fruit of which is 
fleshy like an apple, Nu.11.5; Is.1.8. 
Cummin, a plant somewhat like fennel, 
which the Jews sowed in tjieir fields, pro¬ 
ducing aromatic seeds, Is.28.25,27;—the 
scribes and Pharisees paid tithes of it, 
Mat.23.23. 

Cup, a drinking vessel, Ge.40.11; suffer¬ 
ings from God, Is. 51.17;—a symbol of 
God’s blessing, Ps.23.5; 116.13;—of judg¬ 
ment, Ps. 75. 8; Re. 14. 10;—sufferings of 
our Saviour, Mat. 20. 22; 26. 39. Cup of 
blessing, 1 Co. 10.16. 

Cup-bearer, 1 Ki. 10. 5;—Rabshakeh, of 
Sennacherib; Nehemiah, of Artaxerxes;— 
cup-bearers among the attendants of Solo¬ 
mon, 1 Ki.10.5; 2 Ch.9.4. 

Curiosity, an inquisitiveness, to be wise 
above what is written, condemned, De.29. 
29; Ac. 1.6,7;—i n va i n speculations cen¬ 
sured, 1 Ti. 1.4; Tit.3.9. 

Curious, made with art, Ex. 28. 8; Ac. 19. 
19 - 

Current, good money, Ge.23.16. 

Curse, of the earth, &c., after the fall, Ge. 
3.14;—of Cain, 4.11;—of Canaan, 9.25;— 
of the Israelites if disobedient, Le.26.14; 
De. 28. 15, &c.;—to be pronounced from 
Mount Ebal, 27.13;—not to curse the deaf, 
Le.19.14;—to bless, and not to curse, Ps. 
62.4; Ro. 12. 14; Ja.3. 10;—remarkable in¬ 
stances of cursing, 2 Ki.2.23;Ps.xo9.6,&c.; 
Je.17.18; Mai.2.2. 

Cursing Profane). See Swearing. 
Curtains, curiously made for the taber¬ 
nacle, Ex. 26. 1-13; 36. 8-17;—used as a 
synonym for the tabernacle, 2 Sa.7.2; iCh. 
17.1. 

Cusb, kush [blackness], the eldest son of 
Ham, and father of Nimrod, Ge. 10 6,7;— 
the Cushites principally inhabited the south 
of Egypt called Ethiopia, Eze.29. 10. Egypt 
and Cush are generally associated, Ps. 68. 
31; Is.18.1; Je.46.9. See Ethiopia. 
Cushan, ku'shan, a name found in Hab.3.7; 
supposed to be identical with Cush. 

Cushi, ku'shl, i.e. the Cushite, the Ethio¬ 
pian. (1) A messenger sent to David to 
inform him of Absalom’s death, 2 Sa. 18. 
21.— 2 Zephaniah’s father, Zep.1.1. 
Custody, charge or security, Nu.3.36. 
Custom, ordinary practice, Ge.31.35; Lu. 
4 16;—a tax, Ro.13.7. 

Cuth, kuth, Cuthah, kuth'ah, a region of 
Asia, whence Shalmanezer king of As¬ 
syria bi ought colonists to Samaria, 2 Ki. 
17.24,30. 

Cymbals, hollow vessels of brass, which, 
being struck against each other, make a 
sharp sound, 2 Sa.6.5; x Ch.15.16; 16.5,42; 
Ps.150.5; 1 Co. 13.1. 

Cypress, a tree, evergreen, with dark and 
gloomy foliage, tall, and strong; used by 
the Romans in funeral ceremonies, Is. 44. 
14;—rendered fir-tree, 2 Sa 6.5; 1 Ki.5.8. 
Cyprus, sy'prus, an island of the Medi¬ 
terranean, situated between Cilicia and 
Syria; about 140 miles in length, and 
varying in breadth from 5 to 50 miles. 
Some suppose it to be identical with Chit- 
tim, Nu.24.24; Da.11.30. It is nearly tra¬ 
versed from east to west by two lofty 
chains of mountains, which, during winter, 
are covered with snow. It was celebrated 
in ancient times for its fertility and beauty, 
for its dense population, and for the gaiety 
and licentiousness of its inhabitants. Its 
fruits, particularly grapes, are pre-eminent; 
and its corn is of a superior quality. Its 
modern name is Kubris.— Joses, surnamed 
Barnabas, and an old disciple, Mnason, 
were natives of it, Ac. 4. 36; 21.16;—the 
gospel carried to it by some who fled from 
persecution, 11.19- saints in, confirmed 
by Paul and Barnabas, 13.4, &c.; 15.39. 


Cyrene, sy-re'ne, a city and province of | 
Lybia in Africa, westward of Egypt. At 
the present time it belongs to the Turks. 
Many Jews resided here, Mar.15.21; Lu. 
23.26;—Simon the Cyrenian was compelled 
to bear the Saviour’s cross, Mat.27.32;— 
Jews from, were numerous in Jerusalem, 
Ac.2.10; 6.9. 

Cyrenius, sy-re'ne-us, in its Latin form 
Quirinus, the Roman deputy or proconsul 
of Syria; he held this office, as is now 
proved, twice—first, four years before and 
at the time of our Lord’s birth, and again 
about eight or ten years after, Lu.2.1,2. 

Cyrus the Great, sy'rus, the founder of 
the Persian empire, mentioned by name, 
long before his time, as the deliverer of 
Israel, Is. 44. 28; 45. 1;—his decree in fa¬ 
vour of the Jews, 2 Ch.36.22; Ezr.1.1;—re¬ 
stores the vessels of the temple, Ezr. 1.7. 


D. 


Dabbasheth, dab'bash-eth [hump of a 
camel], a city of Zebulun, Jos.19.11; iCh. 
6.72. 

Daberath, dab'e-rath, a Levitical town 
near the foot of Mount Tabor, Jos. 19.12; 
x Ch. 6. 72. Incorrectly called Dabareh, 
Jos.21.28; probably identical with the mo¬ 
dern Deburieh, at the western base of 
Tabor. 

Dagger, a short sword, Ju. 3.16,21,22. 
Dagon, da'gon, meaning according to some 
corn, hence supposed to be the god of 
agriculture; according to others, more cor¬ 
rectly, fish. The national god of the Phil¬ 
istines at Gaza and Ashdod, Ju.16.21-30; 

1 Sa.5 5,6;—falls before the ark of God, 1 
Sa.5'3. 

Dainty, nice or delicate, Ps.141.4; Re.18. 
14. 

Dale The King’s), a valley, apparently 
near the Dead Sea, Ge.14.17; 2 Sa. 18.18. 
Dalmanutha, dal-ma-nu'tha, a place on 
the east side of the Sea of Tiberias, men¬ 
tioned only in Mar.8.10. 

Dalmatia, dal-ma'she-a, a province of old 
lllyricum, now a province of Austria, on 
the eastern shore of the Adriatic. The 
country is 200 miles in length and 40 in 
breadth. Its population is about 405,000, 
mostly Slavi, of whom above 300,000 are 
Roman Catholics. Titus preached in it, 

2 Ti.4.10. 

Damages, to be made good, Ex.21.28,35; 
22.5; Le.6.2; 24.1S; Nu.5.7; Eze.33.15; Lu. 
19.8. 

Damaris, dam'a-ris, a woman of Athens, 
converted to the gospel by the apostle 
Paul, Ac. 17.34. 

Damascenes, dam'a-seens, inhabitants of 
Damascus, 2 Co. 11.32. 

Damascus, da-mas'kus, one of the most 
ancient and celebrated cities of Syria, and 
still the largest city in Asiatic Turkey. It 
is the oldest existing city in the world— 
mentioned by Abraham 1910 years before 
Christ, Ge.14.15; 15.2. Since a.d. 1517 it 
has been under the Turks. It is situated 
in the midst of an extensive plain, about 
200 miles south of Antioch, and 120 north¬ 
east of Jerusalem,well-watered, and beauti¬ 
ful and fertile. It has many rivulets and 
canals connected with the large river the 
Abana (modern Barada), which runs 
through the city. Its population is now 
about 140,000, of whom nearly 15,000 are 
of the Greek church, 6000 Jews, and the 
remainder are Arabs and Turks. An altar 
was seen there by Ahaz, and one like it set 
up in the temple, 2 Ki. 16.10;—threatened 
with being conquered, Je.49.23;—and de¬ 
stroyed, Is. 17. 1;—Saul proceeded to, on 
his persecuting errand, Ac.9.2. 
Dammesek, dam'mes-ek [activity], 2 Ki. 16. 
9; the Hebrew .for Damascus. 
Damnation, the awful punishment of the 
wicked in hell, Mat.23.33; 25.41-46; Mar. 
16. 16; Jn. 5. 28, 29; 2 Pe. 2.3;—sometimes, 
judgment, condemnation, or punishment 
in this life, 1 Co. 11.29; Ro. 13.2. In Ro. 
14.23 the word damned means self-con- 
demned. 

Damsel, a young maid, Ge.24.55; Mat.14. 

11; 26.69; Ac. 12.13; 16.16. 

Dan, dan [judge], 1 1) The fifth son of Ja¬ 
cob, and the first of Bilhah, Rachel’s hand¬ 
maid; he was the father of the tribe called 
by his name;—his birth, Ge.30.6;—pro¬ 


phetic blessing of his father concerning; 
him, 49.16,17;—one of the most numerous. [ 
of the tribes of Israel, Nu. 1.39; 26.42,43. 
Samson was of this tribe, Ju.xiii.—(2) Or 
Laish, a city at the chief source of Jordan, 
south of Mount Hermon, and the northern, 
extremity of Canaan. Near to it Abraham 
routed the Canaanitish kings, Ge. 14.14;— 
here Jeroboam set up one of his idols, 1 KL 
12.29;—laid waste by Benhadad, 1 Ki.15. . 
20; 2Ch. 16.4;—traded with Tyre, Eze.27. 

Dancing, on solemn occasions, and in reli¬ 
gious worship, Ex. 15.20; 32.19; 2 Sa. 6.14; 

Ps. 149.3; I 5°-4- 

-, an expression of joy, Ju.11.34; 

1 Sa. 18.6; 29.5; Je.31.4; Mat 14.6. No in¬ 
stances are recorded in Scripture in which 
both sexes united in this exercise, either in 
worship or amusement. It was performed 
only by one sex. 

Dandled, a fondled child, Is.66.12. 

Danger, peril, hazard, Mat.5.21,22; Mar.3. 

29; Ac. 19.27,40. 

-, from persecution, to be avoided by 

prudence, Mat. 4. 12; 10.16,23; 12.15; J n - 
7.1: Ac. 14.6; 17.14;—examples of deliver¬ 
ance from it to be sought by lawful means; 
in the case of Jacob, Ge.32 6;—of Joseph, 

40.14: of David by Michal, 1 Sa. 19.12. 

-, of Elijah from Jezebel, 1 Ki. 19.2;— 

of Jesus before being carried to Egypt, 
Mat.2.13;—of Jesus from the Pharisees, 
12.15;—of the apostles, Ac. 8. 1;—of Paul,. 
9.23;—of Paul and Barnabas, 14.5, &c. 

-, deliverance from, to be prayed 

for, Ge.32.11; 1 Sa.26.24; Ps.7.1; 55.16:59. 

1; 71.12, &c.; Jn. 12.27. 

—-, incurred heedlessly by Dinah, Ge. 

34.1;—by Peter going on the water, Mat. 

14. 28;—of Paul’s companions on the voy¬ 
age, Ac. 27.9. 

Daniel, ddn'i-el [judge of God], 1 Da¬ 
vid’s son by Abigail, 1 Ch.3.1; called Chi- 
leab, 2Sa*3. 3.—2) A distinguished Jew 
who was carried captive to Babylon. One 
half of his book (ch. i.-vi.) is a historical 
narrative filling out the sketch given in 2CI1. 
36.20. His deportation to Babylon, Da. 1. 

6;—refuses the king’s provisions, 8;—inter¬ 
prets Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, 2.1, &c.; 

4.1;—the writing on the wall, 5.25 ;—made 
chief of the presidents by Darius, 6. 1;— 
cast into the den of lions, 16;—his vision 
of the four beasts, 7.1, &c.;—of the ram 
and he-goat, 8.1, &c.;—terrified with a 
vision, 10.5;—his prophecy of the seventy 
weeks, 9.24;—of the kings of the north and 
south, 11.1, &c.;—to have his part in the 
resurrection, 12.13;—the testimony of God 
in his favour, Eze. 14.14; 28. 3.—(3) One of 
the chiefs who accompanied Ezra from 
Babylon, Ezr. 8.2. 

Danites, dan'ites, descendants of Dan;—go 
in quest of more country, Ju.18.1;—rob 
Micah, 14, &c.;—their inheritance, Jos. 19. 

40;—conquer Laish, Ju.18.27;—set up-an 
idol there, 30. 

Dannah, dan'nah [lowly], a city among 
the mountains of Judah, Jos. 15.49. 

Darda, dar'da, [pearl of knowledge], one 
of the four wise men mentioned in 1 Ki.4. 

31:—called Dara, 1 Ch.2.6. 

Darius, da-ri'us [ruler], (1) The Mede, 
reigns in Babylon, Da. 5. 31;—his decree 
in honour of the God of Daniel, 6.26;— 
was probably Astyages, the last king of 
the Medians.—(2) King of Persia, son of 
Hystaspes, renews the decree of Cyrus in 
favour of the Jews, Ezr. 6.1;—was defeated 
by the Greeks in the famous battle of 
Marathon (b.c. 490). 

Darkness, in Egypt, Ex. 10. 21;—at the 
crucifixion of Jesus, Lu.23.44. 

-of the sun, moon, and stars, in 

prophetic language, signifies the gloom or 
horror which hangs over governments;— 
the destruction of Babylon thus predicted. 

Is. 13.1,10:—of Tyre, 24.23;—Idumea, 34. 

4. See also Eze.32.7; Joel2.10,31; 3.15. 

Darling, one beloved, Ps.22.20; 35.17. 

Dart, a weapon thrown by the hand, 2 Sa. 
18.14; Job4i.26; Ep.6.16; He. 12.20. 

Dathan, da'than, joined Korah in revolt 
against Moses and Aaron, Nu.16.1; 26.9; 
Ps.106.17. See Korah. 

Daub, to besmear or plaster, Ex. 2.3; Eze. 
13.10-12,14. 

Daughter, the church of Christ, Ps. 45.10; 
—the inheritance of her father to pass to, 
Nu.27.7; 36.2. 

David, da'vid [beloved, dear], the eighth 
and youngest son of Jesse, and descendant 
of Judah, Ru.4.22; Mat.1.6;—anointed by 













THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


Samuel, i Sa. 16. 12; —the Spirit of the I 
Lcrd comes upon hint, 18;—attends Saul, 
19;—kills Goliath, 17. 38, &c.;—marries 
Michal, the daughter of Saul, 18.22, &c.; 
—concealed by her, 19.12;—goes to Sam¬ 
uel, 18;—takes leave of Jonathan, 20.42; 

— takes the hallowed bread, 21.1, &c.;— 
feigns madness at Gath, 13;—at Adullam, 
22.1;—sends his parents to the king of 
Moab, 3;—rescues Keilah, 23.1, &c.;—fa¬ 
voured by an invasion of the Philistines, 
23.25;—dwells at Engedi, 29;—cuts off the 
skirt of Saul, 24.1, &c.;—sends to Nabal, 
25.2, &c.;—marries Abigail, 39;—spares 
Saul at Hachilah, 26. 4;—at Gath, 27.3;— 
dismissed by Achish, 29.6;—rescues plun¬ 
der from some Amalekites, 30.18;—laments 
over Saul and Jonathan, 2 Sa. 1.17;—made 
king at Hebron, 2.1; iCh. 11.1;—sons born 
to him there, 2 Sa.3.2;—mourns for Abner, 
3.31;—those that joined him at Ziklag, 
i Ch. 12.1;—at Hebron, 23;—made king of 
all Israel, 2Sa.5.1:—takes Zion from the 
Jebusites, 6;—sons born to him at Jeru¬ 
salem, 13;—defeats the Philistines, 5. 17, 
22; 8.1; 1 Ch. 14. 8; 18.1; —brings the ark 
from Kirjath-jearim, 2Sa.6.x; 1 Ch.13.1;— 
proposes to build a temple, 2 Sa.7.2; 1 Ch. 
17.1;—God’s promise to him on account of 
it, n; 2Sa. 7. 11, &c.;— his prayer and 
thanksgiving, iCh.17. 16;—conquers the 
Moabites, 2Sa.8.2;—the Syrians, 9; 10.6, 
16; iCh.18.3,6;—the Edomites, 2Sa.8.i4; 

1 Ch.18. 13;—the Ammonites, 2 Sa. 10. 6; 
12.26; i Ch.20.1;— takei Rabbah by Joab, 
20.1;—sends for Mephibosheth, 2Sa.9_ 1 ;— 
sends ambassadors to Hanun, iCh.19.2; 
—the friendship of Hiram for him, 14.1;— 
his wives and children, 3;—brings the ark 
from the house of Obed-edom, and is de¬ 
spised by Michal, t5.25,29;—a great festival 
on this occasion, 16.1;—appoints ministers 
to attend it, 37;—his adultery with Bath- 
sheba, 2 Sa. 11.4;—marries her, 11.26;—re¬ 
pents, 12.13;—flees from Absalom, 15.13; 
—mourns his death, 18. 33;—cursed by 
Shimei, 16. 5;—pardons him, 19. 18;—his 
officers, 20.23; 1 Ch. 18.14;—more wars with 
the Philistines, 2 Sa. 21. 15,18, &c.;—his 
valiant men, 23.8;—his psalm of thanks¬ 
giving at removing the ark, 1 Ch.16.7, &c.; 
—after his victories, 2Sa.22.i, &c.;—num¬ 
bers the people, 24.1; 1 Ch.21.1;—buys Ar- 
aunah’s threshing-floor, 2 Sa.24.18; iCh.21. 
18; his preparations for the building of the 
temple, 22.1-5;—cherished b y Abishag * n 
his old age, 1 Kii-3,&c.;—gives a charge to 
Solomon, 2.1; 1 Ch.22.6; 28. 9, 20;—makes 
Solomon king, 23.1;—appoints the services 
of the Levites, 24;—of the porters, 26.li¬ 
the treasurers, 20;—officers and judges, 
29;—his last words, 2 Sa.23.1;—appoints 
twelve captains, one for each month, 1 Ch. 
27.1;—his death at the age of seventy years 
( b.C. 1013,29.28; 2 Sa. 5.4;—‘was buried in 
the city of David,’ 1 K.i.2.10;—his descend¬ 
ants, 2 Sa. 3.2-5;. 1 Ch. 3.1-7;—the psalm in 
which he asserts his integrity, Ps.xxvi. 
his vow of upright conduct, ci.;—enumer¬ 
ates the promises of God to him.ii.lxxxix.ci. 
cxxxii. The name David applied to Mes¬ 
siah, Eze.34.23,24; Ho.3.5 —house of, his 
posterity, Is.7.2,13; Je.21.12;— son ^.ap¬ 
plied to Jesus as the title of the Messiah, 
Mat. 1.1; 9.27; 12.23; 15 22, &c.; root of 
used also of the Messiah, Re.5.5; 22.16; Is. 
1 1 1 10 —kingdom of,the reign of Messiah, 
Mar. 11.10; -key of regal authority. Re. 3. 
rj —city of, the castle and palace of Zion, 
1 Ch 11. 7; 1 Ki. 8.1; -Bethlehem also so 
called, Lu.2.4,11, as David’s birth-place. 
Dawning, the breaking of the day, Jos.6. 
15, Ju. 19. 26; Ps. 119. 147; Mat.28.1; 2 Pe. 


iy, the natural, was reckoned by the 
: ws from one evening to the next, Le.23. 
>• in Europe and America, and generally 
nong civilized nations, the day begins at 
idnight. The word used to denote an m- 
^finite time, Ge.2.4; Is.22.5; Ac. 17.31 
man’s life, Jn.9.4;—the time of Christs 
icarnation, 8.56. 

tys (The Last), means the end of the 
orld, Jn. 6. 39, 44, 54! n- 24; 12.48; Ja.5.3, 
-the time of the gospel dispensation, Is. 
2; Mi. 4.1; Ac.2.17; He.1.2; 9. 26; 2 Pe.3. 
--the corrupt age of the church, 2 Ti.3.1; 
Pe. 3.3. 

Lysman, an umpire or arbitrator, Job 9. 


Day spring, the first dawning of light, 
used of Christ, Lu. 1.78;—the light which 
exposes the wicked, Job 38.12.. 

Day-star, the promised Messiah, or the 


light of joyful hope and expectation which 
shines on a believer’s soul, 2 Pe. 1.19. 
Deacons [servants], seven, appointed by the 
apostles, Ac. 6.5;—their qualifications, 1 Ti. 
3.8,12. 

Dead, spiritually, mankind are all natur¬ 
ally in this state, Ep.2.1,5; Col.2.13; iTi. 
5 - 6 . 

-, corporeally and literally, those who 

are so cannot praise God, Ps.115.17;—God 
not the God of the dead, but of the living, 
Mar. 12.27; Lu. 20. 28;—ignorant of what 
passes in this world, Job 14.21; Ps.146.4; 
Ec.9.5;—undergo no saving change, Ec.9. 
10;—shall hear the voice of the Son of 
God, Jn.5.28;—that die in Christ blessed, 
Re. 14. 13;—shall stand before God for 
judgment, 20.12. 

-, raised, the widow of Zarephath’s 

son, 1 Ki. 17.22;—the Shunammite’s son, 2 
Ki. 4. 35;—a man, by the bones of Elisha, 
13.21;—the widow’s son at Nain, by Jesus, 
Lu.7.15;—the daughter of Jairus, Mat. 9. 
25; Mar. 5. 42; Lu. 8. 55;—Lazarus, Jn.n. 
44;—Tabitha, by Peter, Ac.9.40;—Euty- 
chus, by Paul, 20.12. 

Dead Sea, a name which began to be in 
use in the second century, to denote the 
‘ Salt Sea,’ from its supposed deadly pro¬ 
perties. See Salt SEA-and SoDOrit. 

Deaf, not to be cursed, Le.19.14;—healed, 
Mar. 7.32; 9.25;—wilfully so, censured, De. 
30.17; Ps.58.4; Pr.21.13; Is.30.9; 42..8:43, 

8; Je.5.21; 22.21;Eze. 12.2; Mat.13.15; Ac. 
3.23; 7.51. 

Dearth, scarcity and high price of provi¬ 
sions;—in the days of Jacob, Ge. 41.54:42. 
1;— of the prophet Elisha, 2 Ki.4.38;—of 
Jeremiah, Je. 14.1;—Agabusforetold there 
should be a great, Ac. 11. 28. See also 
2Ch.6.28; Ne.5.3; Ac.7.ri. 

Death, how it came into the world, Ge.3. 
17,19; 1 Co. 15.22;—the wages of sin, Ro. 
5.12; 6.23;—certain to all, Job 14.5; 21.13; 
Ps.49.19; 89. 48; Ec. 8. 8; 9. 5; 11. 8; He. 9. 
27;—levels all men, Job 1.21; 3.17,&c.; Ec. 

5. 15;--to be frequently thought of, Ps.39. 
4:90.12;—sometimes desirable, Job 3. 21; 
6.8:7.15,16; 10.1; Phi. 1. 23;—Christians 
have hope in it, 2 C0.5.1, &c.;—their death 
full of peace, Ge.15.15; 2 Ki.22.20; Ps.37. 
37; Is.57.2; Lu.2.29;—is precious in God’s 
sight, Ps 72.14; 116. 15;—the wicked are 
driven away in their guilt, Pr. 14.32;—we 
ought speedily to prepare for it, Ec.9.10; 
—all who are in Christ are blessed at, Re. 
14.13;—conquered by Christ, Is.25.8; Ro. 
6.9; 1 Co. 15. 55-57! 2 Ti- i- 10 ! Re. 1. 18;—- 
he delivers from the fear of it, He.2.15. 

-, by the Jewish law, the punishment 

for murder, Ge.9.6; Ex.21.12; Le.24.17; 
for man-stealing, Ex.21.16; De.24.7;—for 
cursing a parent, Ex.21.17; Le.20.9; Mat. 
15.4;—for witchcraft, Ex.22.18; Le.20.27; 
—for bestiality, Ex.22.19; Le.20.15;—for 
sacrificing to a strange god, Ex.22.20;— r or 
enticing to idolatry, De. 13. 6, &c.; for 
breaking the Sabbath, Ex.31.14; 35.2; Nu. 
I5 .35;—for sacrificing children to Moloch, 
Le.20.2;—for incest, Le.20.11,12,14,17,19- 
21 ; —for the fornication of the daughter of 
a priest, 21. 9;—for sodomy, 20.13;—for 
adultery, 10; De.22.22;—for defiling a be¬ 
trothed damsel, De. 22.23;— for approaching 
a woman in her separation, and the woman 
who suffers it, Le.20.18;—for blasphemy, 
24.14; 1 Ki.21.10;—for any person, except 
a priest or a Levite, touching the taber¬ 
nacle, Nu.1.51; 3.10,38; 18. 22;— for false 
prophecy, De. 13.5; 18.20;—for false wit¬ 
ness in a penal case, 19.16,21;—for dis¬ 
obeying the sentence of a judge, Nu.15. 
30; De. 17.12;—for the owner of an ox that 
kills any person, if the ox had been used 
to do mischief, Ex.21.29;—for all kinds of 
idolatry, De.17.5- . _ , . 

__, eternal, results from sin, R0.0.16, 

21; 8.13; Ja. 1.15;—referred to under dif¬ 
ferent figures, Ro. 6. 23; 2 1 h. 1.9; 2 Pe. 2. 
17 ; Re. 2.11; 19. 20; 21.8; Mar. 9.44; Mat. 

_ 25 '-of Christ, was appointed by God, Is. 
53. 10; Ac. 2. 23; 4- 2 7 > 28;—was voluntary, 
Jn. 10.11,18; Ga.1.4; 2.20; Ep.5.2; Tit. 2. 
I4 ;—substitutionary, or in the room of 
sinners, Mat.20.28; Tit.2.14; 1 Pe.3.18; Ga. 
3>I 8 ; _ a proper sacrifice for our sins, 1 Co. 
5.7; He.9.26;—peculiarly painful, Mat.26. 
38; 27. 46; — ignominious, He. 12. 2;—ac¬ 
cursed, Ga.3.13. 

_of saints, compared to sleep, 1 Co. 

15.18; 1 Th.4.14;—precious in God’s sight, 
p s u6 15; —is attended by the divine 
! presence, Ps.23.4; 2C0.5.8; Phi.i.2 3 ;-full 


of blessing, Re. 14.13; Is. 57. 2; Pr. 14. 32; 
Phi. 1.21: 2TL4.8; Re.3.21. 

Death of the wicked, unexpected, Job 21. 

13; Ps.37.2,20; Pr.29.1; Lu.12.20;—without 
hope, Job8.13.14; Pr.11.7;—like the death 
of beasts, Ps.49.12,20;—God has no pleasure 
in their death or destruction, Eze. 18.23,32; 
33.11; 2 Pe.3.9. 

Debase, to degrade, Is.57.9. 

Debate, to dispute, Pr.25.9; Is.27.8. 

Debir, de'ber [sanctuary], (1) A stronghold 
of the sons of Anak assigned to the tribe of 
Judah, its earlier name was Kiriath-sepher 
(city of books), or Kirjath-sannah \city of 
doctrine 3 Jos. 15. 15, 49; Ju. 1. 11 ;—was 
taken by Joshua, Jos. 11. 21;—was given 
to the priests, 21.15.—( 2 ) Another city of 
the tribe of Gad, probably the same as 
Lodebar, east of Jordan, Jos. 13.26; 2 Sa. 
9.4; 17.27. — (3) A place on the north 
boundary of Judah between Jericho and 
Jerusalem, Jos. 15.7. 

Deborah, deb'o-rah [bee], (1) Rebekah’s 
nurse, dies, Ge.35.8.—,2) The prophetess, 
‘wife of Lapidoth,’ encourages Barak to 
fight the Canaanites, Ju.4.4;—her song, 
5.1, &.C. 

Debts, to be punctually paid, Ps.37.21; Pr. 
3.27,28;—the contracting of them to be 
avoided, Ro.13.8;—to be forgiven to those 
who are not able to pay,Mat. 18.27,35;— 
our sins so called, 6.12. 

Decapolis, de-cap'o-lis [ten cities], a district 
of Palestine, situated partly on both sides 
-of Jordan, Mat.4.25; Mar.5.20; 7.31. The 
population of these cities are mostly hea¬ 
then, Lu. 8 26,27, 39. Josephus says the 
ten cities were Damascus, Philadelphia, 
Raphana, Scythopolis, Gadara, Hippos, 
Dion, Pella, Gerasa, and Otopos ipr Ca- 
natha), all on the east of Jordan except 
Scythopolis. 

Decay, to decline, or consume away, Le. 

25.35; Ne.4.10; Ec.10.18; He.8.13. 

Decease, death, Lu.9.31; 2Pe.i.i5. 

Deceit, fraud, or pretence, censured, Le. 
19.11; 25.14; Ps.5.6:55.23; Pr.20.17; Je.22. 
13; 1 Co. 6.8. 

-, of others, to be guarded against, 

Pr. 14.15;—in matters of religion, Je.29.8; 
Mat.24.4; Ep.5.6; 2l’h.2.3. 

-. (Self-), Is.30.10; Ja. 1.22,26. 

Deceivers, men who lead into errors, or 
teach false doctrines in the last times, 2 Jn. 

7; Jude 4. 

Decision, prompt and steady determination 
in religious matters, commanded, and the 
want of it censured, Jos.24.14,15; 2 Ch. 15. 
12,13; 1 Ki.18.21; Mat.6.24; Ja.1.8; 4.8;— 
advantages and reward of, 1 Co.15.58; He. 

3. 14;—examples of, Ex. 32. 26; Nu. 13. 30; 
Jos.24.15; 2CIL15.8; Ac.21.13. Valley of 
i.e. the valley in which Zion’s enemies w ill 
meet their determined doom, a poetical 
name for the valley of Jehoshaphat, Joel 
3 - 1 4- 

Decked, dressed, Pr.7.16; Re.17.4. 
Declaration, affirmation, Es. 10.2; Lu.1.1; 

2 Co. 8.19. 

Declare, to tell, Ps.9.11;—to explain, Ge. 
41.24; Is.53.8. 

Decline, to turn aside from the path of 
duty, cautions against, Ex.23.2; De. 17.11; 
P r - 4 - 5 ! 7 - 25 - 

Decree, royal enactment, Da 2.9,13,15. 
Decrees of God, are his eternal and fixed 
purposes respecting whatever comes to 
pass, Da.4.24; Ac. 15.18; Ep 1.4:—they are 
infinitely wise, Ro. 11.33; — immutable, 
Mai.3.6 —universal, Ep.i.n .—secret, till 
he be pleased to reveal them, De. 29. 29; 
Mat. 24.36;—shall all be accomplished, Is. 
46.10; Da.4.35. 

Dedan, de'dan, (1) The son of Raamah, and 
grandson of Cush, Ge. 10.7; 1 Ch.1.9; his 
descendants inhabit a country of the same 
name on the Persian Gulf, and trade with 
Tyre in ivory, &c., Eze.25.13; 27.15-20; 38. 
13.—(2) The son of Jokshan, and grandson 
of Abraham, Ge. 25. 3;—his descendants 
inhabit Dedan, a district in Arabia Petraea, 
Je.25.23; 49 8. 

Dedanim, de'dan-im, the people of Dedan, 
Is.21.13; called Dodanim, Ge.10.4. 
Dedicate, to inscribe, to devote to, De.20. 
5; 2 Sa.8.11; 2 Ki. 12.18; 1 Ch. 26.20; 2 Ch. 
2.4. 

Dedicated Things, or things set apart to 
the service of God, to be regarded, Le.27. 
28; Nu.16.38; Mar. 11.17;—profaned, Da. 

5 - 2 - _ 

Dedication, of the tabernacle, Ex.40.9.14: 
- of the temple. 1 Ki.8.i,&c.;—erf the w all 
of Jerusalem, Ne.12.27. 


(Da—De) 597 

Dedication Feast of), instituted, b.c. 
164, in commemoration of the purification 
of the temple after its desecration by Epi- 
phanes, Jn. 10.22. 

- Self- , to the Lord, examplos 

of, Ps.116.16; Is.44.5; 2 Co.8.5. 

Deemed, judged, Ac.27.27. 

Deep, from surface to the bottom, Eze. 32. 

14; - the sea, Job 41.31;—hell, Lu.8.31. 
Defamed, slandered, 1 Co.4.13. 

Defeat, frustration, overthrow, 2Sa.15.34. 
Defence, a guard or vindication; the Lord 
is to his people a sure, Job 22.25; Ps.7.10; 
59.16; 62.2; 89.18; 94.22. 

Defer, to delay, put off, Ec.5.4; Is.48.9; 
Da. 9.19. 

Defile, to pollute, morally, by forbidden 
intercourse, Ge. 34.2, 5;—to be guilty of 
idolatry, Le.20.3; Eze.43.7,8;—to indulge 
in any sin, Job 15.16; Is.6.5. 

Defraud, to rob or cheat, forbidden, Le. 

19.13; Mar.10.19; 1 Co.6.8; iTh.4.6. 

Defy, to boast against one, Nu.23.7,8; 1 Sa. 
17.10,25,26. 

Degenerate, base, become worse than they 
were originally;—the Jews were, Je.2.21. 
Degrees, Songs of;, the title given to fifteen 
psalms (the 120th to the 134th inclusive), 
either because of their peculiar excellence, 
or their being intended to be sung by the 
Jews in the several stages of their journey, 
when they came up to J erusalem to wor¬ 
ship, or with reference to the melody in 
w hich they w'ere to be chanted. 

Dehavites, de-hii'vites [villagers], people 
of Havah or Ava, brought by the king of 
Assyria to Samaria, Ezr.4.10. 

Delaiah, del-a-i'ah [whom the Lord has 
freed], iCh.24.18 called Dalaiah,3.24' , the 
head of one of the courses of priests in the 
time of David. 

Delays, in business often dangerous, Pr.27. 

1; Ec.9.10; Jn.9.4;—especially in spiritual 
matters, Ec.12.1; Is.55.6; Mat.25.10; Lu. 
11.6; Jn.12.35; 2C0.6.2; He.3.13; Ja.4.13. 
Delectable, delightful, Is.44.9. 
Deliberation, careful thought, recommend¬ 
ed, Pr. 15.28; 29.20. 

Delicate, fine, nice, De.28.54; Mi.1.16. 
Delicately, finely or nicely, the danger of 
thus treating servants, Pr.29.21. 
Deliciously, in luxury, pleasure, Re. 18.7. 
Delight, to satisfy or please, Ps.37.4; Mai. 
3.1; Ro.7.22. 

Delilah, de-ll'lah [languishing], a woman in 
the valley of Sorek, loved by Samson, Ju. 
16. 4;—her treachery to him, and victory 
over him, 6-20. 

Deliverance, God works for his people, from 
their troubles, Job 5.19; Ps.50.15. 

_,remarkable instances of: Shad- 

rach and his companions, Da.3.22, &c.;— 
of Daniel, 6.22;—of Peter and John, Ac.5. 
!g ;—of Peter, 12.7;—of Paul and Silas, 16. 
26; -of Paul at Rome, 2TL4.17. 

Deluge, the universal flood of the earth 
B.c. 2516). When the race of man had 
greatly increased on the earth, wickedness 
in every form began to abound, every 
imagination of the thought of the human 
heart was only evil continually. But in 
the midst of the w-orld of crime and guilt 
‘Noah was a just man and walked with 
God.’ For 120 years God warned man¬ 
kind of the coming deluge by means_of 
Noah. They repented not at the warning, 
at last the flood came and swept them ail 
away. The history of this is given in Ge. 
vi. vii. viii. The deluge lasted for 12 lunar 
months and 10 days. Noah and his family 
w ere 370 days in the ark. Referred to in 
N. T., Mat.24.37; Lu.17.26; 2 Pe.2.5. 
Delusions, threatened under the reign of 
antichrist, 2TI1.2.11. 

Demas, de'mas [of the people], an early pro¬ 
fessor of Christianity, who, from love of the 
world, forsook Paul, Col 4.14; 2 li.4.10. 
Demetrius, de-me'tri-us [belonging tc 
Ceres, or to corn], (1) A silversmith ol 
Ephesus, who made silver ‘shrines,’ or 
models of the temple of Diana; raises a 
tumult, Ac. 19.24.—(2) The Elder, his good 
report, 3Jn.i2. .. 

Demoniacs, persons possessed by devils, 
were numerous in the time of Christ, Mat. 
8.16; I.u.4.41;—that they w-ere really pos¬ 
sessed, and not simply under diseases, 
appears from the devils knowing Christ, 
and addressing him by his name, Mat.8. 
28, 29: Mar. 1. 24:— supplicating Christ, 
Mat. 8.31; Mar. 5. 7: —obtaining permis¬ 
sion from Christ, Mat. 8. 3 a;-Christ ad¬ 
dressed them as devils, Mar. s. S; Lu. 4. 
35:—such cases arc clearly distinguished 





















THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


598 (De—DoS 

from diseases, 1.34: Lu.9.1. Moreover, it 
Could not be, according to the theories of 
infidelity, a mere supposition on the part of 
the demoniacs that they were possessed, 
else the 2000 swine mentioned, Mar.5.13, 
must have supposed themselves possessed 
likewise!! 

Demons, or, as they are called in our trans¬ 
lation, devils; the spirits of dead men 
deified , which were worshipped by the 
heathen, under the similitude of idols, De. 
32.17; Ps. 106.36,37;—joining in sacrifices 
to them forbidden, 1 Co. 10.20,21. 
Demonstration, a sure proof, 1 Co. 2.4. 
Denial Self-'. See Self. 

Denounce, to inform against, De.30.18. 
Dens, the caves where wild beasts lodge, 
Job 37.8; 38.40; Ps. 10.9; Da.6.16;—the re¬ 
treats of the persecuted, He. 11.38. 
Denying Christ, manner of doing this, 
Mat.25.41-43; Lu.10.16; Phi.3.18,19; 2 Pe. 

2.1; 2 Jn. 7;—punishment of, Mat. 10. 33; 
Mar.8.38; Lu.9.26; Jude 4. 

Departure, agoing away, Eze.26.18; 2TL 
4.6. 

Depose, to put out of office, Da. 5.20. 
Deposit, or pledge, the law relating to it, 
Ex. 22.7. 

Depravity of human nature. See Cor¬ 
ruption. 

Deputy, one who acts for another, 1 Ki.22. 

47; Ac.13.7; 18.12; 19.38. 

Derbe, der'be [juniper-tree], a city of Ly- 
caonla, a province of Asia Minor; Paul 
and Barnabas retreated to it, after hav.ng 
been driven from Lystra, Ac. 14. 6;—the 
native place of Gaius, 20.4. 

Deride, to laugh at or mock, Hab.1.10;— 
the Pharisees and the rulers derided Christ, 
Lu.16.14; 2 3-35- 

Derision, mockery, reproach, Ps.44.13; 59. 

8; Je.20.7; La.3.14; Ho.7.16. 

Descend, to come down, Mar. 15.32; Ro. 
10.7; Ep.4.10. 

Descended, Christ, into the lower parts of 
the earth ; or came from heaven to our 
world, and lay in the grave, Jn.3.13; Ep. 
4.9,10. 

Describe, to represent bywords, Jos. 18.4, 
8; Ro.4.6; 10.5. 

Descry, to spy out or discover, Ju.1.23. 
Desert, or wilderness; as of Sinai, Ex. 19. 
2;— of Zin, Nu. 20. 1, &c. See Wilder¬ 
ness. 

Desire, inordinate, forbidden, Ex.2o.i7;De. 
5.21. 

Desire of all Nations, Hag.2.7; gener¬ 
ally referred to the Messiah, but may de¬ 
note the richest treasures of the Gentiles 
as devoted to Christ, comp. Is. 60.3-7. 
Desolate, laid waste, solitary, Ps.4o.i5;69. 

25; Mat.23.38; iTi 5.5. 

Desolation 'Abomination of), Mat.24.x5; 
Mar. 13.14. 

Despair, hopeless, Ec.2.20;—to be guarded 
against, Ps.34.19; 37 24; 113.7; 140.12; 145. 
14; Pr. 24. 14; Lu. 18. r; 2 Co. 4. 8; Ga. 6.9; 
2 Th.3.13; He.x2.3. Examples of despair: 
Cain, Ge.4.13,14; Ahithophel, 2Sa. 17. 23; 
Judas, Mat.27.5. 

Despite, envy, or malice, Eze.25.6; He. 10. 

29 - 

Destitute, those in want to be supplied by 
their brethren, Mat.26.11; Lu.3.11; Ja. 2. 
15; 1 Jn.3.17. See Alms. 

Destroy, to pull down, cut off, kill, Ge. 18. 
23;Ex.i5.9;—to cast into hell, Mar. 1.24; 
Lu. 4. 34;—to hurt a weak Christian, Ro. 
I 4 -. I 5 - 

Destruction, temporal death, Ps.90.3;— 
the mortification of sin, 1C0.5.5; Ro.6.6; 
—the final punishment of the wicked, Phi. 
3.19; 2 Pe.2.1; 2Th.x.9. 

Determinate, or fixed, the counsel of God 
is, Ac. 2.23. 

Detestable, hateful, Je.16.18; Eze.5.11; 7. 
20: 11.18. 

Deuel, de-u'el [invocation of God], one of 
the princes of the children of Gad, Nu.i. 
14; 7.42,47; 10.20;—called Reuel, 2.14. 
Deuteronomy, deu-ter-on'o-me [the repeti¬ 
tion of the law], the name given by the 
Greek translators to the last of the five 
books of Moses. It was written, except 
the last chapter, by Moses, De.1.5; 34.1; 
2 Ch.25.4;—was to be read before all Israel 
every seven years in the year of release, 
De. 31.9-13. 

Devices, crafty plots, of Satan, many of 
them known, 2C0.2.11. 

Devil, this name is derived from the Greek 
diabolos , an accuser, and corresponds with 
the Hebrew word Satan. His names and 
characters: Abaddon, i.e. a destroyer, Re. 


9.11; accuser of the brethren, 12. 10;—ad¬ 
versary, 1 Pe. 5.8;—angel of the bottomless 
pit, Re.9.11;—Apollyon, i.e. a destroyer, 

9. 11;—the beast, 19.19,20;—Beelzebub, 
Mat.12.24; Mar.3.22, &c.;—deceiver, Re. 
12.9; 13.14:20.3;—great dragon, 12.7,9:20. 
2; —evil one, Jn.17.15;—god of this world, 

2 Co.4.4;—liar and murderer, Jn.8.44;— 
prince of this world, 12.31; 14.30; 16.11;— 
prince of the power of the air, Ep. 2. 2; 
—Satan, 1 Ch.21.1; Job 1.6; Mat.4.10; Re. 
12.9;—old serpent, Ge. 3. 4,13; 2 C0.11.3; 
Re. 12.9;—sinner, 1 Jn.3.8;—tempter, 1 Th. 
3.5;—wicked one, Mat.13.19,38; 1 Jn.2.13; 
—he that had the power of death, He. 2. 
14;—the spirit that now worketh in the 
children of disobedience, Ep.2.2. 

Devil, appears in the divine presence, Job 

I. 6; 2. 1;—earnestly labours after man’s 
destruction, Job 1.7; 2.2; Mat.13.19; 1 Pe. 
5.8;—may be conquered, if properly re¬ 
sisted, Ep.4 27; 6.ro; 2TL2. 26; Ja. 4. 7; 1 
Pe.5.9; 1 Jn.2.13;—his suggestions to be 
carefully guarded against, Mat. 13.19:200. 

II. 3; Ep.6.11;—inspires evil thoughts, and 
draws men into sin, Ge.3.1; 1 Ch.21.1; Lu. 
22.3; Jn. 13.2,27; Ac. 5. 3; 1 Co.7.5; 2 Co. 

2.11; —misquotes and perverts Scripture, 
Mat. 4.6, with Ps. 91.11,12;—takes the guise 
of an angel of light, 2 Co. 11.14;—his sug¬ 
gestions are always contrary to the Word 
of God, or to faith, or to charity, Mat.4.2, 
6,9; Ep.6.16; 1 Jn.3.8,10;—can do nothing 
without God’s permission, Ju.9.23; 1 Ki. 
22.22; Job 1.12; 2.6; 12.16; Eze.14.9; Mat. 
8.31; 2TI1.2.11;—is sometimes permitted 
to afflict men and disappoint their desires. 
Job 1.12; 2.6; Lu.13.16; 2 C0.12. 7; 1 Th. 2. 
18; Re.2.10;—had power granted him of 
working miracles, Ex. 7.11,2218.7; Mat. 24. 
24; 2TI1.2.9; Re. 13.13; 16.14; 19. 20?—and 
also to possess human bodies, iSa. 16.14, 
23; 18.10; 19. 9; Mat.4.24; 8. 16;—was for¬ 
merly in heaven, but cast out for his dis¬ 
obedience, Jn. 8. 44; 2 Pe. 2. 4; Jude 6;— 
Judas so called, Jn.6.70;—and also Peter, 
Mat. 16. 23; Mar. 8. 33;—Christ’s triumph 
over him, Ge.3.i5;Ps.68.i8;Lu. 13.32:1 Jn. 
3.8; Col.2.15; He.2.14. 

Devilish, infernally wicked, Ja.3.15. 
Devils, more properly rendered demons , 
are many, and appear to be of different 
ranks, acting under the direction of ione, 
Mat.9.34; 12.24; Mar.5.9; Lu. 8. 27; Ep. 6. 
12; Re. 12.7,9. 

-, knew Jesus to be the Son of God, 

Mat.8.29; Mar.3. ix; 5. 7; Lu.4.34,41;—are 
reserved to farther punishment, 2Pe.2.4; 
Jude 6; Re. 20. 3;—expect and fear their 
final sentence, Mat.8.29; Mar. 1.24; Ja.2. 
19;—sacrifices not to be offered to them, 
Le.17.7; De.32.17; 2 Ch.11.15; 1 C0.10.20. 
Devoted, set apart to the Lord, Le.27.21, 
28;—to belong to the priests, Nu. 18.14. 
Devotion, religious observances, Ac. 17.23. 
Devour, to eat up, Ge.37.20;—riotously, 
Lu.15.30;—cruelly, iPe.5.8;—to kill, 2Sa. 
2.26. 

Devout, pious, godly, as was Simeon, Lu. 
2.25,—those who carried Stephen to his 
burial, Ac. 8.2;—Cornelius, 10.2;—Ananias, 
22.12. 

Dew, gentle moisture which falls on the 
earth during night, often copiously, Ju.6 
37-40; 2 Sa. 17.12; Job29. 19; Ca. 5. 2;—an 
emblem of spiritual blessings, De. 32.2; Ho. 
14.5-7;—a symbol of prosperity, Job29.19; 
—an army, 2Sa.17.12. 

Diadem, a crown, Job29.i4; Is.28.5; 62.3; 
Eze.28.13. 

Dial, of Ahaz, an erection for the purpose 
of determining the apparent progress of 
the sun by his shadow, 2 Ki. 20.11; Is. 38.8. 
Diamond, the hardest and most valuable 
of precious stones, Ex. 28.18; Eze.28.13:— 
the word used, Je. 17.1, denotes a deep 
and permanent record of the sins of Judah. 
Diana, di-a'na, a celebrated goddess of the 
heathen, Ac. 19. 24, &c. The Diana of 
Asia Minor was altogether different from 
the Diana of the Greeks. 

Diblaim, dib-la'im, a symbolic prophetic 
surname of a harlot, Ho. 1.3. 

Diblath, dibTath, Eze.6.14; probably a cor¬ 
ruption for Riblah, a city in the extreme 
north border of Palestine. 

Diblathaim, dib-lath-a'im [two cakes], a 
city of Moab and station of the Israelites, 
Nu.33.46; Je.48.22. 

Dibon, dl'bon [pining], (1) A city about 
3 miles north of the river Arnon, which 
Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, Nu.32.3, 
3 ^. 34 :— afterwards yielded up to the tribe 
of Reuben, Jos. 13.9,17;—it was destroyed 


by the Chaldeans, Je.48.18. In Nu.33.45 I 
it is called Dibon-Gad, and is the same as 
Dimon, Is. 15.9.—(2) A town in the south 
of Judah, Ne. 11. 25;—the same as Di- 
monah, Jos. 15.22. 

Didymus, dld'e-mus [a twin], the surname 
of the apostle Thomas, Jn. 11. 16. See 
Thomas. 

Diet, a portion of daily food, Je. 52.34;—-the 
same word rendered ‘allowance, 2 Ki.25. 
30; ‘ victuals,’Je.40.5; ‘ dinner,’Pr. 15.17. 
Difference, disagreement, Ex. 11.7; Ac. 15. 

9; Ro. 3.22; Jude 22. 

Difficulties, distresses, in the Christian 
warfare, Mat.7.14; Lu. 13.24; Ro.8.i3;Ga. 
5.17; Ep.6.16; 1 Pe.4.18. 

Digged, made a pit or trench, Ge.2i.3o;Ps. 

7.15; Mat.21.33; Ro. 11.3. 

Dignities, persons in high office, not to be 
calumniated, 2Pe.2.io; Jude 8. 

Diklah, dTk'lah [palm-tree], a Joktanite 
tribe, Ge. 10.27. 

Dilean, dil'e-an [gourd-field], a city in the 
tribe of Judah, Jos. 15.38. 

Diligence, industry, recommended, Pr.6. 
6; 10.4; 12.24; 13.4; 22.29; 27.23; Ro.12.11; 

2 Th.3.11. 

-, in spiritual concerns, De.6.17; 

11.13; Pr.4.23; Is.55.2; Jn.6.27; Ac. 24. 16; 

1 Co. 15.58; Ga.6.9; Phi.3.14; 2 Th.3.13: He - 
6.12; 2 Pe. 3.14. 

Diminish, to make less, Is.21.17; Je.26.2; 
Ro.11.12. 

Dimness, dulness of sight, Is. 8.22; 9.1. 
Dinah, dl'nah [judged, vindicated], only 
daughter of Jacob and Leah, born, Ge.30. 
21;—debauched by Shechem, 34.2. 
Dinhabah, din-ha'bah [robber’s den], a city 
of Idumea, the capital of King Bela, Ge. 
36.32. 

Dionysius, dy-o-nish'V-us [a votary of Bac¬ 
chus], the Areopagite, a judge of the court 
of Areopagus, was a convert at Athens, 
Ac. 17.34. 

Diotrephes, di-ot're-fez [nourished by Ju- 
piterj, an ambitious man, did not receive 
the disciples, 3 Jn.9. 

Direct, to order, Gc.46.28; Ps.5.3; Pr.3.6; 

11.5; 1 Th.3.11; 2TI1.3.5. 

Disannul, to alter or abolish. Job 40.8; Is. 
14.27; 28.18; Ga.3.17. 

Discern, to observe and know, Ge. 31. 32; 
Mat. 16.3;—to have a spiritual knowledge 
of, 1 Co. 11.29. 

Discerning of Spirits, a miraculous power 
of perceiving men’s secret mind and con¬ 
duct, and of distinguishing the true from 
the false, 1 C0.12.10; 1 Jn.4.1. 

Disciples [scholars], of Christ, twelve whom 
he named apostles. Mat. 10. 1-4;—three 
thousand became so at the discourse of 
Peter,Ac.2.4i;—increased to five thousand 
men, 4.4;—many thousands in Jerusalem, 
21.20. 

•-(Character of); they learn of 

Christ and imbibe his spirit, Mat.11.29;— 
bow to his authority alone in matters of 
faith and duty, 23.8-10;—obey his com¬ 
mandments, 7. 21;—love their brethren, 
Jn. 13.35;—steadfastly persevere in his ser¬ 
vice, 8.31. 

Discipline, correction, instruction, Job 36. 
10. 

Discipline in the Church, appointed, 
Mat. 16.19; 18.15-19; Tit. i. 5;—deals with 
offenders, 1 Co.5.4,5,13; 1 Ti. 5. 20; 2TL4. 
2;—obedience to it required, He. 13.17. 
Disclose, to tell or reveal, Is. 26.21. 
Discomfit, to rout or conquer, Ex. 17.13; 
1 Sa.7.10. 

Discomfiture, defeat, 1Sa.14.20. 

Discord, or strife, promoters of it censured, 
Pr.6.14,19; 16.28; 17.9; 18. 8; 26. 20; Ro. 1. 
29; 2 Co. 12.20. 

Discreet, prudent, modest, and cautious; 
aged women ought to teach the young to 
be so, Tit. 2.5. 

Discretion, a good man guides his affairs 
with, Ps.112.5;—preserves the young, Fr. 
1.4; 2.11; 3.21; 5. 2;—deferreth anger, 19. 
11;—God instructs man to, Is. 28.26. 
Disdain, to scorn, 1 Sa.17 42; Job 30.1. 
Disease, distemper, malady, 2 Ki. 1.2; 8. 8; 

Ps.38.7: 41.8; Mat.4.23; Jn.5.4. 

Disfigure the Face, the Pharisees did so 
when they fasted, by assuming a dejected 
and rueful look, Mat. 6.16. 

Disguise, to conceal, iSa.28.8; 1 Ki.14.2; 
20.38; 2 Ch.35.22. 

Dishonesty, deceit, fraud, 2 Co. 4.2. 
Dishonour, disgrace, reproach, Ezr.4.14; 

Ps.35.26; 69.19; Ro.9.21; 2Ti.2.20. 
Disinherit, to deprive the inheritance, Nu. 
14.12. 


Dismayed, terrified, De.31.8, Is.21.3; 41, 
10; Je.8.9; Ob.9. 

Disobedience, a breach of duty, curses at¬ 
tending it, Le.26.14; De.28.15. 

Dispatch, to kill or put an end to, Eze. 

23.47. . . Ja 

Dispensation, a plan or system of princi¬ 
ples divinely revealed, an economy, 1 Co. 

9. 17; Ep. r. 10; 3. 2; Col. 1. 25;—rendered 
‘stewardship’ in Lu.16.2-4. 

Disperse, to scatter, 1 Sa.14.34; Pr. 15. 7; 
Eze. 12. 15; — the Jews were scattered 
abroad, Is. 11. 12; Je.25.34n Pe.i. 1; and 
hence were called the ‘ dispersion,’ or dia¬ 
spora. 

Display, to spread wide, Ps.60.4. 
Displeasure, anger or offence, De. 9.19; 
Ju.15.3; Ps.2.5; 6.1. 

Dispossess, to deprive, Nu.33.53; De.7.17; 
Ju. 11.23. 

Disputing, wrangling about trifles, to be 
avoided, 1 Ti. 1. 4; 4. 7; 6. 20; 2^.2.14,23! : 
Tit. 3.9. 

Disquiet, uneasiness, Je.50.34. 

Dissemble, to play the hypocrite, Jos.7.11; 

Je.42.20; Ga.2.13. 

Dissension, or disagreement; Paul and 
Barnabas had, with the judaizing teachers, 
Ac. 15. 2;—between themselves, 39; in 
Christian churches to be avoided, 1 Co. 1. 


I 




I 


c; 

1 


10; 3.3. 

Dissimulation, false appearance and pre¬ 
tence, censured, Pr. 10.18; Ga.2.11. 

Dissolve, to melt, separate, Ps.75.3; Is. 14. 

31; 2C0.5.1; 2 Pe.3.11,12;—to solve or ex¬ 
plain, Da. 5.12,16. 

Distaff, an instrument to spin with,Pr. 31.19. 
Distracted, perplexed or rendered frantic; 

the terrors of God make men, Ps.88.15 
Distraction, or confusion, we ought to wait 
on God without, 1 Co. 7.35. 

Distress. See Affliction. 

Distribute, to divide among many, Jos. 13. 

32; 2 Ch.31.14; Lu.18.22. 

Distrust, of God’s promises blamable, Ge. 

18.12; 2 Ki.7.2; Lu.1.20; 12.29; 1 Ti.2.8. 
Diverse, different, Le. 19.19;Ps. 78.45; Mat. 
4.24; He. 1.1 *Ja. 1.2. 

Divination, pretending to foretell future 
and hidden events, used only of false pro¬ 
phets of all kinds, forbidden, Le. 19.26,31; 

De. 18. 10;—practised by the Israelites, 

2 Ki.17.17;—by Nebuchadnezzar, Eze 21. 

21;—dissuasives from it, Je.27.9. 

Divine, heavenly, god.ike, Ge.44.15; Eze. 

13.9; Mi.3.6. 

Divorces, the law respecting them, De.24. 

1; Mat. 5. 32; 19.9;—forbidden by Christ, j| 
5.32; Lu.16.18;—not justified by difference 
of religion, 1 Co. 7.10-14. 

Doctors, teachers of the Mosaic law, Lu.2. 

46; 5.17; Ac.5.34; Jn.3.10. 

Doctrines, precepts, false, not to be re¬ 
ceived, Mat.16.6; Ga.1.8; 1 J11.4.1; 1 Th.5. 


21;—sound ones, not endured by some, 2 
Ti.4.3. 

Dodai, dod'ai [amatory], an Ahohite, one 


Dodai, _ , 

of David’s officers, 1 Ch. 27. 4;—probably 
the same as Dodo, 2Sa.23.9- 
Dodanim, dod'a-nim [leaders], a tribe de¬ 
scended from the fourth son of Javan, Ge. 
10.4; 1 Ch.1.7. 

Dodavah, dod'a-vah [beloved of Jehovah], 
father of the prophet Eliezer, 2Ch.20.37. 
Doeg, do'eg [fearful], an Edomite, an enemy 
of David, 1 Sa.21.7;—kills the priests, 22. 
17;—psalms occasioned by his malice, Ps. 
Hi. and cxx.;—a prayer to be delivered 
from him, cxl. 

Dog, an unclean animal according to the 
law of Moses, and regarded with peculiar 
contempt by the Jews, Ex. 22.31; De.23. 
18; 1 Sa.17.43; 24.14; 2 Sa.9.8;—symbol of 
uncleanness and apostasy, Pr.26.11; Phi.3. 
2; Re.22.15 ;—of the Gentiles, Mar.7.27; 
of unholy men, Mat. 7.6. 

Doleful, sorrowful, Mi.2.4;—‘doleful crea¬ 
tures’ (Heb. ochitn), a general name for 
screech-owls, Is. 13.21.. 

Door, Christ is the, by whose authority 
teachers must enter into the church, Jn. 
10.1;—and through whom all men who 
enter shall be saved, 9. 

Dophkah, dofFkah [a knocking], the eighth 
encampment of Israel, Nu.33.12. 

Dor [dwelling], an ancient city of the Ca- 
naanites on the shore of the Mediterranean, 
Ju.1.27; 1 Ki.4.11. It is now represented 
by the little village of Tanttira (or Tor - 
ti/ra), about 9 miles north of Caesarea. 
Dorcas, dorikas [antelope], the Greek name 
of Tabitha, distinguished for her benefac¬ 
tions, Ac.9.36;—died, and was much be¬ 
wailed, 39;—raised to life by Peter, 40. 












THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


(Do—El) 


599 


Dote, to grow silly, Je.50.36; 1 Ti.6.4;—to | in use among the Jews. Luther renders 


love extremely, Eze. 23.5,7,9,16,20. 

Dothan, do'than [two cisterns], a place 
among the hills near the southern border 
of the plain of Esdraelon:—here Joseph 
was sold by his brethren, Ge. 37.17;—the 
residence of Elisha, and the scene of the 
vision of the horses and chariots of fire, 2 
Ki.6.13-19. 

Double, twice as much, Ge.43.12;—abund¬ 
ance, Is.40.2;—deceitful, 1 Ti.3.8; Ja. 1.8. 
Dough, unbaked paste, Ex. 12.34,39; Je.7. 

18;—the first of it to be given to the priests, 
Nu.15.17. 

Doves, the emblem of simplicity and inno¬ 
cence, Mat. 10.16;—offered by those who 
were poor, and unable to afford a lamb, as 
in the case of Mary, Lu. 2. 24;—this ar¬ 
rangement prescribed in Le. 12.6-8. In a 
wild state, dwell in holes in the rocks, Ca. 
2.14; Je.48.28;—as a dove the Spirit de¬ 
scended on Christ, Mat. 3.16; Mar.i. 10; 
Lu.3.22;—Ephraim compared to, Ho.7.11; 

—emblem of spring, Ca.2.2. 

Dowry, a portion given by a husband for 
his wife, Ge.34.12; 1 Sa. 18.25. 

Drag, a fishing-net, Is.19.8; Hab.i.15,16. 
Dragon, Is. 27.1;— translated whale in Ge. 
1.21; Job7.i2;— serpent in Ex.7.9;—used 
figuratively to represent a destructive 
tyrant, Je. 51. 34; Eze.29. 3;—the Roman 
empire in its heathen state, Re. 12. 3;— 
Satan, 20.2. 

Draught, a catch of fishes, Lu.5.4,9;—part 
of the belly, Mat.15.17;—a place for the 
reception of filth, 2 Ki.10.27. 

Dreadful, frightful, terrible, Ge.28.17; Job 
15.21; Mal.i.T4. 

Dreams, commonly insignificant , Ec.5.3, 

7;— supernatural, to Abimelech, Ge.20.3; 
—Jacob, 28. 12; 31. 10;—Laban, 31. 24;— 
Joseph, 37. 5, 9;—Gideon, Ju. vii.;—Solo¬ 
mon, 1 Ki. 3. 5;—Joseph, the husband of 
Mary, Mat.i.2o;2. 13,19;—the wise men 
from the east, 2.12;—the wife of Pilate, 
27. 19 ; — Peter, Ac. 10. 10 ; — Paul, 16. 9; 
18. 9; 27.23;— prophetical, interpreted of 
Pharaoh’s butler and baker, Ge.40.5;—of 
Pharaoh, 41.1;—of a Midianite, Ju.7.13;— 
of Nebuchadnezzar, Da. 2. 1, &c.; 4. 1; 
of Daniel, 7.1,15; 8.1. 

Dress, of men and women to be distin¬ 
guished, De.22.5;—extravagance in it cen¬ 
sured, Is.3.16, &c.; iTi.2.9; 1 Pe.3.3. 
Drink, Strong (Heb. shekar), the priests 
prohibited from, when they went into the 
tabernacle, Le. 10.9;—Nazarites to abstain 
from, Nu.6.3;—use of, to excess not un¬ 
common among the Jews, Ps. 107.27; Is. 
24.20; 49.26; 51.17-22. 

Drink-offerings, rules concerning them, 
Nu.T5.5- 

Dromedary [swift runner], probably the 
African or Arabian species of camel, hav¬ 
ing one hump on its back, as distinguished 
from the Bactrian, which has two; but it is 
swifter, and can carry a man a hundred 
miles in a day, 1 Ki.4.28; Es.8.10; Is.60.6; 
Je.2.23. 

Dropsy, a collection of water in the body, 

cured by Jesus, Lu. 14.2. 

Dross, the scum of metals separated by the 
process of melting, Ps.119.n9; Pr.25.4;— 
the impure metal itself before being smelted, 
Is.1.22,25; Eze.22.18,19. 

Drought, dry weather of long continu¬ 
ance, 1 Ki. 17.1;—promise in time of. Is. 
58.x 1 . . 

Drowsiness, in the worship of God pun¬ 
ished, Ac. 20. 9;—its effects on worldly 
business, Pr.23.21. 

Drunkenness, censured, Pr.20.1123.31; Is. 
5.22; Lu.21.34; Ro.13.13; 1 Co.5.11; Ep.5. 
18; 1 Th.5.7; 1 Pe.4.3. 

_, leads to other vices, Pr. 23. 

31-33; Is.5.11, &c.;28. 7; Ho. 4. n;Hab. 
2. 5 ;—to poverty, Pr. 23. 21;— destroys 
health, 23. 29, 30;—debasing, Is. 28. 8; Je. 
25. 27; 48. 26;—the cause of quarrels, Pr. 
23.29,30;—excludes from the kingdom of 
heaven, Mat. 24. 49; Lu - I2 - 45 : 1C0.6.10; 

-, examples of it: Noah, Ge. 


the word lute , Da. 3.5,10,15. 

Dumah, du'mah [silence], a country some¬ 
where near or in Arabia Petrea, so called 
from a son of Ishmael, Is.21.11; Ge.25.14. 
Dumb persons, cured, Mat. 9. 32; 12. 22; 
Mar. 7.32; Lu. 11.14. 

, figuratively, those professed teach¬ 


ers who either cannot, or will not, make 
known the will of God to men. Is.56.10. 
Dung, used for fuel, Ex. 4. 12-15; — the 
dung-gate, Ne.2.13;—dunghill, Da.2.5; 3. 
29;—grovelling on a dunghill, mark of ex¬ 
treme sorrow, 1 Sa.2.8. 

Dura, du'ra [circle], a plain in the south-east 
of Babylon near the mound now called 
Duair, or according to others the great 
plain in which Babylon itself was situated, 
Da. 3.1. 

Durable, the riches and honours of divine 
wisdom are, Pr. 8.18;—the friendship of 
God is, 18.24. 

Dust, sitting in, a token of humiliation, La. 
3.29;—casting of, on the head, of mourn¬ 
ing, Jos. 7. 6;—to shake off, from the feet, 
Mat. 10. 14; Mar.6.ii; Ac. 13.51;— figura¬ 
tively, the grave, Ge.3.9;—a great multi¬ 
tude, 13.16. 

Duties, some more important, and to be 
preferred to others, 1 Sa. 15. 22; Ho.6.6; 
Mat.9.13; 12.7; 23.23; Lu.11.42. 

Duty of Man, in general, De.to.12; Jos. 
22. 5; Ps.1.1, &c.; Eze. 18.5; Ho. 12.6; Mi. 
6.8; Zee. 7.9; 8. 16; Mat. 19.16; 22.37; 1 Ti. 
6.11; 2TL2.22; Tit.2.11, &c.; Ja.1.27. 
Dwarf, a person far below the ordinary 
size of men, Le.21.20. 

Dying Saints, comfortable texts for, Ge. 
49. 18; 2 Sa.23.5; Job 5.19; 8.6,7; 19.25-27; 
Ps.23.4; 31.5; 48.14; 73.24,25; Lu.2.29; Jn. 
14. 2; Ro. 8. 38; 1 Co. 15. 55; 2 Co.5.1; Phi. 
1.21. 


E. 


9 .2i;—Lot, 19.33,35:— Nabal » 1 Sa - 2 5 - 3 fi ; 
Elah, 1 Ki.16.9;—Benhadad, 20.16. 
Drusilla, dru-sil'la, the third and youngest 
daughter of Herod Agrippa, Ac. 12. 1-4, 
20-23;— left her husband Azizus, and 
lived with Felix, and was with him at Ce- 
sarea, 24.24. , 

Dukes, heads of tribes or nations, Ge.36. 

15,21; Ex.15.15; Jos.13.21. 

Dulcimer (Vul. symphonia), a. double pipe 
with a sack, bagpipe , a musical instrument 


Eagle, one of the largest and most powerful 
of the birds of prey, Nu.24.21; Job 39. 27- 
30; Je. 49.16;—its tenderness toward its 
young, Ex.19.4; De. 32. 11;—its destruc¬ 
tiveness, Is.46.11; Ho.8.1;—kings of Ba¬ 
bylon and Egypt compared to, Eze. 17.3, 

7; —quickness of its flight emblem of short¬ 
ness of life, Job9-26; Pr.23.5. 

Ear, bored, of a servant who would not go 
free, Ex. 21.5,6;—heavy ears, Is.6.10;— un¬ 
circumcised ears, Je. 6.10;—itching ears, 

2 Ti.4.3. 

Earing, an old word for ploughing, Ge. 
45.6; Ex. 34. 21;— to ear, to cultivate, De. 
21.4; 1 Sa.8.12; Is.30.24. 

Early, those who seek Christ, encouraged, 
Pr.8.17. 

Earnestly, eagerly, warmly, zealously, Nu. 

22.37; Job 7.2; Ja.5.17. 

Earnest of the Spirit, those graces which 
are the pledge and the foretaste of heaven, 

2 Co. 1.22; 5.5; Ep. 1.14. 

Ear-rings, ornaments of gold or silver hung 
in the ears, both by men and women, in 
eastern countries, Ge.35.4; Ex.32.2; 35 - 22 » 
Ho.2.13.. „ , , 

Earth, creation of, Ge.1.1, &c.; to be de¬ 
stroyed by fire, 2 Pe.3.10;—a new one to 
be made, Re.21.1; 2Pe.3.i3- 
Earthquake, shaking and heaving of the 
earth. Earthquakes evidently arise from 
certain powers operating within the cir¬ 
cumference or crust of the earth, and seem 
to proceed from the same causes as vol¬ 
canoes, acting differently, according to the 
difference of situation, or different nafure 
of the surface on which they operate. An 
earthquake when Elijah was at Mount 
Sinai, the first recorded as having hap¬ 
pened in Palestine (b.c. 905), 1 Ki. 19. n; 
—in the time of Uzziah, Am. 1.1; Zee. 14. 

cj;_at the crucifixion of Jesus, Mat.27.54; 

—at the resurrection of Jesus, 28.2; men¬ 
tioned among the calamities to precede 
the destruction of Jerusalem, 24.7;—sym¬ 
bol of revolution in the political world. He. 
12.26. 

East, the rising of the sun, Ge.3.24; 12.8; 
13. 11; 29.1;—indefinitely, Ps. 103. 12; Da. 
g. 9 —country, Arabia, Ge.25.6;— sea, the 
Dead Sea, Nu.34.3; Eze.47.18; Joel 2.20. 
Easter, properly the Passover, and is so 
rendered in every passage except Ac. 


Ebal’ e'bal [stone], a hill near Shechem, 


from which the curses of the law were 1 
pronounced, De.27.14. Shechem (the mo¬ 
dern Nablils) lies in the valley between 
Ebal and Gerizim. 

Ebedmelech, e'bed-me'lek [servant of the 
king], an Ethiopian servant of Zedekiah, 

Je. 38.7-12. 

Ebenezer, eb-en-e'zer [stone of help], the 
name which Samuel gave a stone, com¬ 
memorative of God’s help to Israel, 1 Sa. 
7.12. 

Ebony [stony, i.e. stone-wood], the heart- 
wood of the date-tree, Eze. 27.15. 

Ebronah, eb-ro'nah [passage over], a sta¬ 
tion of the Israelites near Ezion-Gaber, 

Nu. 33.34,35. 

Ecclesiastes, ek-kle-ze-ils'tes [the preach¬ 
er], an inspired book written by Solomon 
in his old age. 

Edar, e'dar [flock], tower of, Jacob’s first 
halting-place between Bethlehem and He¬ 
bron, Ge.35.21. 

Eden, e'flen [paradise], (1) The earthly 
paradise where man in innocence was 
placed. The Sept., following the Chaldee, 
called it * paradise,’ Ge. 2.15;— Adam driven 
from, 3. 23.—(2) A region subdued by the 
Assyrians, 2 Ki. 19. 12; Is. 37.12. It lay 
somewhere in the north-west of Mesopo¬ 
tamia. 

Edification, building up in knowledge and 
piety, mutual, to be consulted, Ro.14.19; 

15. 2; 1 Co. 14. 12, 26; Ep. 4.12; 1 Th.5.11; 
He. 10.24;—the word of God a chief instru¬ 
ment in edifying, Ac.20.32;—foolish ques¬ 
tions adverse to, 1 Ti.1.4. 

Edom, e'dom [red], (1) Esau the elder twin- 
brother of Jacob, so called from his red 
hair, Ge.25.25, or from the colour of the 
pottage for which he sold his birthright, 

30.—(2) The country afterwards given to 
Esau, Ge. 36. 6; Nu. 33. 37; —previously 
called Mount Seir, Ge.32.3; 36.8;—dukes 
of, 36.15-19;—kings of, 31. 

Edomites, edom-ites, the descendants of 
Edom, refuse the Israelites a passage 
through their country, Nu.20.14; De.2.4; 
—when to be admitted into the congrega¬ 
tion, De.23.8;—conquered by David, 2 Sa. 

8.14;—revolt from Jehoram, 2 Ki. 8. 20; 2 
Ch. 21. 8;—to be conquered, Je. 49. 7; Eze. 
2 5- I 3I 35-1, &c.;—judgments upon them, 
Am. 1.11; Ob.i, &c. 

Edrei, ed're-I [strength], (1) One of the 
chief towns of the kingdom of Bashan, 
east of Jordan, Jos.12.4,5; 13.12; De.3.10. 
Here Og was defeated by the Israelites, 
Nu.21.33-35. In the early ages of Chris¬ 
tianity it was the seat of a bishop. It has 
been generally identified with Dera. —(2) 

A town of Naphtali near Kedesh, Jos. 19. 
37 - 

Education, the Israelites commanded to 
give a religious one to their children, De. 

6. 7; —the happy effects of a good one, Ge. 
18.19; Pr.22.6; 29.17; 2TL 3.15;—fatal ef¬ 
fects of a bad one, Pr.29.15. 

Effectual, fervent or inwrought prayer, Ja.. 
5.16. 

Effeminate, a catamite, one addicted to 
strange lust, 1 Co. 6.9. 

Eglaim, eg-la'im or eg'la-im [two ponds], a 
city of Moab, Is. 15.8;—probably the same 
as En-Eglaim. 

Eglon, eg'lon [heifer], (1) King of the Moab¬ 
ites, oppressed Israel for eighteen years, 
Ju.3.14;—assassinated by Ehud, 21.— (2) 
A city of the Amorites, about 34 miles 
south-west of Jerusalem, Jos. 10.3,23-25 ;— 
was afterwards given to Judah, 15.39. The 
modern Aijlan occupies its site. 

Egypt, e'jipt, a much renowned kingdom 
of antiquity, situated in the north-east of 
Africa; and extending about 530 miles in 
length and 250 in breadth. It was called 
by the Hebrews ‘the land of Mizraim,’ the 
form of the word being dual to denote the 
two divisions of Upper and Lower Egypt. 
The Coptic name is Keme, meaning black, 
so called from its dark alluvial soil. In 
Is. 11. 11 it is called Pathros; in Ps.87.4, 
Rahab; in Ps. 105.23,27 ‘ the land of Ham.’ 
The Arabs call it Mizr [red mud]. The 
arts and sciences were very early cultivated 
here, and maintained a greater degree of 
perfection for some ages than was found 
in any other nation. In its ancient glory 
it is said to have sustained about eight 
millions of inhabitants, and was the gran¬ 
ary of the world. The river Nile’ runs 
through it northward to the Mediterran¬ 
ean, and waters it by its wide inundations, 
which spread fertility over its whole ex¬ 
tent. The pyramids of Egypt are above 


3000 yea«s old, and stand south-west of 
Grand Cairo. The largest, that of Cheops, 
is 474 feet high, and covers a space of 
about 13 acres. They were the mauso¬ 
leums or burying-places of the Egyptian 
kings. A prophecy to Abraham that his 
posterity should be slaves there, Ge.15.13; 

—its ten plagues: the river turned into 
blood, Ex. 7. 19;—frogs come on the land, 

8.5;—the dust becomes lice, 16;—swarms 
of flies, 20;—murrain of the cattle, 9.1; — 
boils, 8;—hail, 13; locusts, 10. 3;—dark¬ 
ness, 12;—death of the first-born, 12.29;— 
destruction of the whole army of, 14.28;— 
a hymn on the departure of the Israelites 
from it, Ex.xv. ;Ps.cxiv.;—Ham’sposte ity 
in, mentioned, Ps. 78. 51; 105. 23, 27;- its 
ruin foretold, Is.19.1, &c.;—favour tq be 
shown to it in the latter days, 18, &c.;- to 
be conquered by the Assyrians, 20.1;— | e 
Israelites threatened for their confide! pe 
in it, 30. 1; 31.1;—its ruin again foretold, 

Je. 44. 30: 46.1;—its desolation for forty 
years, Eze.29.8;—given to Nebuchadnez¬ 
zar as a reward for his services at Tyrus, 

17; 32.11:—its desolation, 30.1:31.1,18;—a 
lamentation over it, 32.1, &c.;— how to be 
punished if the inhabitants do not send to 
worship at Jerusalem, Zee. 14. 18; — the 
holy family’s flight into, Mat.2.13-20. It 
is now a fief under viceroys of the Turk¬ 
ish empire. The whole land is crowded 
with relics of antiquity. The population 
is about 3% millions; a considerable por¬ 
tion of them are Christians and J ews. The 
Christians are called Copts. 

Egypt, River of, (i) The Nile, as in Ge. 
15.18, where the Hebrew word is nahar, 

‘ river.’ The Nile was thus the southern 
border of the land given in covenant pro¬ 
mise to Abraham.—(2) Wady el-A rish, as 
in Nu.34.5; Jos.15.4; 2 Ch.7.8, where the 
Hebrew is nakhal, ‘a torrent-bed;’ this 
was the southern border of the land pos¬ 
sessed by the twelve tribes. 

Egyptians, Pharaoh sends them to Joseph 
for food, Ge.41.55;—accounted it an abo¬ 
mination to eat with the Hebrews, 43.32;— 
pursued the Israelites, Ex. 14.9;—drowned 
in the Red Sea, 27;—when to be received 
into the congregation, De.23.8;—Jews for¬ 
bidden to form an alliance with, Is. 30.2; 

31.1; 36.6. 

Ehud, e'hud [union], a Benjamite, one of 
the judges of Israel, delivers from the op¬ 
pression of the Moabites, Ju.3.15. 

Ekron, ek'ron [eradication], the most 
northern of the five cities of the Philis¬ 
tines, situated in the plain between Azotus 
and Jamnia, Jos. 13. 3;—taken by the tribe 
of Judah, Ju.1.18;—its inhabitants, afraid 
of the ark of God, send it away, 1 Sa.5.10; 

—Baalzebub the god of, 2 Ki.1.2;—its ruin 
foretold,Zep.2.4. Now Akir, 5 miles south¬ 
west of Ramleh. 

Elah, e'lah [terebinth or oak], (1) The king 
of Israel, succeeds Baasha, iKi. 16. 6;— 
murdered by Zimri, 10.—(2) The valley in 
which David slew Goliath, iSa. 17. 2,19; 
21.9. 

Elam, elam [age], (1) The eldest son of 
Shein, and father of the Elamites, Ge. 10. 
22;—his descendants to be conquered, Je. 
49.34;—to be restored, 39.—(2) A country 
south of Assyria, and east of Persia pro¬ 
per, peopled by the descendants of Shem, 
Ge. 10.22. Its capital was called Susa. 
The name Elam was at one time given to 
the whole of Persia. It was called Susiana 
by the Greeks and Romans. 

Elath, or Eloth, e'lath [trees, terebinths], 
a seaport town on the eastern gulf of the 
Red Sea, near to which the Israelites 
passed, De. 2.8;—taken by David, and held 
in the days of Solomon as a place of com¬ 
merce, 2 Ch. 8.17;-after being retaken by 
the Edomites, it was again taken and built 
by Azariah, 2 Ki. 14.22. 

Eldad, el'dad [favoured of God], and Me- 
dad, two of the seventy elders of Israel, 
being divinely endued with a spirit of pro¬ 
phecy, Nu.11.26. 

Elders, aged men, seventy chosen by Mo¬ 
ses as his assistants, Nu.11.16;—the magis¬ 
trates, heads of the people, and rulers, so* 
called among the Jews, Ge.50.7; 1 Sa. 16. 
4; 2 Ki.6.32; Eze.8. 1;—rabbis or teachers, 
Mar.7.3-5. . . .. _ 

Elders, or Presbyters, in the New tes¬ 
tament church, a title assumed by the 
apostles, 1 Pe. 5.1; 2 Jn. 1: 3 Jn. 1;— given 
to the pastors, teachers, and rulers of 
Christian churches, their qualifications and 
duty, Ac.11.30; l6 - 4 i iC X /•’ 






















600 (El—Ep) 

i Ti. 3. 1; 5. 1,19; Tit. 1. 5; 1 Pe.5.1sym¬ 
bolical, Re.4.4,10; 5.5-8,14; 7.11,13: 11.16. 
Elealeh, el-e'a-leh [whither God has as¬ 
cended], an Amorite city east of Jordan;— 
Moses gave it to the tribe of Reuben, Nu. 
32.37;—was ravaged by the Assyrians and 
the Chaldeans, Is. 15.4; Je.48.34;—now El- 
Al, two miles north of Heshbon. 

Eleazar, el-e-a'zar [God the helper], 1 Son 
of Aaron, and his successor in the office of 
h gh-priest, Nu. 20. 26;—he and Joshua 
divided the land, 34.17;—died, Jos.24.33. 
—(2; The son of Dodo the Ahohite, and 
the second of the three most eminent of 
David’s thirty-seven heroes, 283.23.9:1 
Ch.11.12. 

Elect, is spoken of Christ, Is.42.1; Mat. 12. 
18;—of good angels, iTi.5.21;—of the Is¬ 
raelites as a nation, De. 7.6;—of individuals 
to worldly advantages, 1 Sa.io.24;Ro.9.ir; 
—of such as are chosen of God in Christ 
to eternal life, Tit.1.1;—‘the elect,’ Mat. 
24.22;—‘his elect,’ Mar. 13.27;—‘his own 
elect,’ Lu.18.7;—‘God’s elect,’ Ro. 8. 33; 
Col. 3.12. 

Election, God’s purpose of mercy, by which 
he chose some of our guilty race, in Christ, 
to everlasting life;—it is eternal, Ep. 1.4:3. 
11; 2Th.2.i3;—sovereign, Ep.1.6,11; 2TL 

1 • 9;—personal, Mat.20.23; 25.34; Ac.22.14; 
2Ti.2.19; — unconditional on their part, 2 
Ti.1.9; Ro.8.28; 9.11; 11.5,6;—immutable, 
and certain of accomplishment to every 
one who is chosen, Ro.8.29,30;—it is in 
Christ, Ep. 1.4;—it is to holiness as the 
means, and salvation as the end, Ro.8.29; 
Ep.1.4; 2.10; 5.27; 1 Th.5.9. See Predes¬ 
tination. 

ELElohe-Israel, el-el-o'ha-is'ra-el [God, 
the God of Israel], the name given by Ja¬ 
cob to the altar he built near Shechem, 
Ge. 33.18-20. 

Elements, simple bodies of the material 
universe; and applied in 2 Pe.3.10, to de¬ 
note the component parts of which this 
material world is formed. Used in Ga.4. 
3,9 as a designation of the ceremonial law, 
and spoken of as elements of the world, 
because temporary, and destined to pass 
away:—the alphabet of the letters, or first 
principles of knowledge. Col. 4.8 margin ); 
—rendered ‘rudiments,’ Col.2.8,20. 
Elephant, the largest of all land animals, 
supposed by some to be referred to in 1 Ki. 
to.22; 2 Ch. 9. 21; where ‘ivory,’ i.e. ele¬ 
phant's tooth, is mentioned. 

Elhanan, el-ha'nan [God-favoured], a dis¬ 
tinguished warrior, the brother of Goliath, 

2 Sa.21.19. 

Eli, e'll [exalted], high-priest of the Jews 
when the ark was in Shiloh, 1 Sa.1.3,9;— 
he succeeded Samson also as judge in Is¬ 
rael, which office he held for forty years, 
4.18;—he reproves Hannah, who was pray- 
ingforachild, 1.12; — the sins ofhissons, 2. 
12;—a prophecy against his house, 27;—his 
sons slain, 4 .it;— his death, 18. 

Eli, e'il [my God], Mat.27.46. See Eloi. 
Eliakim, e-li'a-kim [whom God raiseth up], 
fi The son of Hilkiah, sent by Hezekiah 
to the prophet Isaiah, 2 Ki.19.2;—a predic¬ 
tion of his greatness, Is.22.20-23.—A The 
son and successor of Josiah, king of Judah, 

2 Ch.36.4;—called Jehoiakim, 2Ki.23.34; 

2 Ch.36.4. 

Eliasaph, e-li'a-saf [whom the Lord has 
added], the son of Deuel or Reuel, prince 
of the tribe of Gad, Nu.10.20. 

Eliezer, el-i-e'zer [help of God], (1) ‘Of Da¬ 
mascus,’ the pious steward of Abraham’s 
household, Ge. 15.2;—sent to Mesopotamia 
for a wife to Isaac, 24.2;—his godly con¬ 
duct and success, 12-67.—(2) The son of 
Moses, Ex.18.4; 1Ch.23.15.—3 The son 
of Zichri, commanded four hundred and 
twenty thousand men, 1 Ch. 27. 16.—(4) 

I he son of Dodavah, a prophet, foretold 
the destruction of Jehoshaphat’s fleet, 2 Ch. 

20.37- 

Elihu, el-i'hu [my God is Jehovah], one of 
Job’s friends who visited him in his dis¬ 
tress; his speeches, Jobxxxii.-xxxvii. 
Elijah, el-T'jah [my God is Jehovah], ‘the 
1 ishbite,’ a native of Gilead, a prophet of 
great renown, foretells a drought, 1 Ki. i 7 .1 
-fed by ravens, 6;—visits a widow at Zare- 
phath, 9;—raises her son to life, 22;—sent 
to meet Ahab, 18. 1; — his contest with 
the prophets of Baal, 21;— brings rain, 45; 
—threatened by Jezebel, he goes to Horeb’ 
19. 9;—sends to anoint Jehu, 16;—calls 
Elisha, 19;—denounces judgments against 
Ahab and Jezebel for taking the vineyard 
cf Naboth, 21.17;—reproves Ahaziah for 


THE WORX,D’S 

sending to consult Baalzebub, 2 Ki.1.4: 
brings fire from heaven on his soldiers, 10. 
12;—divides the river Jordan, 2.8;—goes 
to heaven in a chariot of fire, 11;—pro¬ 
mised to return before the great day of 
God, Mal.4.5;—this referring to John the 
Baptist, as seen, Mat. 11.14:Mar.q.n; and 
the reason of the designation thus given to 
John assigned, Lu.1.17;—John the Baptist 
so called, Mat. 17.12,13. 

Elim, e'lim [trees], the second station of 
the Israelites after crossing the Red Sea, 
Ex.15.27. 

Elimelech, el-irn'e-lek [my God king], a 
Bethlehemite, the husband of Naomi, 
driven by famine into the land of Moab, 
Ru.1.1. 

Eliphalet, e-lifa-let [God is his deliver¬ 
ance], (1) One of David’s sons bom in 
Jerusalem, 2 Sa. 5. 16; 1 Ch. 3. 6;—called 
Elpalet, iCh. 14.7.—(2) Son of Ahasbai, 
one of David’s mighty men, 2 Sa.23.34. 
Eliphaz, el'i-faz [strength of my God], a 
Temanite, one of Job’s friends, whose 
speeches were against him, Job 4.1; v.; xv.; 
xxii. 

Elisabeth, el-is'a-beth [the oath of God], 
the wife of Zacharias and the mother of 
Johrf the Baptist, her character, Lu. 1.5;— 
her song when saluted by Mary, 42, &c. 
Elisha, el-i'sha [God’s salvation], the son 
of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, the disciple 
and successor of Elijah in the prophetic 
office, follows Elijah, 1 Ki. 19. 19;—sees 
him ascend to heaven, 2 Ki.2.11;—divides 
the river Jordan, 14;—restores the un¬ 
wholesome water at Jericho, 21;—mocked 
by young men, who are destroyed by bears, 
24;—procures^ water for the army of Jeho- 
shaphat, 3.20;—multiplies the widow’s oil, 
4.1;—procures a son for the good Shun- 
ammite, 14;—raises him to life, 32;—cures 
the deadly pottage at Gilgal, 38;—feeds an 
hundred men with twenty loaves, 42;— 
cures Naaman of leprosy, 5.14;—transfers 
it to Gehazi, 27;—makes iron to swim, 6.6; 
—discloses the secret counsels of the King 
of Syria, 8;—an army sent to seize him 
smitten with blindness, 13; — promises 
plenty in a siege of Samaria, 7.1;—pro¬ 
phesies to Hazaelat Damascus, 8.7;—sends 
to anoint Jehu king of Israel, 9.1;—fore¬ 
tells Joash’s three victories, 13.14;—writes 
to Jehoram, 2 Ch. 21. 12; — a dead man 
comes to life on being put into his sepul¬ 
chre, 2 Ki.13.21;—died at the age of ninety 
years, during sixty of which he prophesied, 
20. 

Elishama, el-ish'a-ma [whom God has 
heard], the name of several persons, Nu. 
1.10; 2 Sa.5.16; Je.36.12. 

Elishaphat, el-ish'a-fat [my God judgeth], 
one of Jehoiada’s captains, 2CI1.23.1. 

Elisheba, el-ish'e-ba [God is her oath], the 
daughter of Amminadab, Nu.2.3, and wife 
of Aaron, Ex.6.23. 

Elizaphan, el-iz'a-fan [whom God has 
protected], the son of Uzziel, and chief of 
the house of the Kohathites, Nu. 3. 30;— 
he and his brother carry the dead bodies 
of Nadab and Abihu to their graves, Le. 
10.4. 

Elkanah, el-ka'nah [God possesses], father 
of Samuel, 1 Sa.1.1;—his peculiar regard 
for his wife Hannah, 5. 

Elkosh, el'kosh [God my bow], the birth¬ 
place of the prophet Nahum, Na. 1.1. 

Ellasar, el'a-sar [the oak of Assyria], a 
kingdom in Asia, whose king Arioch was 
one of the allies of Chedorlaomer, Ge. 14. 
L 9 - 

Elm, Ho.4.13; elsewhere rendered oak. 

Elnathan, el-na'than [God’s gift], was sent 
to bring the prophet Urijah from Egypt, 
Je.26.22;—opposed the burning of Jere¬ 
miah’s prophecies, 36.12. 

Eloi, e'loy [my God], a Syro-Chaldaic word, 
Mar. 15.34. 

Elon, e'lon [oak], (1) A judge of Israel, Ju. 
12. ir.— 2 A city of Dan, Jos. 19.43, pro¬ 
bably the same as Elon-Beth-Hatian, 1 
Ki.4.9. 

Eloquent, fluent and elegant speech, Ex. 
410: Is.3.3; Ac. 18.24. 

El-Paran, el-pa'ran [the oak of Paran], a 
tree in the wilderness of Paran, Ge.14.6. 

Eltekeb, el-te'keh [God its fear], a city of 
Dan, Jos. 19.44; 21.23. 

Elul, e'lul, the six month of the Jewish ec¬ 
clesiastical, and twelfth of the civil year, 
beginning with the new moon of Septem¬ 
ber, Ne.6.15. Probably derived from a 
root which means ‘to glean,’ ‘to cut off’ 
the latest grapes. 


BIBLE AUXILIARY 

| Eluzai, e-lu'za-T [God is my strength], an 
officer of king David, 1 Ch.12.5. 

Elymas, ele-inas [a wise man], a name 
applied to a Jew called Bar-Jesus, Ac. 13. 
6-11. See Bar-Jesus. 

Elzabad, el'za-bad [the dowry of God], an 
officer of king David, 1 Ch.12.12. 
Embalming of dead bodies much practis¬ 
ed by the Egyptians. It was practised also 
by the Hebrews in the case of Jacob, Ge. 
50.2; and Joseph, 26. The grave of king 
Asa was ‘filled with sweet odours and 
divers kinds of spices,’ 2Ch.16.14. The 
body of Christ also was embalmed, Jn.19. 
39,40; the spices, &c., were, however, only 
applied to his body externally, as was oft 
done to the dead, instead of regular em¬ 
balming. 

Embassies, or public messengers sent, from 
Jacob to Esau, Ge.32.3;—from Moses to 
the king of Edom, Nu.20.14;—from Jeph- 
tha to the Ammonites, Ju. ir. 12:—from 
David to Hanun, 2 Sa. 10.2;—from Senna¬ 
cherib to Hezekiah, Is. 36.2. 

Embolden, bold or daring, Job 16.3; i Co. 
8.10. 

Embrace, to hold fondly in the arms, Ge. 
29.13; 33.4; Ac.20.1; He.11.13. 
Embroidered, decorated with needlework, 
Ex. 28.39; 35.35; 38.23. 

Emerald, a precious stone of a green colour, 
of the species of beryl, and in hardness 
next to the ruby, Ex.28.18; Eze.27.16; Re. 
4.3; 21.19. 

Emerods, a disease, the older form of the 
word hemorrhoids or piles, threatened to 
the disobedient Jews, De.28.27;—inflicted 
on the men of Ashdod, 1 Sa. 5. 6, 9,12. 
Emims, t'mims [terrors], a warlike people, 
and of gigantic stature, who inhabited the 
east borders of Canaan; smitten by Che¬ 
dorlaomer, Ge. 14.5;—the Moabites dispos¬ 
sessed them, De.2.10,11. 

Eminent, high, above others, Eze. 16. 24, 
39: 17.22. 

Emmanuel, em'man-u-el, Mat. 1. 23. See 

Immanuel. 

Emmaus, em-mii'us [hot springs], a village 
‘threescore furlongs,’ or about 7^ miles 
.distant from Jerusalem, memorable for 
Christ’s interview with two of his disciples 
on their way thither, Lu.24.13. 

Emmor, em'mor, the same as Hamor, fa¬ 
ther of Shechem, Ac. 7. 16. 

Empire, a large dominion, Es. 1.20. 

Empty, void, not full, Ge.31.42; 41.27; Na. 

2.10; Mat.12.44; Mar.12.3. 

Emulation, striving to excel in what is 
good, Ro. 11.14;—in what is evil, Ga.5.20. 
Enam, e'nam [the double spring], a city in 
the lowlands of Judah; Jos. 15.34. 

Encamp, to form a camp. Ex. 14. 2; Nu.i. 
50; Ps.27.3; Zec.9.8. 

Encountered, provoked to dispute, Ac. 17. 

l8 

Encourage, to animate, De. 1. 38; 201.31. 
4: Ps.64.5. 

Endor, en'dor [fountain of Dor, i.e. of the 
age], a city in the tribe of Manasseh, 

4 miles south of Mount Tabor;—memor¬ 
able for the account given of the witch of, 

1 Sa. 28. 7;—it is now called Endiir. 
Endow, or Endue, to give a dowry or por¬ 
tion,Ex. 22.16: Ge.30.20; Lu.24.49; Ja.3.13. 
Endure, to undergo, Ge.33.14; Mat.24.13; 
He. 12.7. 

Eneglaim, en-eg-la'inj [the fountain of 
calves], a well or town on the Dead Sea, 
opposite to Engedi, mentioned only in 
Eze. 47. to; probably the same as Eglaim, 
in Is. 15.8. Supposed by some to be iden¬ 
tical with Ain-Ajlah at the north end of 
the Dead Sea. 

Enemies, their cattle to be brought to them 
if. found astray, Ex. 23. 4;—their misfor¬ 
tunes not to be rejoiced at, Job31. 29; Ps. 
35. 13; Pr. 24. 17;—their death not to be 
wished for, 1 Ki. 3.11;—mourn, and be con¬ 
cerned for them, Ps. 35. 13;—trust in God 
for deliverance from, Ezr.8.3i;Ps.i8.48;— 
Christ prayed for, Lu. 23. 34;—good to be 
done for their evil, 25. 21; Mat.5.44; Lu.6. 
27,35: Ro. 12.14,20. 

Engaged, promised, Je.30.21. 

Engedi, en-ge'di [the fountain of a kid], 
originally called Hazazon-Tamar, 2 Ch. 
20. 2;—the name of a city on the east side 
of the Dead Sea, about 30 miles south¬ 
east of Jerusalem, given to the tribe of 
Judah, Jos. 15. 62 ;—here David was an 
exile, 1 Sa. 24. 1;—here the allied army, 
which came against Jehoshaphat, encamp¬ 
ed, 2 Ch. 20. 2. Celebrated for the excel¬ 
lence of its vineyards, Ca.1.14. 


| Engines, warlike instruments for throwing 
stones, 2CI1.26.15; Eze. 26.9. 

Engrave, letters or figures cut on stone, 
Ex.28.11; Zee.3.9; 2 Co.3.7. 

Enhakkore, en-hak'ko-re [the fountain of 
the crier], the spring of Lehi, where Sam¬ 
son was miraculously supplied with water, 
Ju.15.19. 

Enjoy, to feel with pleasure, Jos. 1. 15;—to 
have in abundance, He. it. 25. 

Enlarge, to increase or render more wide, 
Ge.9.27; Ps. 119.32; Mat. 23.5. 

.Enlighten, to give light or instruct, Ps. 18. 
28; 19.8; Ep.1.18; He.6.4. 

Enmishpat, en-mish'pat [fountain of judg¬ 
ment], the same as Kadesh, Ge. 14.7. 
Enmity, bitter and deep-rooted hatred, put 
between the seed of the woman and the 
serpent, Ge. 3. 15;—the carnal, or fleshly 
and unrenewed mind is, against God, Ro. 
8. 7;—the friendship of the world is, Ja. 4. 
4;—applied to the ceremonial law, as a 
cause of enmity between Jews and Gen¬ 
tiles, and said to be slain by Christ, Ep.2. 
14-16. 

Enoch, e'nok [dedicated], (T A son of Cain, 
Ge.4.17.—(2) The son of Jared, and father 
of Methuselah, Ge. 5. 18;—walked with 
God, 22;—God took him, 24;—was trans¬ 
lated to heaven without dying, He. 11.5;— 
prophesied, J ude 14.—(3) A city built by 
Cain, Ge.4.17,18. 

Enos, e'nos [man, multitude], the son of 
Seth, Ge.4. 26; —^e father of Cainan, or 
Canaan, 5.9. 

Enquire, to search or ask, Ge. 25. 22; Ps. 

27.4; Is.2t.12; Mat.10,11; Ac.9.11. 

Enrich, to make rich, 1 Sa. 17.25; Eze.27.33; 

1 Co.1.5; 2 Co.9.11. 

Enrogel, en-ro'gel [fountain of the secret, 
or fuller’s fountain], a spring on the south¬ 
east of Jerusalem, in the valley of the 
Kidron, Jos. 15.7; 18.16;—Adonijah’s coro¬ 
nation at, 1 Ki. 1.9. 

Ensample, an example, 1 Co.10.11; Phi. 3. 

i7;2Th.3.9; 2 Pe.2.6. 

Enshemesh, en-she'mesh [the well of the 
sun], the name of a fountain, between Jeru¬ 
salem and Jericho, Jos. 15. 7; 18.17. 
Ensign, Ps. 74. 4; Is. 5. 26, Zee. 9.16. See 

Banner. 

Ensnare, to bring into sin or bondage, Job 
34 - 30 - 

Ensue, to follow, 1 Pe.3.11. 

Entappuah, en-tap'pu-ah [spring of Tap- 
puah, or of an apple], a place in the tribe 
of Manasseh, Jos. 17.7. 

Enterprise, an undertaking. Jobs. 12. 
Entertain, to be hospitable, He. 13.2. 
Entice, to allure or attract, Ex. 20.16; De. 
13.6; Ju. 14.15; 2Ch.18.19,20; Pr. l 10; Ja. 

1.14. 

Entieers to Vice to be avoided, Pr.1.10. 
Entire, whole, undivided, Ja. 1.4. 

Entrance, a passage, invitation, Ju. 1. 24, 
25; Ps.119.130; 1 Th.2.1; 2Pe.i.n. 

Entry, the act of entrance, or place by 
which persons enter, 2 Ki.16.16; 1 Ch.9.19; 

2 Ch.4.22; Je.38.14: 43.9; Pr.8.3. 

Environ, to surround, Jos. 7.9. 

Envy, vexation at another’s excellence or 
success, condemned. Job 5.2; Ps.37. 1; Pr. 

3. 31; 14. 30; 23. 17; 24.19; 27.4; Ro. 13. 13; 

1 Co.3.3; Ga.5.21; Ja.3.14; 5.9; 1 Pe.2.1;— 
leads to every evil work, Ja.3.16. 

-, examples of, Cain, Ge. 4. 5;—the 

Philistines, Ge.26.14;—Rachel, 30.1;—Jo¬ 
seph’s brethren, 37.4,11;—Korah, &c., Nu. 
16.1, &c.;—Saul, 1 Sa. 18.8;—Haman, Es. 
5.9;—princes of Babylon, Da.6.3,4;—chief 
priests, Mar. 15. to. 

Epaphras, ep'a-fras, a native of Colosse, 
and a faithful preacher there, Col. 1.7; 4. 
12;—Paul’s fellow prisoner at Rome, Phile. 

23- 

Epaphroditus, e-paf-ro-di'tus [belonging 
to Aphrodite or Venus], a disciple of Phi¬ 
lippi, sent to Paul at Rome, Phi. 2. 25; 4. 
18. 

Epenetus, e-pe-ne'tus [laudable], one ol 
those who first embraced the gospel in 
Achaia, Ro.16.5. 

Ephah, e'fah [gloom], (1) The eldest of the 
five sons of Midian, Ge.25.4.—(2) A place 
called by his name, which abounded with 
camels and dromedaries, Is.60.6. 

Ephah ; e'fah [measure], (in the original a 
different word from the preceding), a mea¬ 
sure for grain, containing 10 omers-i, l ? 
English bushel, equivalent in capacity to 
the bath for liquids, Ex.16.36; 1Sa.17.17. 
Ephes - Dammim, e-fes-dam'im [end of 
blood], the place where the Philistines 
were encamped when Goliath was slain, 









THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


1 Sa. 17. icalled Pas-Damtnim in I Ch. | Erech, e'rek [length], a city of Chaldea, | 


II. 13 


built by Nimrod, east of tne Tigris, Ge. 
10.10. It was probably the city of the 


Ephesians, e-fe'zhi-ans, inhabitants of 
Ephesus, Ae. 19.28,34,35,—epistle to the, 
written by Paul about the commencement 
of his imprisonment at Rome, at the same 
time as that to the Colossians, about a.d. 
62. 

Ephesus, effe-sus, the capital of Ionia, 
and in the time of the Romans of the entire 
province of Asia. It was situated on the 
south of the river Cayster, about 23 miles 
north of Miletus, and 40 south of Smyrna. 
It was chiefly famed for a magnificent 
temple of Diana. This is said to have 
been 425 feet long and 220 broad. Its 
roof was supported by 127 pillars, 60 feet 
high, 27 of which were curiously carved, 
and the rest polished. 11 was burned on the 
same day Socrates was poisoned, viz. 200 
years before Christ. It was rebuilt with 
more splendour; it was destroyed by an 
•earthquake nineteen years after Christ, 
but it was soon rebuilt again. It had been 
•seven or eight times destroyed before Pliny 
wrote. The ruins of the temple have re¬ 
cently been explored, and several sculp¬ 
tured pilasters, &c., from it have been 
■deposited in the British Museum. First 
•visited by Paul when on his second mis¬ 
sionary journey, Ac. 18. 18-28. He came 
a second time to, 19. x;—here he preached 
three years, 20.31;—magical books burned 
■on the reception of the gospel, 19.19;—tu¬ 
mult raised here against him by Demetrius, 
19.23;—fought with beasts at, or was op¬ 
posed by brutal men, 1 Co. 15. 32;—the 
angel or minister of the church at, address¬ 
ed, Re. 2.1, &c. The city is now in utter 
ruin. Its site is occupied by the Turkish 
village Ayasaluk. 

Ephod, e'fod [something girt], a sacred 
vestment in the form of an upper garment, 
worn by the priests. There were two 
kinds, that of plain linen, for the ordinary 
priests, 1 Sa.22.18; 2 Sa.6.14; and that of 
the high-priest, which was richly em¬ 
broidered;—it is described. Ex. 28.6; 39.2; 
—its robe, 22. 

Ephphatha, eFfa-thah, a Syro-Chaldaic 
word, meaning be opened , Mar. 7.34. 
Ephraim, efra-irn or e'fra-im [double fruit¬ 
fulness], (1) Younger son of Joseph, born, 
Ge.41.52;—preferred to Manasseh, 48.19; 
—his descendants, iCh.7.20,28;—his sons 
defeated by the men of Gath, 21.—(2) A 
city about ten miles north of Jerusalem, 
Jn.11.54. 

--Gate of), one of the gates of 

Jerusalem, 2 Ki. 14. 13; 2 Ch. 25. 23;— the 
wood of, the forest in the east of J ordan 
in which Absalom was killed, 2 Sa. 18.6. 
Ephraimites, e'fra-mites, their possessions 
were in the very centre of Palestine, ex¬ 
tending from the Mediterranean to the 
Jordan, Jos.16.1, &c.; 17.**4; 1 Ch. 7. 28;— 
defeated by the Gileadites, Ju. 12. 5;— 
threatened for their pride, Is.28.1, &c. 
Ephratah, efra-tah [fruit, posterity], (1) A 
city of Judah (Ru. 4.11; Ps. 132. 6], else¬ 
where called Ephrath and Bethlehem, 
Ge. 48.7; 35.16,19. Mi. 5.1.—(2) The wife of 
Caleb, 1 Ch. 2.19,50; 4.4. 

Ephron, e'fron [fawn-like], (1) A range of 
hills on the northern boundary of Judah, 
Jos. 15.9.—(2) A Hittite who generously 
offered Abraham a field for a burying- 
place, Ge.23.8. 

Epicureans, ep-e-ku're-ans, a sect of Gen¬ 
tile philosophers, followers of Epicurus, an 
Athenian philosopher (died b.c. 271), who 
maintained that the world was made, not 
by God, but by the fortuitous concourse 
of atoms, that God interferes not in its 
government, that the soul dies with the 
body, that there are no angels, and that 
pleasure is the chief good, Ac. 7.18. 
Epistles, or letters, written by the apostles 
to the churches, or to particular individ¬ 
uals, are tiventy-one in number, beginning 
with Romans and ending with Jude, Ro. 
16. 22: 1 Co. 5. 9; Col. 4. 16, &c.; 14 were 
written by Paul, 1 by James, 2 by Peter, 
3 by John, and 1 by Jude. 

Equal, like another, uniform, just, Ps.17.2; 

55.13; Mat.20.12; Col.4.1; Re.21.16. 
Equity, or justice, the great rule of it, Le. 

19.18; Mat.7.12; 22.39; Ro.13.8; Ja.2.8. 

Er [watchful], the eldest son of Judah by 
Bath - Shuah, a Canaanitess, Ge. 38. 37; 
46.12. 

Erastus, e-r&s'tus [beloved], ‘the chamber- 
lain of the city ’ of Corinth, converted by 
Paul, Ac. 19.22; Ro. 16.23. 


Archevites, Ezr.4.9. 

Erect, to build or rear, Ge.33.20. 

Errand, a message, Ge. 24. 33; Ju.3.19; 2 
Ki.9.5. 

Error, a mistake, Ec.5.6;—false doctrines, 

1 Jn.4.6;—sins, Ps. 19.12; He.9.7. 

Esar Haddon, e'sar-had'don [gift of fire], 
king of Assyria, the son and successor of 
Sennacherib, 2 Ki.19.37; Is-37-38. 

Esau, e'saw [hairy], the son of Isaac, and 
brother of Jacob, born, Ge. 25. 25;—sells 
his birthright for red pottage, whence he 
is called Edom (red), 30.32;—meets Jacob, 
33.1, &c.;—his wives and descendants, 36. 

1, &c.; 1 Ch. 1.35. 

Escape, to get out of danger) Ps.56.7;Mat. 
2 3-33: Ro. 2.3;—those who neglect Christ’s 
great salvation cannot, He.2.3; 12.25. 
Eschew, to shun, as Job did, evil, Job 1.1; 

- and as all must do who love life, and 
desire to see good, Ps.34.12,13; 37.27,28; 
Is.1.16,17; 1 Pe.3.10,11. 

Esek, e'sek [contention], the name of a 
well dug by Isaac’s herdsmen in the valley 
of Gerar, Ge.26.20. 

Esh-Baal, esh'ba-al [man of Baal], the 
fourth son of King Saul, 1 Ch.8.33; 9.39. 
The same as Ishbosheth, 1 Sa.31.2; comp. 

2 Sa.2.8. 

Eshcol, esh'kol [a bunch of grapes], (1) A 
chief of the Amorites, one of Abraham’s 
allies, Ge. 14.24.—(2) A valley near Hebron 
from which the spies brought a bunch of 
grapes, which required two men to carry, 
Nu.13.24; 32.9; De.1.24. 

Eshtaol, esh'ta-ol [narrow pass], a city in 
the low country of Judah, Jos. 15. 33;— 
near to it Samson was bom and buried, 
Ju.13.2; 16.31. 

Eshtemoa, or Eshtemoh, esh-tem'o-ah 
[obedience], a town in the mountains of 
Judah; assigned to the priests, Jos. 15.50; 
21.14;— a present of the spoils taken from 
the Amalekites sent by David to the in¬ 
habitants of, x Sa.30.28. 

Esli, esfli, mentioned in the genealogy of 
Christ, Lu.3.25;—probably identical with 
Elioenai, 1 Ch. 3.23,24. 

Espousals, a contract to enter into mar¬ 
riage, Ca.3.11; Je.2.2. 

Espouse. See Betroth. 

Espy, to discover unexpectedly, Ge.42.27; 
—to inspect narrowly, Jos. 14.7;—to con¬ 
template, Je.48.19. 

Esrom, es'rom, Greek form of Hnzeron 
[walled in], (1 Ch. 2. 5), Mat. 1. 3; Lu. 3. 
33 - 

Establish, to fix, 1 Ki. 9. 5;—to. confirm, 
Nu. 30. 13;—to appoint, Ps. 119. 38;—to 
ratify, He. 10.9. 

Estate, condition, Ge.43.7;—place, Da.n. 
7, 20;—applied to persons of power and 
wealth. Mar.6.21. 

Esteem, to value or judge. Job 36.19; Ps. 

119.128; Is.53.4; Phi.2.3; iTh.5.13. 
Esther, es'ter [star], called also Hadassnh 
[myrtle], (Es.2.7), the daughter of Abihail, 
the uncle of Mordecai, obtains favour, Es. 
2.15;—made queen, 17;—appoints a fast, 
4.15;—favourably received by the king, 
5.1; —invites Haman the Agagite to a 
feast, 5.8;—asks her own life and that of 
her people, 7.3;—accuses Haman, 5. 
- (Book of), author not known, con¬ 
tains account of events in the history of 
the Jews in Persia in the time of Ahasue- 
rus, the Xerxes of Greek history, the son 
and successor of Darius. 

Estimate, to put a value or price on a 
thing, Le.27.14;— estimation, the valuing 
or the price, Le.5.15; 27.2,3; Nu. 18.16. 
Estranged, alienated, or turned away as 
strangers; the wicked are, from God, Job 
19.13; Ps.58.3; Eze.14.5. 

Etam, e'tam [eyrie], (1) A town in the tribe 
of Judah probably not far from Bethlehem, 
was fortified by Rehoboam, 2 Ch. 11.6.— 
(2) A place in Simeon, 1 Ch.4.32;— rock of 
to which Samson retired after the slaughter 
of the Philistines, Ju.15.8,11. 

Eternal, Everlasting, sometimes denotes 
a long but limited time;—continuance of 
the ceremonial law, Le. 16. 34;—the pro¬ 
mise of Canaan for a possession, Ge.17.8; 
—when applied to God, it means always 
duration without beginning or end, Ge.21. 
33; De.33.27; Is. 40.28:—the never-ending 
bliss of heaven, and the torments of hell, 
Mat.25.46; Mar. 10.30; 2 Th. 1.9;— life , Da. 
12.2; Mat.19.16; Jn.3.15, &c. 

| Etham, 6'tham [boundary of the sea], the 


second station of the Israelites on leaving | 
Egypt, Ex. 13.20. 

Ethan, eth'an [perpetuity], the Ezrahite 
(Ps.89. title;, one of the wisest men of his 
age, except Solomon, 1 Ki.4.31;—several 
psalms were written by him, and, among 
the rest, the eighty-ninth;—he was one of 
the principal masters of the temple music, 

1 Ch. 15.17. 

Ethanim, eth'a-nim [perennial streams], 
one of the months of the Jewish calendar, 
so called because the brooks were then full 
from the autumnal rains, 1 Ki.8.2;—called 
Tisri after the captivity. 

Ethbaal, eth-ba'al [with Baal], a king of 
Sidon and father of Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, 

1 Ki.16.31. 

Ethiopia, e-the-o'pi-a [blackness, region of 
burned faces], an extensive country of 
Africa, southward of Egypt; comprehend¬ 
ing Northern Abyssinia, Nubia, Sennaar, 
and Kordofan. It is bounded by the Red Sea 
on the east, the Lybian Desert on the west, 
and the highlands of Abyssinia on the south. 
It was known to the Hebrews by the name 
of Cush, and is generally so called in Scrip¬ 
ture, Ge. 16.6-8; 1 Ch. 1. 8-10; Is. 11.11;— 
complexion of its people, Je. 13. 23;—mer¬ 
chandise of, Is.45.14;—Moses found a wife 
of, Nu. 12.1;—Zerah, king of, 2 Ch. 14.9- 
15;—Candace, queen of, her treasurer bap¬ 
tized, Ac. 8. 27-29; - Ebed-Melech the 
Ethiopian befriended Jeremiah, Je. 38. 7- 
13; 39. 15-18;—its conversion to God fore¬ 
told, Ps.68.31; 87.4; Is.45.r4. 

Eubulus, eu-bu'lus [good in counsel], a 
Christian at Rome, a convert of Paul, 2 
Ti.4.21. 

Eucharist, a scriptural name in the ori¬ 
ginal Greek (Lu.22.19; 1C0.11.24 ; mean¬ 
ing the giving of thanks. See Lord’s 
Supper. 

Eunice, eu'ne-se [good victory], the mother 
of Timothy, distinguished for her faith, 2 
Ti. 1.5;—by birth a Jewess, but married to 
a Gentile, Ac. 16.1. 

Eunuchs, God prohibited such from his 
congregation, De 23.1;—a promise to those 
who keep his Sabbaths, Is.56.4;—different 
kinds mentioned. Mat. 19.12;—conversion 
of one from Ethiopia, Ac.8.27, &c. 
Euodias, eu-o'di-as [a good journey], a 
female disciple in the church of Philippi, 
Phi.4.2. 

Euphrates, eu-fra'tes, the largest and most 
important of all the rivers of Western Asia. 
Its most frequent name in Scripture is 
‘the river,’ x Ki.4.21; Ezr.4.10,16; Ps.72.8; 
Ex. 23.31. It is also called ‘the great 
river,’ De. 1.7; Jos. 1.4. It has two sources 
in the mountains of Armenia. The western, 
called Kara-su (black river), after flowing 
270 miles, joins the eastern, called the 
Murad, at a point about 400 miles from its 
source. These two tributaries thus united 
form the Euphrates, properly so called. 
After many windings it is united with the 
Tigris at Kurnah, and at length falls into 
the Persian Gulf. Its entire course is 
about 1500 miles. It is navigable for large 
vessels as far up as Bassora. It flowed 
through ancient Babylon. Like the Nile 
it overflows its banks at certain seasons of 
the year, which renders a great part of the 
country exceedingly fertile;—flows in the 
garden of Eden, Ge.2.14;—a boundary of 
the country possessed by the Israelites, 15. 
18; De. 11.24; Jos. 1.4; 2Sa. 8.3;—a symbol of 
the Assyrian power, Is.8.7;—a girdle hid¬ 
den near it a type of the captivity, Je. 13.1; 
—four angels loosed from it. Re. 9.14;—the 
sixth angel pours his vial into it, 16.12. 
Euroclydon, eu-rok'le-don [south-east bil¬ 
low], a wind prevalent in the Mediterra¬ 
nean Sea, and dangerous to ships, from its 
partaking of the qualities of a whirlwind, 
Ac. 27.14. 

Eutychus, eu-te'kus [of good fortune], a 
young man of Troas who from sleeping 
while Paul preached, falls down dead, and 
is restored to life, Ac. 20.5-12. 

Evangelists [gospellers, publishers of glad 
tidings], an order in the Christian church, 
next in order to the apostles; such as 
Philip the deacon, Timothy, Mark, Titus, 
Silas, &c., Ac.21.8;--appointed by Christ, 
Ep. 4. 11;—their duty, 12; 2 Ti. 4. 5:—the 
authors of the canonical Gospels so called. 
Eve, €ve [life or living], the name given by 
Adam to the first woman, his wife, as the 
progenitor of the human family, Ge.3.20: 
4.1; — her creation, 2. 21, 22; — given to 
Adam for a help meet, 23:—deceived by 
the serpent, 3.1-6;—her punishment, 16;— 


(Ep—Ex) 601 

receives her name, 20; mentioned by an 
apostle, 2C0.11.3; iTi.2.13. 

Evening, the period following sunset with 
which the Jewish day began, Ge.1.5; Mar. 
I 3- 35; -the Jews reckoned two evenings 
—the first beginning at sunset, and the 
second beginning with the darkness;— 
hence the phrase ‘ between the two even¬ 
ings,’ Ex. 12.6; 30.8 margin . 

Ever. For ever frequently means only a 
stated time, Ge.49.26; Ex. 12.24; 1 Ki.8.13; 

2 Ki.21.7; 2 Ch.7.16; Ps.4p.11; Ec.1.4; Je. 
17.25; Phile.15. 

Everlasting, without end, Ge. 21.33; Ex. 
40.15; Ps. 24. 7; 112. 6; Is. 9.6; 60.19; Mat. 
18.8; 25.46. 

Evermore, eternally, De.28.29; 2Sa.22.5i; 

Ps.16.11; 89.28; Jn.6.34; He.7.28. 
Evidence, witness or testimony', Je.32.10, 
11,14,26; He.11.1. 

Evident, plain, fully' proved. Job 6.28; Ga. 
3.11; Phi.1.28; He.7.14,15 
Evil-Merodach, e'vil-me-ro'dak [prince of 
Merodach], the son and successor iB.c. 
561 of Nebuchadnezzar, liberated Jehoia- 
chim, king of Judah, after a confinement 
of thirty-seven years, 2 Ki.25.27. 

Ewes, female sheep, Ge.21.28,29; Le. 14.10; 

2 Sa • 12.3 ; Ps.78.71. 

Exaction, a demanding more than is due, 
censured, Ne. 5. 7; 10. 31; Eze.22.12; 45. 9: 
Mat. 18.28; Lu.3.13. 

Exactor, a prince, Is. 60. 17; — rendered 
‘task-master,’ Ex. 3. 7;—oppressor. Job 3. 
18;—‘raiser’ of taxes, Da.11.20. 

Exalt, to lift up or extol, Ex. 15.2: 1 Sa 2. 
10; Ps.34.3; 99.5; Mat.23.11; 2 Co. 11.20; 1 
Pe.5.6. 

Exaltation of Christ, his elevation into 
heaven;—into the throne of glory, Ac.2.33; 
5.31;—shall sit in rest at the right hand of 
God the Father, Ps.110.5;—angels, princi¬ 
palities, power, and dominion, put in sub¬ 
jection to him, Ep. 1.20,21;—all are com¬ 
manded to worship him, Phi. 2. 9;—shall 
come to judge the world, Ac. 17.21. 
Examination, a trial or proof, Ac.25.26;— 
self, commanded, Ps.4.4; La. 3.40: Mat. 7. 
3,5; 1 Co.11.28; 2Co.13.5; Ga 6.4; — pray'ef 
for assistance in, Ps.26.2; 139.23,24;—ex¬ 
amples of, Ps.77.6; 119.59. 

Example, good, to be followed, Lu.10.37; 
Jn. 8. 39; 1 Co. 4. 16; 11. 1; Phi. 3. 17; 4. 9; 

1 Th.1.7; 2 Th.3.9; He.6.12; Ja.5.10. 
-, evil, to be avoided, 1 Co. 10.6; 

2 Pe.2.6; Jude 7. 

Example of Christ, to be studied and imi¬ 
tated by' all his followers. Mat. 11. 29; Jn. 
13. 15, 34; Ro. 15. 5; Phi.2.5; He.3.1; 12. 2; 

1 Pe. 2. 21; 1 Jn. 2. 6;—in respect of filial 
duty', Lu.2.51; Jn.19.26,27;—obedience to 
God, Jn. 4. 34; 9. 4;—zeal for his glory, 2. 
17; 8.49,50; 17.4;—fervent devotion, Lu.6. 
12; 9.29; 22.44;—resignation to his Father’s 
will, Jn.6.38; 18.11; Lu.22.42;—self-denial, 

2 Co. 8. 9;—humility, Phi. 2. 7, 8;—conde¬ 
scension, Mat.8.3,7;—meekness, 11. 29;— 
compassion, Lu.19.41; Mat.9.36;—firmness 
in resisting temptation, 4.1-11:22.17;— 
overcoming the world, Jn.16.33, with 1 Jn. 
5. 4, 5;—forgiveness and love of enemies, 
Lu.23.34; Col.3.13. 

Exceed, to surpass or go bey'ond, De.25.3; 

1 Sa.20.41; Mat.5.20; 2 Co.3.9. 

Excel, to surpass, to be eminent, Ge.49.4; 

Ps. 103.20; Is. 10.10; 1 Co. 14.12. 

Excess in eating and drinking condemned, 
Ep.5.18; 1 Pe.4.3,4. 

Exchange, to give one thing for another, 
Ge.47.17; Le.27.10; Mat. 16.26. 
Exchangers of Money, a kind of bankers, 
Mat.25.27. 

Exclude, to shut out, Ga.4.17: Ro.3.27. 
Excommunication, the judicial exclusion, 
or cutting off from the church, practised 
among the Israelites for neglecting circum¬ 
cision, Ge.17.14;—for neglecting the pass- 
over, Ex. 12. 15, 19; Nu. 9. 13;—eating of 
sacrifice in a state of uncleanness, Le.7.20; 
22.3;—neglecting the rites of purification, 
Nu. 19.13,20;—keeping the meat of sacri¬ 
fices beyond the time prescribed, Le. 19.8;— 
sacrificing in other places than that of the 
national worship, 17. 9;—eating blood or 
the fat of sacrifices, 7. 25; 17.10,14;—ne¬ 
glecting the day of atonement, 23. 29;— 
imitating the holy oil or incense. Ex.30.33, 
38. 

-, Christian, instituted 

by our Lord, Mat. 18. 15, 18: practised 
and commanded by the apostles, 1 Co. 5. 
11; 16. 22; 2 Co.2.2; 2 Th. 3. 14: t I’i. 1. 10; 
Tit. 3.10. 

Excuses for neglecting duties, the folly of 











THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


602 (Ex—Fe) 

them, 2 Ki. 5. 13; Mat. 22. 5; Lu. 12.47: 14. 
18; Ro. 1.20; Ja.4.17. 

Execration, a curse, Je.42.18; 44.12. 
Execute, to perform, to put to death Ex. 
12. 12; Nu. 5. 30; Ps. 119. 84: Jn. 5. 27; Ro. 
I 3 - 4 - 

Exempted, free from, 1 Ki. 15.22. 

Exercise, employ, exert, Ps.131.1; Mat.2c, 
25: Ac.24.16. 

Exhort, to incite to a good action, Ac. 2. 
40; 27. 22; ( 2Co.9.5; Tit. 1.9; 2.6,9,15; 1 Pe. 
5 -*- 

Exhortation, an incitement to what is 
good; the duty of it, Ac.13.15; Ep.5.11; 
1 Th.4.18; 2 Th.3.15; He.3.13; 10.24.25. 
Exile, one banished from his country, 2 Sa. 
15.19; Is.51.14. 

Exodus, ex'o-dus [the departure], the se¬ 
cond book of Moses, which relates the 
departure (b.c. 1658) of Israel from Egypt. 
It embraces the history of the Israelites, 
from the death of Joseph to the erection 
of the tabernacle in the wilderness, a 
period of about 145 years. Ps. lxxviii. and 
cv. are a devotional commentary on this 
book. 

Exorcists, persons who cast out evil spirits; 

Jews at Ephesus, Ac. 19.13. 

Expedient, fit, profitable, Jn.11.50; 16.7; 
18.14; 2 C0.8.10; 12.1. 

Experience, to try the benefit of it, Ec. 1. 
16; 2.1, &c.;—approval as the result of 
trial, Ro.5.4. 

Experiment, or proof, 2 Co. 9.13. 

Expert, skilful, dexterous, 1 Ch. 12. 33, 35; 
Je.50.9; Ac.26.3. 

Expiation, the act of atoning for a crime. 
See Atonement. 

Exploits, great actions, achievements. Da. 
11.28,32. 

Expound, to explain, Ju.14.14; Mar.4.34; 
—exemplified, Ne. 8. 8; Ac. 18.26; Lu. 24. 
27. 

Extinct, extinguished or put out, as the 
light of a candle, Job 17.1; Is.43.17. 
Extol, to praise, Ps. 30.1; 68.4; 145.1; Da. 
4 - 37 - 

Extortion, unjust exaction of money, Eze. 
22.12; Mat.23.25;—Christians commanded 
to have no willing fellowship with those 
who practise it, 1 Co. 5. 11;—intercourse 
with them sometimes unavoidable, 10. 
Extravagance, or superfluous and waste¬ 
ful expense, censured, Pr. 18. 9; 21.20; 22. 
16. 

Extremity, utmost distress, Job 35.15. 
Eyes to be guarded, on account of tempta¬ 
tion, Job 31. 1; Ps. 119. 37; Pr. 4.25; 23.31; 
Mat.5.29; 18.9; Mar.9.47. An ‘evil eye’ 
the symbol of an envious disposition, Pr. 
23.6; Mat,20.15;—‘eye-service,’ Ep.6.6;— 
‘eyelids,’ adorning of, 2 Ki. 9. 30; Je.4.30; 
Eze. 23. 48;—‘ej'eads of the morning/ Job 
41.18. 

Eye-salve, Christ’s Word and Spirit, Re. 3. 
18. 

Ezbai, ez’ba-I, the father of Naarai, who 
was one of David’s thirty heroes, 1 Ch.11. 
37 - 

Ezekiel, e-ze'ki-el [God my strength], the 
son of Buzi. He was both a prophet and 
a priest, was carried into captivity along 
with Jehoiachin, king of Judah, and was 
settled with other exiles on the banks of 
the river Chebar. He continued to exer¬ 
cise the prophetical office for about twenty- 
two years, i.e. to the twenty-seventh year 
of the captivity. He was contemporary 
with Jeremiah and Daniel. His first vision, 
Eze. 1. i, &c.;—his commission, 2.1;—eats 
a roll presented to him by an angel, 3. 1, 
&c.;—encouraged, 4;--foretells the taking 
of Jerusalem, 4.1;—carried to Jerusalem 
in a vision, 8. 1;—brought back again, 11. 
24;—removes his dwelling as a type of the 
approaching captivity, 12.1;—directed not 
to mourn for the death of his wife, 24. 15; 
—his duty as a watchman, 33.1, &c.;—not 
respected by the people, 30. 

Ezel,e'zel [departure], (STONEOF),thescene 
of the parting of Jonathan and David, 
1 Sa.20.19. 

Ezion-Geber, e'zi-on-ge'ber [the giant’s 
backbone], a city of Idumea, on the east 
branch of the Red Sea, and not far from 
Elath; thus far back the Hebrews were 
brought for their sins, after they had 
touched the borders of the promised land, 
■k u - 33 - 351 —here Solomon equipped his 
fleet for Ophir, 1 Ki.9.26. 

Ezra, ez'rah [help], the son of Seraiah, a 
priest and ready scribe in the law of God, 
goes to Jerusalem, Ezr. 7. 1;—his com¬ 
panions float Babylon, 8 x;—keeps a fast, 


21; Ne. 9. 1;—his prayer and confession, 
Ezr. 9. 5;—reforms the illegal marriages, 
10.1, &c. Book of, contains a continuation 
of the history of the J ews, from the close 
of the Book of Chronicles, and embraces 
a period of about eighty years. From 
4.8 to 6.19. and from the 1st to 27th verse 
of 7th chapter, it is written in the Chaldee 
language. 

Ezrahite, ez-ra-hite', a designation given to 
Ethan, 1 Ki. 4. 31; Ps. lxxxix. (inscrip.);— 
to Heman, Ps.lxxxviii. (inscrip.) 


F. 


Fables, idle and groundless stories, whether 
heathen or Jewish, not to be regarded, 

1 Ti.1.4; 4.7; 6.20; 2Ti.2.i4; Tit.1.14. 
Face, God talked with men face to face, or 

in a familiar manner, and amid visible dis¬ 
plays of his glory, Nu. 14. 14; De. 5. 4; 34. 
10;— of God, his favour, Ps. 31.16180.7; Da. 
9.17;—his omnipresence, 1 Sa. 26. 20;—the 
displays of his glory which are not enjoyed 
in this world, Ex.33.20; 1 Ti. 6. 16;—his 
wrath, Ps. 34. 16;— of Christ, his person, 

2 Co.4.6;—glorious appearance, Re.20.11. 
Fade, to wither or decay, 2 Sa. 22. 46; Is. 

64.6; Je.8.13; 1 Pe.1.4; 5.4; Ja.1.11. 

Fail, to decay, die, Ge.47.16; De.31.6; Ps. 
69.3; 77.8; Lu.16.9,17; 1 Co.13.8; He.1.12; 
12.15. 

Fainteth, the soul does for God, when its 
desires after him are ardent and over¬ 
powering, Ps.84.2. 

Fair, comely, beautiful, Ge.6.2; 12. 11; Pr. 
11.22; Mat. 1.6.2; Ac.7.20; Ro. 16.18; Ga.6. 
12. 

Fair Havens, a harbour on the south side 
of the island of Crete, Ac.27.8-10,21. 
Fairs, fixed meetings for merchandise, men¬ 
tioned only in Eze. 27.12,14,16,19-,22,27. 
Faith, Credit, or Belief, in God neces¬ 
sary to please him, Ge.15.6; Ex.4.31; 14. 
31; Nu.20.12; De.32.20; 2 Ch.20.20; Ne.9. 
8; Ps.78.22; 106.12; Is.7.9; 43.10; Da.6.23: 
Jonah 3.5; Hab.2.4; Jn.14.1; Ro. 4. 3; 5.1; 
He. 11.6. 

-, the want of it a cause of sin. Nu.14. 

11; De.1.32; 2 Ki.17.14; Ps.106.13; Ro. 11. 
23; He. 3.19. 

- in Christ, or the belief of God’s tes¬ 
timony concerning him, connected with 
and necessary to salvation, Jn.3.15,16,36; 
Ro. 3. 25, 26; 1 Co. 1. 21; He. 10. 39;—com¬ 
manded as our duty, 1 Jn.3.23; Ac.16.31; 
—is a fruit of the Spirit, and the gift of 
God, Ro.12.3; Ga.5.22; Ep.2.8; 6. 23; Phi. 

I. 29;—the righteousness of God appre¬ 
hended and appropriated by faith, Ro. 3. 
22; 4. 13; 9. 30; 10. 6; Phi. 3. 9;—excludes 
boasting or self-righteousness, Ro. 3.27; Ga. 
2.16; 5.4; Ep.2.8,9. 

-, when genuine, it is from the heart, 

Ac. 8. 37; Ro. 10. 9,10;—works by love to 
Christ and his people, Ga. 5.6;—purifies 
the heart, Ac. 15.9;—overcomes the snares 
and temptations of the world, 1 Jn.5.4;—is 
productive of good works, Ja. 2.14,18 ;— 
abiding, Col. 2.7;—whatsoever is not of it 
is sin, Ro. 14.23. 

-, necessarily connected with remis¬ 
sion of sm, Ac. 10.43; Ro. 3.25;— -justifica¬ 
tion, Ac. 13.39; Ro. 5. 1; Ga. 2. 16,—sancti- 
f cation, Ac. 15. 9; 26. 18;— spiritual life, 
Jn.20.31; Ga. 2. 20;— -preservation, 1 Pe. 1. 
5 '—gift of the Spirit, Ga.3.14; Ep.1.13;— 
adoption, Jn.1.12; Ga.3.26. 

-, Christians are justified by, Ro. 3. 

28; 5. 1;—sanctified by, Ac. 15. 9; 26. 18;— 
five by, Ga.2.20; 3.T1; Hab.2.4;He.io.38; 
—walk by, 2 Co. 5. 7;—conquer by, 1 Jn.5. 
4;—have access to God by, Ep.3.12. 
-, examples of strong and triumph¬ 
ant: Caleb, Nu. 13. 30;—Job, Job 19.25;— 
Shadrach, &c., Da. 3. 17;—Daniel, Da. 6. 
23;—David, 1 Sa. 17. 32; 30.6; 1 Ch. 27. 23; 

Israelites, Ex. 4. 31; iCh. 5. 20;—widow 
of Zarephath, 1 Ki. 17.13-15;—Hezekiah, 
2 Ki. 18.5;—Zacharias,Lu. 1.64;—Abel,He. 

II. 4;—Enoch, 5;—Noah, 7;—Abraham, 8. 
9 > I 7 -—Isaac, 20;—Jacob, 21;—Joseph, 22; 
—Moses, 23.24,27;— Rahab, 31, &c. 

in Christ, guilt and danger of those 
who are without, Mar. 16.16; Jn. 3.18,36; 8. 
24; 2C0.4.4; 1 Jn.5.10. 

in Christ, brief summaries and con¬ 
fessions of, by Peter, Mat. 16. 16;—by 
Martha, Jn. 11. 27;—by the Ethiopian eu- 


I nuch, Ac.8.37;—by Paul, 1 Ti. 1. 15;—by 
John, 1 Jn.4.9,10. 

Faith, an empty profession of, made by 
unrenewed men, and therefore soon relin¬ 
quished, Jn.6.66; Ac.8.13,21; 1 Jn.2.19. 

-, devils have, in the existence of God, 

and tremble, Ja.2.19. 

- of miracles, extraordinary, and pe¬ 
culiar to the first age of the gospel. Mat. 
17.20; 21.21; Mar.11.23; Lu.17.6; 1 Go^i2. 
9; 13.2. 

Faithful, God is to his promises, Nu.23. 
19; De.7.9; He. 10. 23; 11. 11;—-the gospel 
testimony is, 1 Ti.i. 15;—genuine believers 
in Christ are, Ep.1.1; Col. 1.2. 

Faithfulness, as applied to God, a divine 
attribute, assuring of the truth and certain 
accomplishment of all he has promised, Ps. 
89.1; 33.34; Nu.23.19; He. 10.23; as applied 
to man, fidelity, firm adherence to duty, 
Mat.24.45; Lu. 12.42; iCo.4.1,2; iTi.1.12; 
—demanded in the use of gifts or talents, 
Mat.25.19-23; Lu.19.15-19; 1 Pe.4.10;—in 
ministering in the word of God, Je.23.28; 
1 Co. 4.2; 2 Co. 2.17; 2TL2. 2;—exemplified 
by Joseph, Ge. 39. 22, 23;—Moses, Nu. 12. 
7; He.3.2,5;—David, 1 Sa.22.14;—Daniel, 
Da. 6.4;—Paul, Ac. 20.20,27;—Antipas, Re. 
213 - 

Fall of Man, Adam’s transgression of the 
positive law of God, Ge.2.16,17; 3.6;—by 
which he lost the image of God, after 
which he was created; and subjected him¬ 
self and his posterity to the penalty of 
that law, 2.17; 3.19; Ro. 5. 12-19; 1 Co. 15. 
21,22. 

Fallow-deer, among the beasts used for 
lood, De.14. 5; 1 Ki. 4. 23. It is smaller 
than the stag (Cervus elephus), having its 
horns, which are shed annually, serrated 
on the inside. It is the Cervus dama of 
naturalists. Others are of opinion that the 
fallow-deer does not exist in Asia, and 
refer the word so rendered to the Oryx 
leucoryx, or white antelope. 

Fallow-ground, a field uncultivated, Je.4. 
3; Ho. 10.12;—every seventh year the land 
rested fallow, Le.25.1-7; De.15.1-10. 

False, not true, deceiving, Ex.23.i;Ps.ii9. 
104; Mat. 24. 24; 2 Co. 11. 13, 26; Ga.2.4; 2 
Pe. 2.1. 

Falsehood. See Lying. 

Fame, renown or honour from men, the 
vanity of it, Ps.49.11; Ec.1.11; 2.16;—not 
to be preferred to the praise of God, Jn. 
12.43; 1 Th.2.6. 

Familiar, affable, well acquainted with. 
Job 19.14; Ps.41.9;— spirits, Le.19. 31; 20. 
6; De.i8.n; 1 Sa.28.3,9; 2 Ki.21.6; Is.8.19; 
19.3;—also the python , Ac. 16.16, or divin¬ 
ing spirit, by the aid of which necroman¬ 
cers were supposed to conjure, Le. 20. 27; 
1 Sa.28.7,8. 

Family, the whole church of God, Ep.3.15. 

Famine, when Abraham went into Egypt, 
Ge.12.10;—in the time of Joseph, 41.56;— 
when Elimelech went into the land of 
Moab, Ru.1.1;—of three years, on account 
of Saul’s treatment of the Gibeonites, 2 Sa. 
21.1, &c.;—in the time of Elijah, 1 Ki. 17. 

1;—in Samaria, in the time of Elisha, 2 Ki. 
6.25;—in Jerusalem, and a message from 
God concerning it, Je.14.1;—of the word 
of God, Am. 8. ir. 

Famish, to starve, Ge.41.55; Pr.10.3; Is.5. 
i3;Zep.2.n. 

Fan, a winnowing shovel, by which grain 
was thrown up against the wind that it 
might be cleansed of chaff, Is.30.24; Mat. 
3.12; Lu.3.17. 

Farewell, adieu, the parting compliment, 
Lu.9.61; Ac.15.29; 18.21; 2C0.13.11. 

Farm, land occupied by a farmer. Mat. 
22.5. . 

Farthing, a piece of brass money, used by 
the Romans, and of which there are two 
different kinds. The one was the assarius 
(Mat. 10. 29; Lu. 12. 6) in the time of our 
Lord, the equivalent of the as, a copper 
coin equal to the tenth of a denarius or 
drachma, which was a silver coin equal to 
about 6 %d. ; the other is the quadrans, 
the fourth of an as, equal to 2 lepta or 
mites, Mat.5.26; Mar. 12.42. 

Fashion, form, custom, Ge.6.15; Mar.2.12; 
1 Co.7.31; Phi.2.8; Ja.1.11. 

Fasting, abstinence from food, accompanied 
with religious humiliation, mentioned as a 
general duty of all Christians at some times, 
Mat.9.14,15; Mar. 2. 20; Lu.5.35; 2 Co.6.5; 
—accompanying solemn prayer, Ps.35.13; 
Da.9.3; 1 Co.7.5;—what kind is acceptable 
to God, Is. 58. 3, &c.; Joel 2. 12; Zee. 7. 9; 
Mat. 6. 17;—to be proclaimed in a time of 


public calamity, Joel 1.14; 2.15; 2Sa.i.i2i 
During the captivity four fasts were stat¬ 
edly observed by the Jews: (1), in the 
4th month, in commemoration of the cap¬ 
ture of Jerusalem, Je.51.27; (2) in the 5th 
month, for the burning of the temple, 52. 
13; (3) i n the 7th month, for death of Ge- 
daliah, 41.2; (4) in the 10th month, for be¬ 
ginning of attack on Jerusalem, 52.4;—the 
institution of several annual ones, Zee. 7.3, 
&c.; 8. 19;—of Moses, forty days, Ex. 24. 
18; De.9.9;—a second time, 18;—of Daniel, 
Da. 10. 2;—of Esther, Es. 4. 15;—by the 
Ninevites, Jonah 3.5;—of Jesus, Mat. 4.2; 
Lu.4.2. Exemplified: David, 2 Sa. 12.16; 
Ps.109.24;—Nehemiah, Ne. 1. 4;—Esther, 
Es.4.16;—Anna, Lu. 2. 37. Some of the 
Pharisees fasted ‘twice in the week/though 
the law enjoined only one fast on the great 
day of atonement. 

Fat, signifying riches, or prosperity, De.31. 
20; 32.15; Ps.22.29; Je.5.28. 

Fatherless (The), promises of God toward,. 
Ex. 22. 23; De. 10.18; Ps. 10.14,18; 68. 5;— 
threatenings against the oppressors of, Ex. 
22.23,24; Is.10.1-3; Je.5.28,29; Mai.3.5;— 
duties to be performed toward, De.14.29;. 
Ps.82.3; Is. 1.17; Ja.1.27;—wrongs against, 
to be avoided, De.24.17; Pr.23.10; Zee.7. 
10; Je.22.3;—blessedness of taking care of, 
De.14.29; Job 29.12,13; Je.7.6,7. 

Fathers, founders or patriarchs of a tribe, 
De.1.11; 1 Ki.8.34; Mat. 3.9; 23.30; Mar.n. 
10; Lu. 1.32,73:6.23,26;—a title of respect to 
kings, prophets, and priests, Ju.17.10; 18. 
19; 1 Sa.10.12; 2 Ki.2.12; 5.13:6.21;—pro¬ 
tectors or guardians, Job 29.16; Ps. 68. 5; 
De. 32. 6;—authors or beginners of any¬ 
thing called fathers, Ge. 4. 21, 22; comp. 
Job 38.28; Jn.8 44; R0.4.12;—the son not 
to be punished for the father’s transgres¬ 
sion, De.24.16; Eze. 18.20;—power of. Ex. 
22.17; Nu.30.3,5; 12.14; De.21.18,21. 

Fathom, the space one may cover by 
stretching both arms laterally, about six 
feet, Ac. 27.28. 

Fault, an offence, committed by a brother, 
should be told to him, Mat.18.15;—those 
who are overtaken with, to be tenderly 
treated, Ga.6.1;—to be mutually confessed 
by Christians, Ja.5.16. 

Favour, kindness, good-will, Ge.39.21; Ps. 
5.12; 30.5,7; 44.3; 89.17; Lu.2.52; Ac.7.10. 

Fear, motives to it, De. 32. 39; 1 Sa.2.6; 2 
Ki.17.36; Job 13.11; 28.28; Ps.76.7; hi. 10; 
130. 4; Pr. i. 7; 14.26; Je.5.22; 10.6,7; Mat. 
10.28; Lu.12.5. 

-■, opposed to presumption, Pr. 28.14; 

R0.11.20; 1C0.10.12; Phi.2.12; He.4.1; 12. 
28; 1 Pe.i.T7. 

-, happy effects of it, Ps.25.12; 112.1; 

Pr.9.10; 16.6; 19.23; 22.4; Ec.8.12. 

-, marks of it, Pr.8.13; 14.2,16; 16.6. 

-■, the effect of guilt, Ge.3.8; 4.14; 32.7; 

Ac. 16.38; 24.25; Ja.2.19. 

Fear of God, or a holy awe of his majesty, 
and care not to offend him, recommended, 
De.6-13; 10.12; Jos. 24.14; 1 Sa. 12.24; 1 Ch. 
16. 25; Ps.2.11; 33. 8; Pr.3.7; 23.17; Ec. 12. 
13; Mai. 1.6; He.12.28; 1 Pe.2.17. 

-, promises to them who cherish 

it, 2 Ki.17.39; Ps.25.12,14; 31.19; 33.18; 34. 
7, 9; 103.11,13,17; 145.19; Is. 50.10; Mai. 3. 
16; 4.2; Lu.1.50. 

Fear of man, the bounds of it, De.7.17, &c.; 
Ps.56.4; 118.6; Pr.29.25; Is.8.12:51.7; Mat. 
10.26; He. 13.6; 1 Pe.3.14. 

Fear of punishment, a motive to obedi¬ 
ence, Job 31.23; Lu.12.5; 2 Co.5.11. 

Feasts, by Abraham on the weaning of 
Isaac, Ge. 21. 8;—by Isaac to entertain 
Abimelech, 26.30;—by Laban on the mar¬ 
riage of his daughters, 29.22;—by Pharaoh 
on his birth-day, 40.20;—on the marriage 
of Samson, Ju.14.10;—by Nabal on his 
sheep-shearing, 1 Sa. 25. 2, 36;—by David 
for Abner, 2 Sa.3.20;—by Solomon on his 
sacrificing at Gibeon, 1 Ki. 3. 15;—at the 
dedication of the temple, 8.65;—by Jero¬ 
boam, 12. 32;—Belshazzar, Da. 5. 1;—by 
Ahasuerus, Es.1.3;—for Esther, 2.18;—by 
Herod on his birth-day, Mar.6.21;—at a 
marriage at Cana, Jn. 2.1;—by Matthew 
to entertain Jesus, Mat.9.9; Lu.5.29. 

-, or religious festivals, among 

the Jews, besides the weekly Sabbath, 
were the new moons, 1 Sa. 20. 5; Ps.81.3; 
Nu.28.11;—the passover or ‘feast of un¬ 
leavened bread/ Ex. 12.3, &c. ;—the pente- 
cost, or ‘ feast of weeks ’ (a week of weeks 
from the seventh day of the passover), lasted 
only one day, Ac.2.1; 20.16;—of trumpets, 
Le.23.24;—of expiation or atonement, 27* 
—of tabernacles, lasted eight days, called 

















THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


also the 'feast of ingathering,’ Ex.23.16; | 
Le. 23. 34, 39-44;—of the seventh, year, or 
year of release , 25. 3, 4;—of the jubilee, 
celebrated at the end of every seven times 
seven years, 8-13;—of dedication, in re¬ 
membrance of the new dedication of the 
temple after it had been profaned by An- 
tiochus Epiphanes, Jn. 10.22;—of Purim, in 
commemoration of the deliverance of the 
Jews from the malice of Haman, Es.3.6,7; 
9.24,32. 

Feathers, the plumes of birds, Le. i.i6;Job 
39.13; Ps.68.13; 9I-4; Da.4.33. 

Feeble, weak, Ge. 30. 42; Ps.38.8; 1 Co. 12. 

22; iTh.5.14; He.12.x2. 

Feign, to dissemble, 2 Sa. 14. 2; 1 Ki.14.5; 
Lu.20.20; 2 Pe.2.3. 

Felix, fe'lix [happy], deputy-governor of 
Judea (a.d. 53). He enticed Drusilla to 
divorce Azizus, king of Emesa, and then 
took her as his own wife;—receives Paul 
as a prisoner, Ac. 23.33;—hears him plead, 
24.10;—trembles when he hears him preach, 
25;—leaves him to Festus, 27. 

Felloes, the pieces that form the circumfer¬ 
ence of a wheel, 1 Ki.7.33. . 

Fellow, used occasionally as an appellation 
of contempt, Ge. 19. 9; Mat. 12. 24; 26. 61; 
Ac. 18.13; 22.22;—-associate or equal, Zee. 
13.7;—companion, Da. 2.13. 

Fellowship of the Saints, with God, 1 Jn. 
1.3; 1 Co.1.9;—with one another, x Jn.1.7. 
See Communion. 

Fenced, protected, Job 10.11; 19.8; Is.5.2; 
Je. 15. 20; Eze. 36. 35;— cities, 2 Ch. 11.10, 
23; 12. 4; Nu. 32.17, 36; Jos.10.20; 19.35; 2 
Ki.3.19. 

Fens, miry places. Job 40.21. 

Ferret, the animal usually known by this 
name is of the weasel family, but that 
mentioned in Le. 11.30 is supposed to have 
been of the lizard species called the gecko. 
Ferry-boat, a boat for passage, 2 Sa.19.18. 
Fervency, heat or ardour of spirit, required 
in serving God, Ro. 12. 11;—in Christian 
charity or love, 1 Pe.4.8. 

Fervent, ardent, Ro.12.11; Ja.5.16; 1 Pe. 
4.8; 2 Pe.3.10. 

Festus, fes'tus [joyful], the governor of 
Judea who succeeded Felix (a.d. 60); hears 
Paul plead, Ac. 25.7;—his account of him 
to Agrippa, 14;—hears him again in the 
presence of Agrippa, 26.1, &c. 

Fetch, to bring, or bear a thing toward or 
to a person, 2 Sa. 9. 5; 11.27; 1 Ki.7.13; 9. 
28; 2 Ki.11.4; 2 Ch.12.11; Je.26.23; Ac.28. 
x 3 - 

Fetters, shackles or chains, for binding 
prisoners and madmen, Ju.16.21; 2 Ki.25. 
7; Mar.5.4. 

Fever, a disease attended with heat, thirst, 
and quick pulse; of Peter’s wife’s mother 
cured by Jesus, Mat.8.14; Mar. 1.31; Lu. 
4.38;—of the father of Publius at Malta by 
Paul, Ac.28.8. 

Fidelity, or strict honesty, required of ser¬ 
vants, Tit. 2.10. 

Field, a piece of ground from which the 
trees have been ‘felled,’ cleared—an open 
tract, Ge.23.11,20; 31.4; Mat.13.24; 27.7. 
Fierce, furious, cruel, Ge.49.7; Mat.8.28; 

2TL3.3; Ja.3.4. 

Fiery Serpents, sent among the Jews, Nu. 
2 x. 6;—trials sometimes the lot of God’s 
people, 1 Pe.4.12. 

Fightings and wars come from men’s lusts, 
Ja.4.1. 

Figs, applied to Hezekiah’s boil, 2 Ki.20.7; 
Is. 38. 21;—Abigail gives 200 cakes of, to 
David, 1 Sa. 25.18;—early, Ca. 2.13; Mi. 
7.1; Is.28.4; H0.9.10. 

Fig-tree, very common in Palestine. It 
becomes large, divided into many branches, 
which are furnished with leaves shaped 
like those of the mulberry. One of its 
peculiarities is that its fruit shoots forth 
before the leaves, and hence a tree with 
leaves and without fruit may be known to 
be barren, Mat. 21. 19; Mar. 11. 13. It 
affords a friendly shade;—parable of, Mat. 
24.32. 

Figures, to represent God not to be made, 
De.4.15,16;—of any kind not to be wor¬ 
shipped, Ex.20.4,5. 

__ t types, or resemblances; Adam 

was one of Christ, Ro. 5.14;—the holy of 
holies, in the Jewish temple, was one of 
heaven, He.9.9,24. 

Fillet, a band for the hair, an astragal, or 
architectural ornament. Ex. 27.10,11; 36. 
38; Je.52.21. 

Filthy, polluted, man as a sinner is, Job 
15.16; Ps.14.3;— our very righteousness is, 

Is. 64.6. 


Finally, in conclusion, 2 Co. 13.11; Ep. 6. | 
10; Phi.3.1; 4.8. 

Finer, a worker in gold and silver, Pr.25. 

4. In Ju. 17. 4 the word is rendered 
‘founder,’ and in Is.41.7 ‘goldsmith.’ 
Finger of God, the visible effect of his 
power, Ex.8.19; 31.18; De.9.10; Lu.11.20. 
Fining-pot, melting-pot or crucible, Pr.17. 

3; 27.21. 

Finish, to complete or end, Lu. 14.28; 9.30; 
Jn.4.34; 5-3 6 : Ac.20.24; Ro.9.28. 

Fire from Heaven, destroys Sodom, &c., 
Ge.19.24;—consumes the sacrifice of Abra¬ 
ham, 15.17;—the victims offered for Aaron 
and the people, Le. 9. 24;—mingled with 
hail in the plagues of Egypt, Ex.9.23;— 
destroys many of the Israelites at Taberah, 
Nu.ii.i, &c.;—two hundred and fifty in 
the rebellion of Korah, 16.35;—of Nadab 
and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, Le.10.2;— 
consumes the sacrifice of Gideon, Ju.6.21; 
—of Manoah, 13.19;—of Elijah at Mount 
Carmel, 1 Ki. 18. 38;—of Solomon at the 
dedication of the temple, 2 Ch. 7.1;—de¬ 
stroys those who were sent to take Elijah, 

2 Ki. 1.10,12;—coals of fire an emblem of 
the fate of Israel, Eze. 10.1;—the world at 
last to be destroyed by, 2 Pe.3.7. 

Firkin, the amphora , a liquid measure 
equal to a bath, containing about 9 gallons, 
Jn.2.6. 

Firmament [the expansion], the visible 
heavens, Ge.1.17,20; Ps.19.1; Da. 12.3. 
First-born, not to be disinherited, De. 21. 
15;—of the Israelites claimed by God, as 
a memorial of the destruction of those of 
the Egyptians, Ex.13.2;—and also of their 
cattle, ii; De.15.19;—to be ransomed, Ex. 
34.20;—of the poor, the most miserable of 
the poor, Is.14.30;—of death, Job 18.13;— 
Christ the ‘First-born of every creature,’ 
Col. 1.15;—a name of honour. Ex.4.22; Je. 
31.9; Ps.89.27. 

First-fruits, the law relating to them, 
Ex. 22.29; 23.19; 34. 26;—the offerings at 
the presentation of them, Nu.28.26;—the 
confession to be made at the time, De.26. 

I, &c. 

Fir-tree, very tall, straight, evergreen, of 
dense foliage, and abounding with a gum 
called rosin, Ps. 104. 17; Is. 41. 19; 55. 13; 
Ho.14.8. 

Fishers, most of the apostles were. Mat. 4. 
18; Mar. 1.16;—wisdom of God in employ¬ 
ing such instruments, 1 Co. 1.26-29. 

Fishes, created, Ge. 1. 20;—one swallows 
Jonah, Jonah 1.17;—a miraculous draught 
of them at the call of Peter, Lu.5.6;—one 
caught to pay the tribute for Jesus and 
Peter, Mat. 17.27;—draught of, when Jesus 
appeared in Galilee after his resurrection, 
Jn.21.6. Fish-market in Jerusalem, Eze. 
47.10; Ne.3.3. Fish-gate, Zee. 14.10. Fish¬ 
hooks, Am.4.2; Job 41.1,2. Fish-pools of 
Heshbon, Ca.7.4. 

Fitches, vetches, or the chick-pea, Is. 25. 
27. In Eze. 4. 9 it is the rendering of a 
different Hebrew word; in the margin 
correctly translated ‘spelt,’ and in Ex.9. 
22 and Is.28.25 incorrectly translated ‘rye.’ 
Flagons, vessels for carrying wine, Is. 22. 
24. In 2 Sa.6.19, Ca.2.5, and Ho.3.1, the 
word means cakes made of grapes. 

Flags, a kind of rushes, or water plants 
with broad leaves; Moses was laid among 
them, Ex. 2. 3, 5. Translated ‘meadow,’ 
Ge.41.2,18. 

Flakes, of flesh; the loose hanging parts, 
or the veins of it. Job 41.23. 

Flattery, false praise, to be guarded 
against, Job 17.5; 32.21; Ps.12.3; Pr.24.24; 
26. 28; 28. 23; 29. 5; Is. 5. 20; 1 Th. 2.5; Da. 

II. 21,32,34. Examples of: woman of Te- 
koah, 2 Sa. 14. 17; —Absalom, 15- 51 — 
Job’s friends, Job 29. 5, 25;—Herodians, 
Lu.20.21;—Tyrians, Ac. 12.22. 

Flax, a well known plant, of the fibre of 
which linen is made. Ex.9.31; Jos.2.6; Pr. 
31.13. 

Fleece, the wool shorn off from a sheep;— 
the dry and wet fleece a sign to Gideon, 
Ju.6.36. 

Flesh, granted to man for food after the 
flood, Ge.9.3. 

-, a term used to denote the corrup¬ 
tion of human nature, Ro.7.25; Ga.5.17;— 
the motions of it tending to sin, Ro.7.5;— 
not to walk after it, but after the Spirit, 8. 
9,12; 13.14;—-the works of it, Ga.5.19;—to 
be abstained from, 1 Pe.2.11; 2 Pe.2.10. 
Flies, swarms of, sent on the Egyptians, 
Ex.8.21; Ps.78.45. 

Flint, or hard rock, water miraculously 
brought from, Nu.20.11; De.8.15; Ps.114. 


8;—a face or forehead like, meaning un- | 
daunted boldness and courage, Is. 50. 7; I 
Eze. 3.9. 

Floats, large pieces of timber fastened to¬ 
gether to convey goods with the stream, 

1 Ki.5.9; 2 Ch.2.16. 

Flock, a company, or drove of sheep or 
goats, distinguished from the herds , which 
consisted of oxen;—attended by Rachel, 
Ge. 29.2, 9;—watched by Jacob, 30.36;— 
though cut off from the fold, Hab.3.17. 
Flood, Ge.7.8;—not to return again, 8.20, 
21; Is. 54.9. See Deluge. 

Flourish, to bud, spring forth, appear 
beautiful, Ps.72.7,16; 92.7,12; Pr.11.28; Is. 

17.11. 

Flowers, were in great variety and abund¬ 
ance in Palestine, yet seldom spoken of 
except in the analogy they afford to the 
transitory life of man, Job 14.2; Ps.103.15; 
Is.28.1; Ja.1.10; x Pe.1.24. 

Flute, a musical pipe well known, Da. 3.5, 

7,10,15;—‘minstrels,’ Mat. 9. 23, 24, were 
players on. 

Fluttering, brooding like young birds, De. 

32.11. 

Flux, a dysentery, Ac.28.8. 

Flying, moving with wings, Le.11.21,23; 
Ps. 148.10; Re.4.7. 

Foaming, casting froth as a raging sea, 
Mar. 9.20; Jude 13;— ‘ foam upon the water,’ 
Ho. 10.7. 

Fodder, hay, straw, Job 6. 5 ;—rendered 
‘corn,’ 24.6; ‘provender,’ Is.30.24. 

Folds, pens for sheep, Nu. 32. 24; Ps. 50.9; 
Je.23.3; Zep.2.6. 

Follow Christ, to do so includes attendance 
on his doctrines, Jn.10.27;—-obedience to 
his commands, 15.14;—imitation of his ex¬ 
ample, 1 Jn.2.6;—renunciation of or mor¬ 
tification to t,he world, Lu. 18.22;—willing¬ 
ness to bear affliction for the sake of Christ, 
Mat. 10. 38; 16. 24;—reliance on his blood 
and Spirit, Ro.3.25,26:8.1,4,14;—persever¬ 
ance to the end of life. Mat. 10.22; Re.2. 
10. 

Folly, want of knowledge or understanding, 
Pr.12.16; 18.2; Ec.5.3. 

-, vice, Ps. 5.5; Pr.i. 7,22; 3. 35; 10.18; 

13.19; 19.1; 26.11; 28.26; Je.4.22; 5.4; Mar. 
7.22; Tit. 3.3. 

Food given for the use of man, Ge. 1.29 ;g. 3. 

-promised to the people of God, Ps. 34. 

9.io; 37.3; 111.5; T32.15; Is.33.15,16; 65.13; 
Mat. 6.33. 

Fool, a person void of understanding, Pr. 
10.8; 12.23;—used to signify one who is a 
reprobate wretch. Mat. 5.22;—often means 
a wicked or atheistical person, Ps.14.1; 53. 
1; Pr.10.23; 26.10;—some of the character¬ 
istics of a fool: disregard of instruction, Pr. 
1. 7; 15. 5;—self-confidenqe, 14. 16; 22. 3;— 
self-sufficiency, 12. 15;—love of mischief, 
10.23;—officious, or meddling, 20.3;—con¬ 
tentious, 18.6;—incorrigible, 26.11; 27.22. 
Foolishness, the gospel, which publishes 
eternal life through a crucified Saviour, 
thus accounted by the Greeks, 1 Co. 1.18, 
21,23;— spiritual things appear so to unre¬ 
newed men, 2.14;—the wisdom of the world 
is thus accounted by God, 3.19. 

Footstool, one of gold made for Solomon’s 
throne, 2 Ch.9.18;—the earth is God’s, Is. 
66. 1; Mat. 5. 35;—the ark, 1 Ch. 28. 2; Ps. 

99 - 5 . . , , . 

Forbearance, patiently bearing provoca¬ 
tion or offence, recommended, Mat. 18.26; 

1 Co. 13.4,7; Ep.4.2; Col. 3.12; 1 Th.5.14. 

-- of God to men, Ps.50.21; Ec. 

8.11; Ro.2.4; 2 Pe.3.9,15. 

Forbidding, hindering by word or deed, 
Lu.23.2; Ac.28.31; 1 Th.2.16. 

Forced, compelled, violated, Ju.1.34; 20.5; 

2 Sa. 13.14,22. 

Ford, passage, of Jordan, Jos. 2.7;—Jabbok, 
Ge. 32. 22;—Arnon, Is. 16. 2;—Euphrates, 
Je.51.32. 

Forecast, to calculate or plan beforehand, 
Da. 11.24,25. 

Forehead, the upper part of the face, Ex. 

28.38; Le.13.41; Re. 14.9; 17.5. 

Foreigner, one born in, and who has come 
from another country, Ex.12.45; De.15.3; 
Ob.xi; Ep.2.19. 

Foreknowledge of God, or his eternal ac¬ 
quaintance with all things, asserted, Ge. 
18.18; 1 Ki. 22. 22; Ac. 2.23; 4.28; Ro.8.29; 
2 Ti.1.9; 1 Pe. 1.2,20. 

Foreordain, to fix or appoint beforehand, 
1 Pe.1.20. 

Forerunner, a harbinger, one sent before; 

Christ is so called, He.6.20. 

Foreskin, cut off in circumcision, Ge. 17. 
11,14; Ex.4.25. Hill of a place near Gil- 


(Fe-Fo) 603 

gal where the Israelites were circumcised 
before entering Canaan, Jos.5.3. 

Forest, a woody and uncultivated tract of 
ground; Solomon built the house of the, x 
Ki.7.2;—Asaph keeper of the king’s, Ne.2. 

8;—of the south, an emblem of the state of 
Israel, Eze.20.45;—of cedars on Lebanon, 
2Ki.19.23; Ho.14.5,6;—of Carmel, Is. 37. 
24;—in Arabia, 21.13. 

Forfeited, lost or alienated by fault or 

crime, Ezr.10.8. 

Forgetfulness of God and our Duty, 

dangerous, De. 4.9; 6.12; 8.11; 2 Ki.17.38; 
Ps. 44.17,20; Pr.3.1; Ja.1.25;—punishment 
of, De. 8.19; 1 Sa. 12.9; Ps. 9.17; Je.18.15- 
17; Ho. 8.14. 

Forgetfulness of Favours, censured, Ec. 
9.15;—of Pharaoh’s butler to Joseph, Ge. 
40.23; 41.9. 

Forgiveness of Sin, a blessing which God 
only can bestow, Is. 43. 25; 55. 7; Da. 9. 9; 
Mi. 7. 18, 19; Mar. 2. 7; Lu. 5. 21;—given 
through Christ, Ac.5.31; 13.38; 2 Co.5.19; 
Ep. 1. 7:4. 32;—includes all sin, even the 
most aggravated, Je.33.8; Is.1.18; Eze.18. 
22; 33.16; Mat. 12. 31; Mar. 3.28; Col.2.13; 
—is freely conferred on the sinner. Is.43. 
25;Re.22.i7;—is irreversible, R0.8.1,33)34; 
—is promised to all who repent, and believe 
on Christ, Ex. 34. 6; 2 Ch. 7.14; Ps. 32. 1; 
103.3; 130.4; Pr.28.13; Is.x.18; 55.7; Je.31. 
34; Da. 9. 9, 24; Mar.1.4; Lu.1.77; 3.3; 24. 
47; Ac. 2.38; 5. 31; 8.22; 10.43; 13.38; Ro. 3. 
25; Col.1.14; He.8.12: Ja.5.15; 1 Jn.2.12; — 
procured alone by Christ’s blood or sacri¬ 
fice, Mat.26.28; Ep.1.7;Tit.2.14; He.9 14, 
22; 1 Jn.1.7; Re.1. 5;—to be sought with 
the whole heart, De. 4. 29; 1 Ch. 28. 9; Ps. 
1x9.2; Je.29.x3; 1 Th.5.17. 

Forgiveness of Injuries, commanded, Pr. 
x9.11; Mat.6.15; 18.21; Mar.11.25; Lu.6.36; 
17.4; Ep.4 32; Col.3.13; Ja.2.13. 
Forgiveness, examples of: in Christ to his 
crucifiers, Lu. 23. 34;—in Stephen to his 
murderers, Ac. 7. 60;—in Joseph to his 
brethren, Ge.50.20,21;—in David, 1 Sa.24. 

7; 2 Sa. 19.18-23;—m Paul, 2 Ti. 4. 16. 
Forms and Patterns of prayer and thanks¬ 
giving appointed, Ex.15.1,20; Nu.6.22; 10. 
35; De.21.8; 26.3,5,13,15; 31.19; Ne.12.46; 
Mat.6.9; Lu.ii.1,2. 

Fornication, forbidden to the Israelites, 
Le.19.29; De.23.17;—a law concerning it, 
De. 22.28;—censured in general, Pr.2.16; 
5.3; 6. 25; 7 6; 22.14; 23.27; 29. 3: 31.3; Ec. 
7.26; Ho. 4.11; Mat.15.19; Mar. 7. 21; Ac. 
15. 20; Ro. 1.29; 1 Co. 5.9; 6.9,13,15; 2 Co. 
12.21; Ga. 5.19; Ep.5.3,5; 1 Th.4.3; 1 Ti. 1. 
10; He.12.16; 13.4; Re.2.14,20; 21.8; 22.15. 
See Whoredom. 

-, motives to avoid it, Pr.2.16; 

5.3; 6. 24; 7.5; 9.18; 29.3; H0.4.10; 1 C0.6. 
18; Ep. 5.5; Col.3.5; He. 13.4; Jude 7; Re. 
21.8; 22.15. 

-, laws relating to it, Ex.22.x6; 

Le. 19.20;—the price of it not to be given 
to the sanctuary, De.23.18. 

-of Judah, Ge. 38. 2, 15;—of 

Zimri and Cozbi, Nu. 25. 6;—of Samson, 
Ju. 16.1, &c. 

-, signifying whoredom of mar¬ 
ried persons, Mat. 5.32; 19.9. 

.-, the sin of idolatry, 2O1.21. 

ii; Eze. 16.29. 

Forsake, God will not, his own people, Ps. 
94.14; He. 13.5;—when he does, in appear¬ 
ance, it is only for a short time, Is. 54.7,8; 
49.14-1&; Ne.9.31. 

Forsaking the assemblies of the saints, 
condemned, He.10.25. 

Forsaking God, involved in forsaking his 
ordinances, 2 Ch. 29. 6;—in forsaking his 
covenant, De.29.25; 1 Ki. 19.10; Je.22.9;— 
in trusting in man, Je.17-5;— prosperity a 
temptation to, De.32.15; Pr.30.8,9; Ne.9^ 
25, 26; Ho. 13. 6;—entails severe punish¬ 
ment, De.28.20; 29.24,25; Ps. 89.30-32; Is. 
1.28; Je.2.19; Ho.4.6. 

Forswear, to break an oath or vow, for* 
bidden, Mat.5.33. 

Forthwith, speedily, without delay, Ezr. 
6.8; Mat.13.5; Mar. 1.29; Ac.9.18. 
Fortress, a stronghold, or place of protec¬ 
tion; the Lord is to his children, Ps.18.2; 
313; 7 i- 3 ; 9 1 - 2 : I 44 - 2 ; Je.16.19. 
Fortunatus, for-tu-nf/tus [prosperous], a 
disciple of Corinth, a friend of Paul, 1 Co. 
16.17. 

Forwardness, alacrity, the utmost willing¬ 
ness, 2 Co. 9.2. 

Found, what is so to be restored, Le.6.3. 
Foundation, Christ is, on which we arc re¬ 
quired to build our faith, and hopes of sal¬ 
vation, Is. 28.16: 1 Co.3.11; Mat. x6.18; Ac. 




















THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


G04 (Fo—Qe) 

4.12;—‘the foundation of the apostles and 
prophets,’ «Ep. 2.20, refers to the doctrines 
they taught, and these rest on Jesus, ‘the 
chief corner-stone;’—the immutable decree 
of God, so called, 2X1.2.19. 

Founder, one who casts figures of melted 
metal, by pouring it into moulds, Ju.17.4; 
Je.6.29; 10.9,14. 

Fountain, spring of water, Ge.16.7;—per¬ 
petual, valued greatly, Ps.36.7,9; Is.49.10; 
Je.2.13;—used to denote children, De.33. 
28; Pr.5 16;—opened for sin, Zec.13.1. 
Fowler, one who catches fowls, Ps. 91. 3; 
Pr.6.5; Ho.9.8. 

Fowls, when created, Ge. 1.20. 

Fox, a wild animal of the dog kind, remark¬ 
able for its cunning, Ju.15.4; La.5.18; Eze. 
13. 4; Mat. 8. 20;—Herod, the tetrarch of 
Galilee, so called, on account of his crafti¬ 
ness, Lu. 13.32. Some think that this word 
is jackal, an animal very common in 
Palestine and Asia Minor. 

Fragments, broken pieces of meat, not to 
be lost, Mat. 14.20; Jn.6.12. 

Frail, easy to be broken or destroyed; man 
is, Ps.39.4. 

Frame, form, construction, Ps.103.14; Eze. 
40.2. 

Frankincense, a sweet-smelling gum, an¬ 
ciently burned in temples, now used in 
medicine, Ex. 30. 34; Le. 2. 1; Mat. 2. 11. 
Called ‘ frank,’ because of the freeness 
with which it burns and emits its odours. 
Fraud. See Deceit. 

Fray, frighten, De.28.26; Je.7.33; Zee. 1 21. 
Freckled, full of s; ots, Le. 13.39. 

Freedom, true, Jn.8.36; Ro. 6. 16; 2 Pe. 2. 
19 - 

Fret, to vex, 1 Sa.1.6; Ps.37.1; Is.8.21. 
Friend, Christ is a sincere, Jn. 15. 9;—con¬ 
stant, 13. 1disinterested, Ro. 5. 6-8;— 
honourable, Phi. 2. 9;—almighty, 3.21;— 
everywhere present, Mat.28.20;—everlast¬ 
ing, He. 13.8. 

Friends, the value of them, Pr. 17. 17; 18. 
24:27.9,17;—how separated, 17.9;—danger 
from unfaithful onfes, Ps.55.12; Pr.25.19;— 
examples of such; of Jael to Sisera, Ju. 4. 
18;—of Delilah to Samson, 16.4, &c.;—of 
Ruth to Naomi, Ru. 1. 16, 17;—of Joab to 
Abner, 283.3.27;—to Amasa, 20.9;—of the 
friends of David, Ps. 38.11:41.9;—of Judas 
to Jesus, Mat.26.48. 

-, examples of sincere and steadfast: 

Jonathan and David, 2Sa. 1.26,—Barzillai 
and David, 17. 27; i9.‘32; 1 Ki.2.7:—Paul 
and Titus, 2 Co. 2.13;—Paul and Timothy, 
2 Ti.1.2. 

Fringes, hems or borders on garments. 
Mat. 9. 20; 14.36;—laws concerning them, 
Nu. 15.37; De.22.12. 

Frogs, one of the plagues inflicted on 
Egypt, Ex.8.2;—mentioned in the visions 
of John, Re. 16.13. 

Frontlets. This word occurs only in Ex. 13. 
16; De.6.8; 11.18; and the meaning of the 
injunction there is, that they should keep 
the statutes of God distinctly in view. 
But soon after the return from Babylon 
the Jews gave these commands as to 
‘frontlets’ a literal interpretation, and had 
portions of the law written on pieces of 
parchment, and worn as badges about 
their persons. The passages thus written 
were these four; Ex. 13. 2-10, 11-21; De. 
6.4-9; ii-18-21. These strips of parchment 
were rolled up and put into a small case, 
which they bound to the centre of their 
foreheads. See Phylacteries. 

Frost, notwithstanding the heat of the day 
in the Holy Land, is often severe at night, 
Ge. 31.40; Job 37.10; Ps.147.16. 

Frugality, thrift or careful sparing, recom¬ 
mended, Pr.18.9; Jn.6.12. 

Fruits, of the Spirit, or gracious habits 
produced in believers, mentioned, Ga.5.22, 
23;—meet for repentance. Mat. 3. 8;—of 
righteousness, Phi.i.n. 

Frustrate, to defeat or make void; men 
hired to, Ezr.4.5;—the apostle Paul did 
not, the grace of God, Ga.2.21. 

Fuel, aliment for fire, Is.9.5,19; Eze.15.4; 
21.32. 

Fugitive, a runaway or deserter, Ge.4.i2- 
Ju.12.4. 

Fulfilled, the Old Testament prophecies 
concerning Christ were. Mat. 1.22; 2.15; 8. 
17; 12. 17; 13. 35; 21. 4; 27. 35. See Pro¬ 
phecy, 

Fuller, one who cleanses and dresses cloth, 

2 Ki. 18.17; Is.7.3: 36.2; Mai.3.2; Mar.9.3.' 
Fulness of Christ, the abundance of grace 
with which he was filled, Jn. t. 16;—the 
Church is also called the fulness 0/ Christ, 


! because it makes him a complete or per¬ 
fect Head. He is not a Mediator full and 
complete without his mystical body, Ep. 1. 
23 - 

Fulness of the Godhead bodily, substan¬ 
tially, or fulness of perfections essential to 
God, Col. 2.9. 

Fulness of Time, the period fixed for 
Christ’s advent, Ga.4.4; Ep. 1.10. 
Furbished, burnished or polished, Eze. 21. 

9,11,28. 

Furlong, a Greek measure of distance, a 
stadium, equal to 606^ feet, or about one- 
ninth of an English mile, Lu.24.13; Jn.6. 
19; 11.18. 

Furnace, sharp and grievous afflictions, 
Eze. 22.18,20,22;—a place where a vehe¬ 
ment fire may be excited, Da.3.6,11,15,19; 
—hell, Mat. 13.42,50. 

Furnish, to supply, De. 15.14; Ps.78.19; Is. 
65.11; Je.46.19. 

Furrows, a long opening of the ground 
with a plough, Job 31.38; Ps.65.10; 129.3; 
Eze. 17.7,10; Ho. 10.4,10. 

Further, to a greater distance, any more, 
Nu. 22. 26; De.20.8; Job 38.11; 40. 5; Mat. 
26.39,65. 

Fury, rage, Ge.27.44; Da.3.15;—the judg¬ 
ments of God, Job2o.23; Is.59.18; Je.36.7. 
Future State mentioned, or alluded to, in 
the Old Testament, Job 21. 30; 19. 25; Ps. 
9.17; 16.11; 17.15; Pr.14.32; Ec.3.17; 11.9; 
Da. 12.13. 

-, no marriages in it, Lu. 20. 

34;—our bodies changed in it, 1 Co. 15.42, 
51, &c.;—the happiness of it, Re.7.15,21. 
See Heaven. 


G. 


Gaal, g.Yal [contempt], the son of Ebed, 
conspires against Abimelech, Ju. 9. 22;— 
defeated by him, 34. 

Gaash, ga'ash [a tumult], a hill of Ephraim; 
here Joshua was buried, Jos.24.30;—men¬ 
tion is made of the ‘ brooks of Gaash,’ 2 Sa. 
23.30; i.e. valleys or water-courses. 
Gabbatha, gab'ba-tha [high, elevated], the 
Hebrew name of the judgment-seat in 
Pilate’s palace, whence he pronounced 
sentence of death on Christ, Jn. 19. 13;— 
called in Greek by a word rendered * pave¬ 
ment.’ 

Gabriel, g’/bri-el [God is my strength], an 
archangel, appears to Daniel, Da. 8. 16 ; g. 
21;—to Zacharias, Lu.1.19;—to the Virgin 
Mary, 26. 

Gad [a troop], (1) The seventh of Jacob’s 
sons, the first-born of Zilpah, Ge. 30.11;— 
had seven sons, 46.16;—his descendants, 
1 Ch. 5. 11;—his inheritance, Jos. 13. 24;— 
Moses’ blessing on, De.33.22.—(2) A pro¬ 
phet who adhered to David under the 
persecutions of Saul, 1 Sa. 22.5;—sent by 
God to David, to propound to him the 
choice of one of three plagues, for proudly 
numbering the people, 2 Sa 24.11;—wrote 
a history of David’s life, 1 Ch.29.29. 
Gadara, gad'a-ra, one of the ten cities 
called Decapolis, the metropolis of Peraea, 
about six miles from the Sea of Tiberias, 
where Christ permitted the devils he had 
ejected to destroy a herd of swine, Lu. 8. 
26-37. Ds ruins are called Um-Keis. 
Gadarenes, gad-a-reens', inhabitants of 
Gadara, Mar.5.1; Lu.8.26,37. 

Gaddest, ramblest about, Je.2.36. 

Gaddi, gad'dy [my army], one of the men 
sent by Moses to spy the land of Canaan, 
Nu. 13.11. 

Gaddiel, gad'di-el [fortune sent by God], 
of the tribe of Zebulon, which he repre¬ 
sented as one of the twelve ‘spies,’ Nu. 13. 
10. 

Gadites, gad ' ites, descendants of Gad the 
patriarch, De.3.12; Jos.22.1. 

Gain, unjust, will not profit, Pr.10.2; 28.8. 
Gainsaying, contradicting, speaking 
against, Lu.21.15; Ac. 10.29; Ro. 10.21; Tit 
i- 9 - 

Gaius, ga'yus [earthly], (LA noted Chris¬ 
tian at Corinth, in whose house the disci¬ 
ples were wont to assemble; was baptized 
by Paul, Ro.16.23; 1 Co. 1. 14.—(2) A Ma¬ 
cedonian who accompanied Paul to Ephe¬ 
sus, Ac. 10.29.—(3) A Christian to whom 
John addressed his third epistle (a.d. 92). 
Galatia, ga-la'shi-a. The Galatians were of 
Celtic origin. After various wanderings 
they crossed over into Asia Minor, and 


(about b.c. 280) settled in that part of 
Phrygia which was afterwards called Ga¬ 
latia, or Gallo-Graecia. About b.c. 26 they 
were conquered by the Romans, and their 
country was made a Roman province, and 
together with Lycaonia placed under a 
Roman governor. Here Paul preached 
the gospel and planted churches ;about 
a.d. 53), Ac. 16.6:18.23;—to these churches 
he wrote his epistle to the Galatians, Ga. 
1.2. About 266 years after Christ it was 
overrun by the Goths, and afterwards be¬ 
came a province of'Turkey. It is'now 
called Nato^ia. 

Galbanum, a resinous gum, an ingredient 
in the sacred incense. Ex. 30.34. 

Galeed, gal'e-ed [heap of witness], a place 
so called by Jacob, Ge.31.47,48. 

Galileans, Lu. 13.1, a sect among the Jews, 
related to the Pharisees in their religious 
views, but differing from them in their 
political opinions. The party was origin¬ 
ated by Judas of Galilee, who in ‘the days 
of the taxing’ taught that all foreign do¬ 
mination was unscriptural. The Pharisees 
attempted to identify our Lord and his 
disciples with this sect, applying this name 
to them as a term of reproach, Jn.7.41,52; 
Mat. 26.69; Mar. 14.70; Lu.22.59. 

Galilee, gal'e-lee [a circle, circuit], a large 
and fertile territory in the north of Canaan, 
twenty cities of which Solomon gave to 
Hiram, 1 Ki. 9. 11;—the upper part was 
called Galilee of the Gentiles, from its con¬ 
taining many Gentile inhabitants; their 
dialect was corrupted, and hence Peter 
was detected by his speech, Mar. 14. 70;— 
here Christ dwelt from his youth, Mat. 2. 
22, 23;—from it he came to John the Bap¬ 
tist, 3.13;—here he preached and perform¬ 
ed miracles, 4. 23, 24;—here he met with 
his followers after his resurrection, 28. 7; 
Mar. 16.7;—churches in, Ac.9.31. 

- (Sea of), Mat.4.18; is.29;Mar.i. 

16. See Gennesareth. 

Gall, a bitter herb or root, perhaps hem¬ 
lock, De.29.18; 32.32; H0.10.4; Mat.27.34; 
—anything bitter,pernicious,or distressing, 
Je.8.14; La. 3. 5, 19;—an unrenewed state, 
Ac. 8.23;—also an animal fluid secreted by 
the liver, Ps.69.21; Job 16.13; 20.14,25. 
Gallant, brave, Is.33.21. 

Galleries, upper rooms, or passages and 
seats above stairs, Eze.41.15; 42.3. 

Galley, a ship rowed with oars. Is. 33.21. 
Gallira, gallim [heaps], a little village of 
Benjamin, about 4 miles north of Jerusa¬ 
lem, 1 Sa. 25.44; Is. 10.30. 

Gallio, gal'li'-o, the proconsul of Achaia 
( A -D. 53), and brother of Seneca, the cele¬ 
brated moralist, the Roman governor at 
Corinth, Ac. 18.12;—did not concern him¬ 
self with the controversies between the re¬ 
ligious parties existing around him, 17. 
Gallows, a gibbet, for executing a male¬ 
factor, £5.6.4:7.10:9.13. In Ge.40.19 and 
De.21.22,23, the word is rendered ‘tree.’ 
Gamaliel, ga-ma'le-el [recompense of God], 
a celebrated Pharisee, and rabbi or doctor 
of the law; his advice respecting the 
apostles, Ac. 3.34;—Paul’s tutor, 22.3. 
Gammadims, gam'ma-dims [cubit-high 
men, pigmies; others render the word, 
short - swords men, watchmen], soldiers 
placed in the towers of Tyre, Eze. 27.11. 
Gamul, ga'mul [weaned], one of the priest¬ 
hood in David’s reign, 1 Ch.24.17. 

Gaped, stared, Job 16.10; Ps.22.13. 

Garden, Ge.2i.33;Nu.24.6; Is. 1.8;—church 
likened to, Ca.4.12; Is.58.11. 

Garlands, a kind of crowns, placed on the 
head of animals to be sacrificed, Ac. 14.13. 
Garlick, a well-known plant, much used in 
Egypt, Nu.11.5;—now known by the name 
of shalot or eschalot ( Allium escalonium). 
Garment, any covering for the body, Ge. 
9.23; 25.25; Ps.69.11; 102.26; Mat.9.16,20; 
Re. 1.13. See Clothes. 

Garner, the old form of the word granary, 
a storehouse or barn for corn, Ps.144.13; 
Joel 1.17; Mat.3.12; Lu.3.17. 

Garnish, to adorn, 2 Ch. 3. 6; Job 26. 13; 
Mat.12.44; Re.2i.19. 

Garrison, a place of defence, 1 Sa. 13.23;— 
a band of soldiers, 2 Co. 11.32. 

Gate, the entrance into a city, house, &c., 
Ju.16.3;—to heaven strait, and that of de¬ 
struction broad, Mat. 7. 13;—of a city, a 
place of judicial proceedings, De. 17. 5; 
Am.5.10; 12.15. 

Gath [a wine-press], one of the five cities 
of the Philistines, the birthplace of Goliath, 

1 Sa. 17.4;—David conquered it, 2 Sa. 8.1; 
—Uzziah brake down its walls, 2 Ch.26.6; 


—Anakims were the ancient inhabitants of, 
Jos. 11. 22. It has been identified with 
Telles-safieh, a hill 10 miles east of Ashdod. 
Gather, to collect, Ge.31.46; 41.35; Mat.3. 
12; 6. 26; Jn. 6. 12;—used aiso to denote 
man’s death or burial, Ju.2.10; 2 Ki.22.20; 
Ge. 49.29,33. 

Gath-hepher, gath-he'fer [the wine-press 
of the well], a city of Galilee, the birth¬ 
place of the prophet Jonah, Jos.19.13; 2 
Ki. 14. 25;—called Gittah-hepher, Jos. 19. 

I3 ‘ . 

Gath-Rimmon, gath-rim'mon [the wine¬ 
press of the pomegranate], (1) A city in 
Dan, Jos. 19.45.—(2) Another in the half¬ 
tribe of Manasseh, Jos. 21. 25; — called 
Bileam, 1 Ch.6.70. 

Gaza, ga'zah [strong], ‘the capital and 
stronghold of the Philistines, situated to¬ 
wards the southern extremity of Canaan, 
and about sixty miles south-west of Jeru¬ 
salem; was an important city before the 
time of Abraham, Ge.x.;—was inhabited 
by the Avims, De.2.23, and Anakims, Jos. 
11.22;—taken by the tribe of Judah, Ju.i. 
18;—Samson carried away the gates of, 
16.1,3;—here he was confined, 21;—Philip 
the evangelist goes towards it, Ac. 8. 26. 
Its modern name is Gluizzeh, containing 
about 1500 inhabitants. 

Gazing, looking earnestly, Na.3.6;Ac. i.ii; 
He. 10.33. 

Geba, ge'bah fa hill], a city of the tribe of 
Benjamin, given to the priests, Jos.21.17. 
Identified with the village of jeba, about 
six miles north of Jerusalem. 

Gebal, ge'bal [mountain], a city or district 
on the north of Canaan, within the terri¬ 
tories of Phoenicia, where the Giblites 
dwelt, famous as stone-hewers and ship- 
calkers, Eze. 27. 9; Jos. 13. 5; 1 Ki. 5. 18. 
Now called Jebeil. 

Gebim, ge'bim [the ditches], a place near 
Jerusalem, mentioned only in Is. 10.31. 
Gedaliah, ged-a-ll'ah [made great by 
Jehovah], son of Ahikam, made governor 
of the Jews who were left by Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar, Je.40.7;—murdered, 41.2. 

Geder, ge'der, or Gezer [a wall], one of the 
thirty-one ancient royal towns of the 
Canaanites whose kings were defeated by 
Joshua, Jos. 12.13;—may be identified with 
Gedor, 15.58;—and Beth-Geder, 1 Ch.2.57. 
Gederah, ge-de'rah [the sheepfold], a city 
of Judah, Jos. 15.36. 

Gederoth, ged-e'roth [sheepfolds], a town 
in the ‘valley’ of Judah, Jos.15.41;—taken 
by the Philistines, 2 Ch.28.18. 

Gehazi, ge-ha'zT [valley of vision], the ser¬ 
vant of the prophet Elisha, made a leper 
for his falsehood and deceit, 2 Ki.5.27. 
Geliloth, gel'V-loth [circles, circuits], a city 
of Benjamin, Jos. 18. 17;—called Gilgal, 
* 5 - 7 - 

Gemariah, gem-a-ri'ah [whom Jehovah 
has made perfect], (1) Son of Hilkiah, sent 
by Zedekiah to Babylon with tribute- 
money for Nebuchadnezzar;—took charge 
of Jeremiah’s letter, Je.29.3.—(2) Son of 
Shaphan, a scribe in the time of Jehoia- 
kim, Je.36.11-20. 

Gender, to get, or breed with young, Le. 
19.19;—to produce or give rise to, 2Ti.2. 
23; Job 38.29; Ga.4.24. 

Genealogies, lists or records of ancestors;— 
preserved with extraordinary care, Ezr.2. 
62; He. 7.3;—origin of that of Israel and 
Judah, 1 Ch 9.1. &c.;—of David, Ru.4.18; 
—of Jesus, Mat. 1.1, &c.; Lu. 3. 23, &c.;— 
cautions to guard against foolish questions 
about, iTi.1.4; Tit.3.9. 

General, common, He. 12. 23:—a com¬ 
mander, 1 Ch. 27.34. 

Generosity, or liberality, recommended, 
De.15.7; Pr. 11.24; 18.16; 19.6; 21.26; 2 Co. 

9- T -—of Israel to the captives of Judah, 

2 Ch.28.15;—of Johanan to Gedaliah, Je. 

40.13-. 

Genesis [beginning], the first book of the 
Holy Scriptures, including the history of 
the world, from the creation to the death 
of Joseph, during about twenty-four gen¬ 
erations, or 2369 years. 

Gennesareth, ge-nSs'a-reth (Sea of), a 
lake in the Holy Land, about 14 miles long 
and 7 broad in the widest part. Its surface 
is 653 feet below the level of the Mediter¬ 
ranean ;—called by Moses the Sea of Chin- 
nereth, Nu. 34.11;—the New Testament 
writers call it the Sea of Galilee, Mat. 4. 
18; 15.29; Mar.1.16;—the Sea of Tiberias, 
Jn.6.1,23;—and the Sea of Gennesareth, 
Lu. 5. 1;—on this lake Christ calmed the 
storm, Mat.8.26: Mar.4.39; Lu.8.24;—here 















THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT (Qe— Go) 605 


his disciples were accustomed to fish, Lu. | 
5.4-1V; Jn.21.3-n. 

Oenne&hreth Land of), Mat. 14.34; Mar. 
6.54;—a district on the west shore of the 
lake, near Capernaum, Jn.6.15-25. 
Gentiles, all nations beside the Jews, their 
heathen state, Ro. 1.21; 2.14; 1 Co. 12. 2; 
Ep.2 1,12; 4.17;—intimations of their ad¬ 
mission to the blessings of the gospel, Is. 
42.1; 49.6,22; 60.2; 65.1; Je.16.19; Ho.2.23; 
Joel 2.32; Mi.4.1; Zep.3.9; Mal.i.n; Mat. 
8.11; Lu. 2. 32; 3.6; 24.47; Jn.10.16; Ac.xo. 
15;—the terms of their admission, Ac. 8. 
37; — proper members of the Christian 
church, Ep.2.19, &c.;—should respect the 
Jewish converts, Ro.it.i8. 

•Gentle, meek, quiet, and mild, the servants 
of the Lord required to be, 2 Ti.2.24; Lit. 
3.2;—the apostles were, iTh. 2. 7;—the 
wisdom that is from above is, Ja. 3.17;— 
gentleness a fruit of the Spirit, Ga.5.22;— 
exemplified by Christ, 2 Co. 10.1. 
-Genubath, gen'u-bath, or ge'nu-bath, son 
. of Hadad, an Edomite, born in the palace 
of Pharaoh, 1 Ki. 11.20. 

■Gerah. [a berry], the smallest weight, and 
also the smallest coin among the Hebrews, 
=., gth part of a shekel, Ex. 30. 13; Le. 
27.25. 

Gerar, ge'rar [lodging-place], the seat of 
the first Philistine kingdom, Ge. 10.19;— 
here Abraham sojourned, 20.1;—and also 
Isaac, 26.6. 

Gergesenes, ger-ge-seens', orGADARENES, 
the inhabitants of the region round Ger- 
gesa, a city on the eastern shore of the 
Sea of Galilee. The country might thus be 
called either that of the Gadarenes or of 
the Gergesenes, Mat.8.28; Mar.5.1;—near 
this place Christ cured two demoniacs, Lu. 
8.26-36. 

'Gerizim, ger'e-zim, a mountain of Samaria, 
near Shechem, on which the Samaritans 
erected their temple, in opposition to that 
at Jerusalem, De. 11.29;—referred to by 
the woman of Samaria, Jn.4.20;—from it 
and Mount Ebal the blessings and curses 
to be pronounced, De.27.11; Jos.8.33. 
Gershom, ger'shom [stranger], the name of 
Moses’ first-born son, Ex.2.22; 18.4. 
Gershon, ger'shon, the eldest son of Levi, 
Ge. 46. 11; called also Gershom, 1 Ch. 6. 
16,17. 

Geshem, ge'shem, an Arabian who opposed 
Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls of Jeru¬ 
salem, Ne.6.1,2; the same as Gashmu in 
ver. 6. 

Geshur, ge'shur [a bridge], a small princi¬ 
pality of Syria in Bashan, the king’s 
daughter of which David married, by 
whom he had Absalom, 2 Sa. 3. 3;—hither 
he fled after he had killed his brother, and 
remained in it three years, 13.37.38- 
Gethsemane, geth-sem'a-ne [oil-press or 
garden], in Jn. 18.1 called ‘a garden,’ in 
Mat.26.36 ‘a place,’ was a retired spot on 
the west of the Mount of Olives, and in 
the vicinity of Jerusalem. Here our 
Saviour on the night before his crucifixion 
endured his agony, and was betrayed and 
apprehended, Mat.26.36; Mar. 14.32;—was 
often resorted to by Jesus with his dis¬ 
ciples, Jn. 18.1, 2. The garden consists of 
a small plot of ground, with a low in¬ 
closure of stones. There stand in it eight 
venerable-looking olives, which seem as if 
they might have remained from time im¬ 
memorial. 

Gezer, ge'zer [a place, a precipice], a 
Canaanitish royal city, the king of which 
was slain by Joshua, Jos. 10.33;—taken by 
Pharaoh, and given to Solomon, 1 Ki. 9. 
16;—probably identical with the modern 
Um-Rush on the Jaffa road. 

Ghost Holy), or Holy Spirit, his names 
and characters: Spirit of God, Ge. 1.2; Mat. 
3.16;—Spirit of the Father, Mat. 10.20;— 
Spirit of Christ, 1 Pe. 1.11;—Spirit of grace, 
He.10.29;—Spirit of holiness, Ro. 1.3;— 
Spirit of truth, Jn. 14.17;—the Comforter, 
14.26; 15.26. 

._ f his personality in the God¬ 

head appears, from his being joined with 
the Father and the Son in baptism and the 
apostolic benediction, Mat.28.19; 2 C0.13. 
14; -from personal affections ascribed to 
him, Ep. 4. 30; Ro. 15. 30;—personal ac¬ 
tions; such as coming, testifying, receiv¬ 
ing, showing, teaching, hearing, speaking, 
sending, forbidding, not suffering, helping, 
&c., Jn.14.16,26; 15. 26; 16. 7-14; Ac.13. 2, 
4; 16. 6. 7; Ro. 8. 26;—personal honours , 
Mat.28.19; 2 Co.13.14. 

___ his supreme Godhead, as 


equal with the Father and the Son, appears | 
from his being called God, Ac.5.3,4;—the 
Lord, or Jehovah, 28. 25, compared with 
Is. 6.8,9; He. 3. 7,9, with Ex. 17.7; He. 10. 

15 > 16, with J e. 31.31,34;—from the essentia l 
perfections of God ascribed to him; such 
as eternal existence, He. 9. 14;— omni- 
science, 1 Co. 2.9-1 i;— omnipresence, Ps. 
x 39-7“ 12 ; 1 Co.3.16;— omnipotence,! C0.12. 
4-u;— works competent to God only were 
performed by him; such as creating agency 
in forming the body of Christ, Lu.1.35;— 
anointing n\\A qualifying him for his work, 
4.18;— raising him from the dead, R0.8.11; 
—effectually convincing men of their sins, 
Jn. 16. 8; — savingly enlightening their 
minds, 1 Co. 2. 10; — regenerating their 
souls, J11. 3. 5, 6; — sanctifying their natures, 

1 Co.6.11 ;—endowing them with Christian 
graces, Ga.5.22,23 ;—sealing them to eter¬ 
nal life, Ep.4.30;— reT'ealing future events, 
Lu.2.26 ;—inspiring the prophets, 2 Pe. 1. 
21;—- communicating supernatural gifts, 

1 C0.12.1—11. 

Ghost | Holy), in his official work, in the 
economy of grace, he comes forth, or pro¬ 
ceeds from the Father and the Son, Jn.14. 
26:15.26; 16.7; Ga.4.6;—is promised to men, 
Is.44.3; Eze. 11.19:36.26; Joel 2.28; Mat.3. 

11; —by Jesus, Jn. 14.16,26; 15.26; 16.7;— 
is ready to direct all Christians, Ro.8.9,13, 
16; 2 Co. 1. 22; Ga. 4. 6;—his influence dis¬ 
tinct from that of the Word, J11.6.45,64,65; 

1 Th. 1.5,6;—necessary to the reception of 
the truth, Ep. 1.17;—imparts the love of 
God to believers, Ro.5.3-5;— dwells in be¬ 
lievers, Jn. 14.17;—directs where the gospel 
should be preached, Ac. 16.6,7;—appoints 
and superintends ministers in the church, 
Ac. 13.2,4; 20.28;—stirs up to good works, 
Ex.35.21;—his suggestions are carefully to 
be attended to, Is.63.10; Ep.4.30; iTh.5. 
19;—to be born of him, necessary, Jn.3.3, 
&c.;—blasphemy against him unpardon¬ 
able, Mat.i2.3i;ijn.5.16;—descends upon 
the apostles, &c., Ac.2.1, &c.;—again after 
the imprisonment of Peter and John, 4.31: 
—imparted to the Samaritan converts, 8. 
17;—to Cornelius and friends, 10.44;— to 
the converts at Ephesus, 19.6;—helps his N - 
people in prayer, Ro.8.26;—nature of his 
teaching, see Teaching. 

Giants, persons of extraordinary stature 
before the flood, Ge.6.4;—seen in the land 
of Canaan by the spies, Nu. 13. 33;—the 
Emims and Anakims such, De.2.10;—Og, 
king of Bashan, of the remains of them, 3. 
11;—Goliath of Gath, 1 Sa. 17.4;—Ishbibe- 
nob, killed by Abishai, 2 Sa. 21.16;—three 
of them slain in David’s victory over the 
Philistines, 1 Ch.20.4. 

Gibbethon, gib'be-thon [a height], a town 
of the Philistines, which with its ‘ suburbs ’ 
was assigned to the Kohathites, Jos.21.23; 
retaken by the Philistines, 1 Ki. 15.27; 16. 
i5- 

Gibeah, or Gibeath, gib'e-ah, or gib'e-ath 
[a hillJ, (1) Of Judah, Jos. 15.57.—(2) Of 
Saul, also called 4 Gibeah of Benjamin,’ 
Ju. xix.-xxi.; — was the native place of 
Saul, 1 Sa. 10'. 26;—its inhabitants abuse 
the wife of a Levite, which occasions a 
war with the tribe of Benjamin, Ju. 19. 22; 
—the inhabitants fled from it, Is. 10.29. - 
Gibeon, gib'e-on [belonging to a hill], one 
of the four cities of the Hivites; its inhabi¬ 
tants artfully deceive Joshua and the Is¬ 
raelites, Jos.9.3;—condemned to servitude 
for their imposture, 27;—near it the Lord 
destroyed the Canaanites by hail and thun¬ 
der, 10. 10,11;—over it the sun and moon 
stood still a whole day, 12, 13;—a famine 
on account of the cruelty of Saul towards, 

2 Sa.21.1;—a small village remains, called 
el-Jib, about 6 miles north-west from Je¬ 
rusalem. 

Gideon, gid'e-on [breaker], the youngest 
son of Joash, and a judge of Israel;—called 
also Jerubbaal. Ju. 6. 32 ; 1 Sa. 12. ill- 
called by an angel to deliver his country 
from the Midianites, Ju.6.12;—the angel 
gives him a proof of his commission, 21;— 
obtains another assurance in answer to his 
prayers, by the dew on the fleece, while all 
was dry around, &c., 36-40;—delivers his 
country from the Midianites, 7. 16;—pa¬ 
cifies the Ephraimites, 8. 1;—refuses the 
government, 22;—his ephod the occasion 
of idolatry, 27;—his sons and death, 29. 
Gideoni, gid-e-5'nl [a breaker], the father 
of Abidan, a prominent man of the tribe 
of Benjamin, Nu.i.ii; 2.22; 7.60,65. 
Gier-eagle [vulture-eaglel, about the size 
of a raven, with a singular bald, triangular 


head, Le. 11. 18; De. 14.17. Supposed to | 
be the species known as the white carrion 
vulture of Egypt. See Eagle. 

Gifts (Spiritual), extraordinary endow¬ 
ments of the Holy Spirit, what they were, 
and rules concerning the exercise of them, 

1 Co. 12. 1, &c.;—inferior to charity or 
Christian love, 13.1, &c.;—and to preach¬ 
ing, 14.1, See. See Spiritual Gifts. 
Gifts of Piety, the contributions to the 
construction of the tabernacle, Ex.35.21; 
—at the dedication of it, N u. 7.1;—of David 
for the temple, 1 Ch.22.1,14. 

Gihon, gl'hon [a stream], (r) One of the 
four heads of the rivers which watered 
Eden, Ge.2.13.— (2) The name of a foun¬ 
tain on the west of Jerusalem, the scene 
of the anointing of Solomon as king, 2 Ch. 
32-30. 

Gilboa, gil-bo'ah [bubbling fountains], a 
ridge of hills on the east of the Plain of 
Esdraelon, which extends about 10 miles 
from east to west, noted for the defeat of 
the Hebrews, and the slaughter of Saul 
and Jonathan, 1 Sa.31.1-6; 2 Sa.1.21. 
Gilead, gil'e-ad [the heap or mass of testi¬ 
mony], (1) A range of mountains, extend¬ 
ing from the south end of the Sea of Ga¬ 
lilee to the north end of the Dead Sea, a 
distance of about 60 miles, having an aver¬ 
age breadth of about 20 miles. This region 
is sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead,’Ge. 
37.25; sometimes the ‘land of Gilead,’ Nu. 
32.1. In the New Testament Gilead is 
referred to as ‘Perea,’ and ‘beyond Jor¬ 
dan,’ Mat.4.15; Jn.1.28. It abounded with 
trees which produced a valuable gum, 
called the balm of Gilead, Ge.37.25; Je.8. 
22:46.11.— (2) The name of Jephthah’s fa¬ 
ther, Ju. 11. 1;—also of the grandson of 
Manasseh, Nu.26.29. 

Gileadite, gil'e-ad-ite, inhabitant of Gilead, 
J11.10.3; 12.4,5; 2 Sa. 17.27. 

Gilgal, gil'gal [a rolling away], a cele¬ 
brated place on the west of Jordan, where 
the Israelites were circumcised, Jos.5.2;— 
a place of idolatrous worship. Am. 4. 4; 5. 

5; Ho.4.15; 9. 15; 12.15. Called Geliloth, 
Jos 18.17. 

Gil oh, gl'lo [exile], a town of Judah, 10 
miles south-east of Hebron, Jos. 15. 51;— 
here Ahithophel hanged himself, 2Sa. 15. 

12. 

Gilonite, gl'lon-ite, an inhabitant of Giloh, 
the designation of Ahithophel, 2 Sa.15.12; 
2 3-34- 

Gin, an old English word for trap, a snare, 
Ps.140.5; 141.9. 

Girding, or tucking up and binding around 
them, their loose and flowing garments, 
necessary to fit the Jews for a journey, or 
for laborious exertion, and therefore often 
mentioned, 1 Ki. 18. 46; 2 Ki.4.29; J.n.13.4; 
figuratively, being prepared for action, 

1 Pe.1.13. 

Girgashites, gir'gash-ites, a tribe of the 
ancient Canaanites, Ge. 10. 15, 16;—their 
country promised to Abraham’s seed, 15. 
18-21;—subdued by Joshua, Jos.24.11. 
Gittaim, git-ta'im [two wine-presses], a 
city of the Benjamites, to which the Beer- 
othites fled, 2 Sa. 4. 3;—was rebuilt after 
the captivity, Ne. 11.33. 

Gittites, git'tites [wine-presses], the inha¬ 
bitants of Gath, Jos. 13.3; 2 Sa.6.10,11; 15. 
19,22. 

Gittith, giritith, Ps.xxxviii. lxxxi. Ixxxiv. 
(inscrip.) ‘Upon Gittith,’ denotes a parti¬ 
cular musical instrument or tune 
Gladness, joy, exultation, Nu.10.10; Ps.4. 
7; 30. 11; Is. 16. 10; 30.29; Mar 4.16; Lu.i. 
14; Ac.2.46; 12.14. 

Glass, was invented in the twelfth century. 
Looking-glasses, Ex.38.8; Job 37.18; 1C0. 

13. 12; 2 Co. 3. 18; Ja.1.23, were made of 
polished metal, as tin, silver. See. 

Gleanings, at the harvest, to be left for the 
poor and stranger, Le. 19.9; 23.22;—of the 
vintage, De.24.20. 

Glede, an old English word for the common 
kite, a well-known bird of prey, De.14.13. 
In the parallel passage, Le.11.14, the word 
‘vulture’ is used. 

Gloominess, want of light, or making the 
heavens dark with clouds, or swarms of 
locusts, Joel 2. 2;—a season of judgments, 
Zep.1.15. 

Glorify, to render glorious, Ac.3.13; 2 Pe. 
1.17. 

Glorify God, to honour him, directly pre¬ 
scribed, 1 Ch. 16.28; Ps. 22. 23: Is. 42.12:— 
required in all we do, 1 Co. 10. 31:—with 
our bodies and spirits, 6.20;—by believing 
and loving his word, Ps.119.11,16;—admir¬ 


ing and adoring his perfections, 145. 3;— 
loving him supremely, De. 6. 5;—singing 
praise to him, Ps 33.2,3; 81.1;—commend¬ 
ing him to others, 34.8;—devoutly con¬ 
templating his works, 8.3,4; 139.14; Re. 15. 
3; Mat. 15.31; Ac.4.21;—observing his or¬ 
dinances, Ps.27.4;—cheerfully obeying his 
laws, 119. 33, 34;—submitting to his will, 
39.9: Job 1.21,22; Is.24.15;—yielding fruits 
of righteousness, Jn. 15. 8; Phi.1.11;—ex¬ 
amples of, Mat.9.8; 15.31; Lu.1.46; 2. 14, 
20; 5.25; 13.13; Ac.11.18:—punishment for 
neglect of, Da. 5. 23; Mai. 2. 2; Ac. 12.23; 
Ro. 1.24,25. 

Glory of God, the luminous display of his 
presence, called the Shekinah, seen by 
Moses in the bush, Ex.3.2-6;—resided in 
the cloud, and conducted Israel out of 
Egypt, 13.21;—appeared on Mount Sinai, 
19.18; 24.16;—took possession of the taber¬ 
nacle, 40. 34, 35;—where it sometimes ap¬ 
peared to all the people, Le. 9. 23; Nu, 14. 
10;—commonly within the vail, upon the 
mercy-seat, between the cherubim, I.e. 16. 
12;—resided also in the first temple, 2 Ch. 
7-i-4- 

-, or the manifestation of his 

perfections, seen in his works, Ps. 19.1; Ro. 
1. 20;—especially in the scheme of grace, 
through Christ, 2 Co.3.18; 4.6. 

Gluttony, excess in eating, censured, De. 
21.20; Pr.23 1,20; 25.16; 1 Pe.4.3. 
Gnashing of Teeth, expressive of rage, Ps. 
35. 16; Ac. 7. 54;—of extreme anguish, P*. 
112.10; Mat.8.12; 13.42,50; 22.13. 

Gnat, a small winged insect or fly. The 
words ‘strain at,’ Mat. 23. 24, are better 
rendered ‘ strain out,’ as they were in the 
E.V. previous to that of 1611. 

Gnostics, nos'tiks [knowing ones], ancient 
heretics, whose dangerous opinions are 
supposed to be alluded to, 1 Ti.1.4; 6.20; 
2Ti.2.i6,23; Tit.3.9; Jude 4. 

Goad, a stick or pole about 8 feet long, 
armed with a sharp piece of iron, to drive- 
oxen with, Ju.3.31; 1 Sa.13.21; Ec.12.11. 
Goats, used in the sin-offerings, Le.3.i2;4. 
24;—sins of the people confessed on the 
head of the scapegoat, and then it was suf¬ 
fered to escape, or let loose into the wilder¬ 
ness, 16.21,22 ;—figurative of princes. Sec. , 
Je.50.8; Zee. 10. 3; Da. 8.5,8;—wild, called 
the ibex, or mountain goat, described, 
Job 39.1;—represent the wicked at the day 
of judgment, Mat.25.33. 

Gob [cistern, a pit], a place on the border 
of the Philistines, where they were sig¬ 
nally defeated by David’s warriors, 2 Sa. 
21. 18, 19;—probably the same as Gezer, 

1 Ch.20.4. 

Goblet, a bowl or large cup, Ca.7.2. 

God, his unity, Ex.20.3; De.4.35,39; 5.7; 6. 
4; 32.39; Ps.86.10; Is.37.16; 43.10; 44-6:45- 
5; Je.io.io; Jn.17.3; 1 Co. 8. 4—6; Ga.3. 20; 
Ep.4.6; 1 Ti.2.5;—a spirit, Jn.4.24; 1 TLi. 
17; 6. 16;—invisible, Ex. 33.20; Jn. 1. 18; 5. 
37; R0.1.20; Col.1.15; 1 Ti.6.16; He.11.27; 

1 Jn. 4. 12;—true God, Je. to. 10;—living 
God, Da. 4. 34; 6. 26; Ac. 14. 15; iTh. 1. 9; 
He. 9. 14; 10.31;—God and Lord alone, 2 
Ki.19.15; Ne.9.6; Ps.33.18;86.10; Is.37.16, 
20;—none else, or besides him, De.4. 35; 

2 Sa.7.22; 22.32; 2 Ki.5.15; Is.44.6,8; 45.5, 
6,14,18,21,22; 46.9; Ho. 13. 4:—none with 
him, De. 32. 39;—none before him, or self- 
existing, Ex. 3. 14; Is.41.4; 43.10: 44.6; 48. 
12; Re. 1. 17; 22.13;—none like him, or to 
be compared to him, Ex.8.10; 9.14; 15.11: 
De. 4. 12; 33.26; 2 Sa.7.22; 1 Ch.17. 20; Ps. 
35.10; 86.8; 89.6; Is.40.18; 46.5,9; Je. 10.6, 
7,10:—blessed, Ps.119.12; Ro.1.25: 1 Ti.i. 
11; 6. 15;—his name to be revered, De. 5. 
11;—his great majesty, Hab.3.3;—incom¬ 
prehensible, Job 11.7; Ps.145.3;—his supe¬ 
riority to idols, Is.40.12, &c.; 41.21; 44.9; 
45.20; 46.5; Je. 10.12;—the creator of all 
things, Ge.1.1, &c.; Ne.9.6: Job26.7: Ps. 
33.6; 89.11; 148.5: Pr-3-J9: Is.34.1; 45. 18: 
Je. 14. 22; Zee. 12. 1;—his works unsearch¬ 
able, Ec.8.17;—the governor of all things, 
Ps. 22. 28; 135. 6;—our constant preserver, 
Ac.17.28;—his immortality,De.33.27:1 Ti. 
1. 17; 6. 16; Re. 4.9: -immutability, Ex. 3. 
14,15; Mai. 3. 5, 6; R0.1.23; He.13.8; Ja.i. 
17 ;—incorruptibility, Ro. 1. 23;—eternity, 
Ps.9.7; 90.2,4: 93 2; 102. 12,24, 27; 104. 31: 
145.13: Is.40.28: 5715:6316; Je. 10.10: La. 
5.19; Da.4.3; 1 Ti. 1.17; R0.1.20; 2 Co.4.8; 
2 Pe.i. 11first and last, Is.41.4; 44.6: 48. 
10; Re. 1.8:—his omnipresence, 1 Ki.8. 27: 
Ps. 139. 7-10: Je.23.24; 2Ch.6.i8; Ep.1.23; 
—omniscience, 1 Sa. 2. 3; Job 26. 6; Ps. 44. 
21; 139. 2: Pr. 15. 11: Is. 30 18: Mat. 6. 18; 
Ac. 15. 18; He 4. 12. 13: 1 Jn. 3. 20; his 











600 (Go—Ha) THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


power, Ge. 17. i; Job 9. 4; 37. 23; 42.2; Ps. | Golgotha, gol'go-thah fa skull], the Hebrew | 

name of the place where Christ was cruci¬ 
fied, Mat.27.33; Mar.15.22; Jn.19.17. See 


35.10: 62.11; 68.35; ls.26.4; 40.29; 2 Co. 12. 
9; Is. 14.24; Da.3.17,29; R0.1.20;—his wis¬ 
dom, Job 9.4; 36.5; Ps.92.5; 104.24; 147. 5; 
Is.31.2; Ro. 16. 27; 1 Co.3.19,20: 1 Ti.1.17; 
—greatness ascribed to him, De.10.17; 32. 
3; 2 Sa. 7. 22; 1 Ch. 16. 25; 17.21; Ne. 4. 14; 
Ps.77.13; 95.3; Je. 32. 18;—perfection, Ex. 
15.7; Ps. 145.12; Mat.5.48;—produces good 
from the evil designs of men, Ge.45.8; 50. 
20; Job 5. 12; Ps. 33.10; 76. 10; Pr. 16.9,33; 
19.21;—disposes of things as he pleases 
from the beginning, De. 8. 18; 1 Ch.29.12; 
2Ch.i.i2; Job 1.21:9.12 ; Ps.75.7; Da.4.17; 
—his justice, Ge.18.25; De.32.4; Job34.17; 
37.23; Ac. 17. 31; Re. 15. 3; 19.1,2;—in not 
punishing children for the sins of their 
parents, De.24.16; Eze.18.2;—he often de¬ 
lays his judgments, Ec.8.ii; —his chastise¬ 
ments to be borne, Job 1. 21; 2.10; He. 12. 
5;—his mercy, Ex. 34.6; Joel 2.13; 2 Co.i. 
3; 1 Jn.1.9;—his love to Christians, 3.1;— 
his goodness, Ps 86 5; 145. 9; Mat. 19.17; 
Ex.34.6; Zec.9.17; Ps. 33. 5; 65.4; 52.1; Je. 
31.12,14;—his holiness, Le. 19. 2; x Sa.2.2; 
6.20; Jn. 17.11; Is. 6. 3; Re. 4. 8; 15. 4;—his 
truth and faithfulness, Is.65.16; 2 Co 1.18, 
20; He. 10.23; 11.ir; 2 Pe. 3. 9; Re. 15. 3;— 
psalms exhorting to trust in him, Ps. lxi.7- 
lxiv.lxix.-lxxi.lxxv.lxxxv. lxxxvi. xci.xciv. 
cxv. cxvi. cxviii. cxxi.cxxiii cxxv.cxxxi.;— 
his promises to the Israelites fulfilled, Jos. 
21. 43;—the sole object of worship, Ex.20. 
1; De. 4. 14, 39; 40; Lu.4.8;—to be feared, 
Ps. 33.8; 76.7;—to be loved, Mat. 22.37;—to 
be obeyed, Ac. 5. 29;—not to be tempted, 
De. 6. 16; Mat. 4. 7;—compared to light, 

1 Jn.1.5;—the description of his throne in 
a vision, Re.4.2;—the symbol of his pre¬ 
sence returns to the temple, Eze.43.1, &c.; 
—addresses Job, Job 38. 3; xl.xli.;—to be 
imitated, Ep. 5. 1;—the marks of his sons, 
R0.8.14; 1 Jn.5.2. 

Goddesses, female gods, according to the 
heathen mythology, such as Ashtoreth, 1 Ki. 
11 • 5.33;—the queen of heaven, or the moon, 
Je.44.17,25;—Diana, Ac. 19.27,35, &c. 

God forbid, in the original it is, * Let it not 
be,’ or ‘Far be it,’ Ro.3.31; 9.14. 
Godhead, the nature or essence of God, 
Col.2.9: Ro. 1.20; Ac. 17.29. 

-■, Trinity in. See Trinity. 

Godliness, or piety to God, consists in re¬ 
verencing his perfections, Ps. 104. 1;—es¬ 
teeming him as our chief good and portion, 
73.25; La.3.24;—fearing to offend him, Ge. 
39.9;—studying, by holiness of life, to pro¬ 
mote his honour, 2 Pe. 3. 11;—confiding in 
him for all we need, Ps.48.14; 73.24. 

■-, advantages of, profitable to all 

things, x Ti.4.8; 6.6;—promises to, Ps.4.3; 

2 Pe.2.9. 

Gods, great men and rulers are so called in 
some instances, Ex.22.28; Ps.82.1; 138.1; 
Jn. 10.34; 1 Co.8.5. 

-, heathen, Adrammelech and Anam- 

melech, of Sepharvaim, 2 Ki. 17. 31;— 
Ashima, of Hamath, 30;—Ashtoreth, of 
the Sidonians, 1 Ki. 11.33;—Baal, of Tyre, 
&c., Ju. 2. 13;—Baalberith, 8. 33;—Baal- 
peor, of the Moabites, Nu.25.3;—Baalze- 
bub, of Ekron, 2 Ki. 1. 2;—Bel and Nebo, 
of the Babylonians, Is.46.1;—Chemosh, of 
the Moabites, 1 Ki. 11. 7;—Dagon, of the 
Philistines, Ju.x6.23;—Diana, of Ephesus, 
Ac. 19. 24;—Jupiter and Mercury, of the 
Greeks and Romans, 14.12;—Milcomand 
Molech, of the Ammonites, 1 Ki. 11.5,7; 
—Nergal, of Cuth, 2 Ki. 17. 30;—Nibhaz 
and Tartak, of the Avites, 31;—Nisroch, 
of the Assyrians, 19.37;—Chiun or Rem- 
phan, Am. 5.26; Ac. 7.43; —Succoth-benoth, 
of the Babylonians, 2 Ki. 17.30;—Tammuz, 
of the Syrians, Eze.8.14. 

Gog r mountain], (1) One of the descendants 
of Reuben, 1 Ch.5.4.—(2) Gog, along with 
Magog, represents the Scythians, or north¬ 
ern barbarians: their destruction foretold, 
Eze. 38.2; 39.1;— the antichristian power 
of the entire earth, Re.20.8,9. 

Golan [exile], a city of Bashan in the half¬ 
tribe of Manasseh, east of the Sea of 
Tiberias; it was given to the Levites, and 
appointed to be a city of refuge, De.4.43; 
Jos.20.8; 21.27; 1 Ch.6.71. 

Gold, the most heavy (except platinum), 
dense, pure, ductile, and valuable of all 
metals; God’s Word compared to, on ac¬ 
count of its inestimable worth, Ps.19.10;_ 

tried saints compared to, Job 23.10; 1 Pe. 

1. 7;—the streets of the New Jerusalem, 
Re.21.x8,21. 

Goldsmith, one who makes golden wares 
Ne.3.8; Is.40.19; 41.7; 46.6; Ac.3.8. 


Calvary. 

Goliath, go-ll'ath [a captivity, or passing 
over], a mighty giant of Gath, about 10% 
feet high, 1 Sa. 17. 4; — ‘ morning and 
evening for forty days ’ he defied the 
armies of Israel, 8-10;—slain by David, 49. 
Gomer, go'mer [perfection], the eldest son 
of Japheth, Ge. 10.2.—prediction respect¬ 
ing, Eze.38.6. 

Gomorrah, go-mo/rah [submersion], one of 
the five cities of the plain. It was next 
to Sodom in importance as well as in 
wickedness, Ge.19.4-8; 13.10; 14.11; 18.20; 
19.24. See Sodom. 

Gopher-wood, pitch wood, mentioned only 
once in Scripture as the wood of which 
the ark was built. It was probably the 
cypress, Ge.6.14. 

Gorgeous, fine, splendid, glittering, Lu.7. 
25; 23.11; Eze.23.12. 

Goshen, go'shen [frontier], (1) A very fertile 
province in Egypt, which Joseph procured 
for his father and brethren, and where the 
Israelites dwelt during the whole of their 
sojourn in that country. It probably lay 
to the east of the Nile in Lower Egypt, 
Ge. 45. 10; 47.1-6.—(2) Another place of. 
the same name, near Gibeon, Jos. 10. 41; 
15 - 51 - 

Gospel [good news, glad tidings], the 
joyful intelligence of salvation, through 
Christ; called the gos el of God, Ro.1.1; 
—of Christ, 16;—of salvation, Ep. 1.13;— 
of peace, 6.15; Lu.2.10,14;—the word of 
God’s grace, Ac. 14.3; 20.32;—word of re¬ 
conciliation, 2 Co.5.19;—word of life, Phi. 
2.16;—word of Christ, Col.3.16;—ministra¬ 
tion of the Spirit, 2 Co. 3.8;—mystery of 
Christ, Ep. 3. 4;—unsearchable riches of 
Christ, 8;—sincere milk of the word, 1 
Pe. 2. 2;—the glorious gospel, 1 Ti. 1.11;— 
to be preached to all descriptions of men, 
Mar.16.15; Tit.2.11;—the salvation which 
it publishes to be offered freely to all, Is. 
55.1; Jn. 7.37; Re.22.17;—ah who believe 
it shall be saved, Mar. 16.16;—the blessings 
of it, Ro.1.16; 1 Co.i.18; Ep.2.1, &c.; 1 Pe. 
1.1, &c.;—superior to the law of Moses, 
Jn. 1.17; 2 Co.3.7;—the danger of rejecting 
it, Mar. 16.16; Lu. 10. 16; Jn. 3. 36; 12. 48; 
He. 2.3; 10.28; 12.25;—to whom it is hidden, 

2 Co. 4.3,4;—no other to be preached, Ga. 

1 8,9;—the remarkable propagation of it, 
Mar.4.30; Jn.12.32; Ac.2.41; 4.4; 6.7; 12. 
24; 13.49; 19.20; 1 Co. 16.9;—shall in due 
time be preached in all the world, Ps.2.8; 
22.27; 72.8,11,17; 86.9; Is.2.2,3; 40.4,5; 42. 
1 » 4 > 6 > 7 .' 49 - 6 ; Da.2.44; Hab.2.14; Mal.x.n; 
Mat. 8.11; 24.14;—to be earnestly defended, 
Phi.i.17,27; Jude 3. 

Gourd, a climbing shrub of quick growth 
allied to the family of the cucumber. The 
gourd of Jonah, 4. 6, was probably the 
Palma christi, the castor-oil plant;—‘wild 
gourds,’ 2 Ki.4.39. 

Government, executive power, of all things 
committed to Christ, as Mediator, Is.9.6, 
7; Mat. 28.18; Ep.i. 20-22;—governments, 
an order of rulers in apostolic churches, 1 
Co. 12.28;—wicked men despise, 2 Pe.2.10. 
Gozan, go’zan [a fleece of wool, passing 
over, or pasture], a river in Media, men¬ 
tioned in several places, 2Ki.i 7 .6; 18.11; 
19.12; 1 Ch.5.26; Is.37.13. 

Grace, of God, his free favour, manifested 
in the gift of his Son, and the blessings of 
salvation through him, Jn.3.16,17; 2 Co.8. 
9; Ep. 2.8; 2 Ti.1.9;—election is of grace, 
Ro.11.5; Ep.j.3-6;—effectual calling, Ga. 

1.15; 2 Th.i.ir,T2;—pardon of sin, Ep. 

1. 7;—justification, Ro. 3. 24; —adoption, 
Ep. 1. 5;—sanctification, 2 Co. 9.8;—faith, 
Ac.18.27; Ep.2.8;—hope, 2Th.2.16; —pro¬ 
mised to believers, Ps.84.11; 15.30.18,19; 

2 Co. 12.9;—God’s conferring it on men is 
sovereign, Ex. 33.19; Mat.11.25; Ro.9.15, 
x&\—free , Ro.5.8; 1 Jn.4.10;— distinguish¬ 
ing, Mat.20.16; Ro.9.15;— -preventing, not 
the effect, but the cause of holiness, 1 Jn. 

4.19;— effectual, completely accomplishing 
its end, Ro.8.38,39; Phi. 1.6;—necessary to 
the performance of good works, 1 Ki.8.58; 
Ps.119.32; Jn.6.44; Ro.8.8; 1 C0.3 6; 12.3; 
15.10; Phi. 2.13; He. 13. 21;—will be in¬ 
creased when improved, Mat. 13.12; Lu.8. 
18; Jn. 15.2;—given to the humble, Pr. 3. 
34; Ja.4.6; 1 Pe.5.5;—believers made what 
they are by it, 1 Co. 15. 10; 2 Co. 1. 12;— 
should be earnestly sought in prayer, He. 
4.16; Ja.1.5;—examples of prayer for, Ge. 
43-29; Nu.6.25; Is.33 2; Ro.1.7; 1 Co.i.3; 


2C0.X.2; 13.14; Ga.6.18; Ep.6.24; 1 Ti.1.2; | 
Re. 1.4. 

Grace of God, the gospel so called, Jn. 1. 
17; Ac. 14.3; 20.24; Ro.5.2; 2 Co.6.1; Tit.2. 
11; 1 Pe.5.11;—Christian virtues, 2 Co. 8.7; 
2Pe-3.i8. 

Gracious, full of free favour, Ge.43.29; Ex. 
33.19; 34.6; Ps.77.9; Pr. 11.16; Is.30.18; Lu. 
4.22; 1 Pe.2.3. 

Graff, or Graft, to insert a scion, or 
branch, of one tree into the stock of 
another; the Gentiles were graffed into the 
church, Ro.11.17,19;—the Jews shall be, 
23;—the Word of God is, into the heart, 
ja.T.21. 

Grapes, the fruit of the vine, Ge.40.10; Le. 
25.5,11; Mat. 7.16;—brought from the land 
of Canaan by the spies, Nu. 13. 23;—an 
emblem for the instruction of the Israelites, 
Eze.18.1, &c.;—not to be gathered till the 
vine was three years old, Le. 19.23;—glean¬ 
ing of, to be left for the poor, 10. 
Grasshopper, an insect of the locust kind, 
but small, Le.11.22; Nu.13.33; Ju.6.5; Is. 
40.22;—the word rendered ‘grasshopper’ 
in Ec.12.5 is rendered ‘locust’ in 2O1.7. 
13;—destructive to vegetation, Am.7.1;— 
often found in great multitude, Ju.6.5; 7- 
12; Je.46.23. 

Grate, a net-work of brass like a sieve for 
the bottom of the great altar of sacrifice, 
Ex. 27.4; 35.16; 38.4,5. 

Gratitude, a desire to return benefits, re¬ 
commended, 2 Sa.ix.; 2 Ki.4.18; Lu. 17.15; 
—want of it reproved, Is. 1.2,3. 

Grave, (1) Sober, serious, and solemn; 
deacons required to be, 1 Ti. 3. 8;—and 
aged Christians, Tit. 2. 2.—(2) Sepulchre 
for burying the dead; Jacob set a pillar 
over Rachel’s, Ge.35.20;—God wili ransom 
his people from, Ho. 13.14;—the Christians’ 
song of victory over, 1 Co. 15.55. 

Gravel, hard or coarse sand, Pr.20.17; I s - 
48.19; La.3.16. 

Grease, the soft part of fat, Ps. 119.70. 

Great Sea, the Mediterranean, extends 
from east to west nearly 2300 miles, Nu. 
34.6; Jos. 1.4; 9.1; 15.12; Eze.47.10,15; Da. 
7.2;—called the ‘utmost sea,’Joel 2.20;— 
the ‘hinder sea,’ Zee. 14.8. 

Greaves, defensive armour for the legs, 
reaching from the foot to the knee; men¬ 
tioned only in 1 Sa.17.6. 

Grecians, gre'shi-ans, foreign Jews [Hel- 
lenistai) as opposed to Palestinian Jews, 
Ac.6.1; 11.20; whereas ‘Greeks’ ( Hellenes) 
are Greeks by race, Ac 16.1,3, or Gentiles 
as opposed to Jews—many of the Grecians 
converted, Ac.11.19-21. 

Greece, grece, an extensive country on 
the south-east of Europe, and including 
Ionia and Asia Minor, Zec.9.13; Ac.20.2. 

In the Old Testament, Greece and Greeks 
are mentioned under the name of Javan, 

Is. 66.19. I* was probably peopled soon 
after the flood by the descendants of 
Japheth in the line of Javan. In the days 
of Alexander, the Greeks were masters of 
Egypt and Syria, the countries beyond 
Euphrates, and other provinces. Few 
countries are more favoured by nature, as 
to its soil, climate, and productions. Many 
of the most famous statesmen, orators, and 
generals of antiquity had their birth here. 
The arts and sciences of Greece attained 
a great eminence, as did also poetry and 
eloquence. After a long and grievous 
oppression (from the fall of the Byzantine 
empire) the Greeks arose in 1822 against 
their Turkish masters, and ultimately 
gained their independence. The modern 
kingdom of Greece was established in 1832. 

In 1863 it was enlarged by the annexation 
of the Ionian Islands. Its population is 
about 1,500,000. The Greeks profess Chris¬ 
tianity, but in a corrupted form, being 
nearly allied to Popery. 

Greedy, ravenous, eager, Ps.17.12; Pr.i. 

19; Is.56.11; 1 Ti.3.3. 

Greeks, as used by the Jews this word was 
synonymous with Gentiles, Ac. 19.10:20. 
21; 1 Co.22.23,24:—apply to Jesus, Jn.12. 
20;—many believed, Ac.14.1. 

Greetings, honourable salutations, courted 
by the Pharisees, Mat.23.7; Lu.11.43; 20. 
46;—expressions of true friendship, ad¬ 
dressed to the saints, Ac. 15.23; Ro. 16. 2 
&c.; 1 Co. 16.20, &c. 

Grey Head. See Hoary Head. 

Grief, for the loss of friends allowable; in 
Abraham for the death of Sarah, Ge.23.2; 
—Joseph for the death of his father, 50 1,’ 
&c.;—David for Saul and Jonathan, 2 Sa! 
1-11; for Abner, 3.31;—Jesus at the death 


of Lazarus, Jn.11.35;—Paul for the sick¬ 
ness of Epaphroditus, Phi.2.27. 

Grief, should not be immoderate, 2Sa.i2. 
20; 1 Th.4.13; 1 C0.7.30. 

Grind, to crush small, Ex. 32. 20; De. 9.21; 
Ju. 16. 21; Nu. 11. 8;—figuratively to op¬ 
press, Is 3.15;—allusion to the noise of the 
hand-mills, Je. 25. 10; Ec. 12. 4; Re. 18. 22. 
The ‘grinders ceasing’ because they are 
few, Ec.12.3, is supposed to represent the 
loss of the teeth in old age. 

Grisled, mixed black and white hairs; 
party-coloured as goats, Ge. 31.10,12;— 
horses, Zee 6.3,6. 

Groaning, deep distress, Ex.2.24;—an over¬ 
whelming sense of the evil ofisin, and the 
value of spiritual blessings, Ro.8.26; 2 Co. 
5 - 2 - 

Grope, to feel what one cannot see, De.28. 
29; Job 5.14; 12.25. 

Grove, the word so rendered in Ge. 21. 33, 
means a tree. The heathen worshipped 
their gods in groves of trees, De. 12. 2,3; 
Ho.4.13;—hence grove and idol were al¬ 
most convertible terms, 2 Ki.23.6. 

Groves, frequently the places of idol wor¬ 
ship, 1 Ki.15.13; 16.33; 2 Ki. 17.16;—not to 
be planted near the place of the national 
worship, De.16.21. 

Grudging, reluctance, toward our brethren 
forbidden, Le. 19.18; Ja. 5. 9;—alms not to- 
be given with, 2C0.9.7;—hospitality to be 
used without, 1 Pe.4.9. 

Guard, caution, defence, Ge.37.36; Da.2. 
14; Ac. 28.16. 

Gudgodah, gud-go'dah [thunder], the for¬ 
tieth encampment of the Israelites in the 
wilderness, also named Hor-Hagidgad, 
Nu.33.32; De.10.7. 

Guest, one lodged in the house or enter¬ 
tained at the table of another, 1 Ki. 1. 41, 
49; Mat. 22. 10; Lu. 19. 7;—chamber, a 
room for strangers, 1 Sa.9.22; Mar. 14.14; 
Lu.22.11. 

Guide, God promises to direct and instruct 
his people, Ps.25.9; 32.8; Is. 42.16; 48.17; 
49.10; 58.11. 

Guile, or Deceit, we are required to be 
without, Ps.34.13; 1 Pe.2.1:3.10;—persons- 
without it approved. Ps.32.2; Jn.1.47; Re. 
14.5. See Deceit. 

Guilty, not innocent, wicked, Ex. 34. 7; 

Mat.23.18; R0.3.19. 

Gulf, an abyss, Lu. 16.26. 

Gurbaal, gur-ba'al [sojourn of Baal], a 
place in Arabia, on the confines of Judea, 
successfully attacked by Uzziah, 2 Ch. 
26.7. 

Gutters, water-courses, some subterranean 
passages through which water flowed, 2 
Sa. 5.8. In Ps. 42. 7 the word is rendered 
‘ water spouts;’ in Ge. 30. 30, 41 it means 
drinking-troughs. 


H. 


Haahashtari, ha-a-hash'ta-ri [mule-driver], 
a son of the patriarch Ashur, 1 Ch.4.6. 
Habaiah, ha-ba'yah [protected by Jeho¬ 
vah], a priest in Ezra’s time, Ezr.2.6i;Ne. 
6.63. 

Habakkuk, hab'a-kuk [embracer], one of 
the twelve minor prophets, who lived about 
600 years before Christ; foretells the de¬ 
struction of Judah by the Chaldeans, Hab. 
i.;—the overthrow of the Chaldeans, ii.;— 
his sublime prayer, iii. 

Habbaziniah, hab-az-Y-nl'ah [lamp of Je¬ 
hovah], Je.35.3. 

Habergeon, Ne.4.16; Job 41.26; a coat of 
mail, 1 Sa. 17. 8, or breastplate, Re. 9. 9. 
The English ‘habergeon’ was the diminu¬ 
tive of ‘ hauberk,’ a quilted doublet. 
Habitation, dwelling-house, Ex. 15. 2; Le. 

1 3- 46; Job 5.3; Ps.26.8; 89.14; Is.22.16; Ac. 
1.20; Ep.2.22; Re.18.2. 

Habits, either good or bad, not easily- 
changed, Pr.22.6; Je.13.23; Job 20.11. 
Hachaliah, hak-a-ll'ah [ornament of Jeho¬ 
vah], father ofNehemiah, Ne.1.1. 
Hachilah, hak'i-lah [the darksome hill], a 
hill on the south-east part of Judea; here 
David hid himself from Saul, 1 Sa. 23. 19. 
The modern Tell Zif. 

Hadad, ha’dad [sun], the name of a Syrian 
idol, given to the kings of Edom, *the 
Edomite,’ adversary of Solomon, 1 Ki. 11. 

14- 22. 

Hadadezer, had-ad-e’zer [Adad is my help], 
king of Zobah in Syria, conquered by 












THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


T)avid, who took from him 1000 chariots, 
20,000 footmen, and 700 horsemen, 2 Sa.8. 
3,4;—David slew of the Syrians who came 
to succour him 22,000 men, 5;—some years 
after he again made war with David, who 
defeated him, 10. 15-19; —called Hadar- 
ezer, 2 Sa. 10.16; 1 Ch.18.3. 

Hadadrimmon, hl'dad-rim'mon [the name 
of two Syrian idols, Hadad and Rimmon], 
a place in the valley of Megiddo, near to 
which the good king Josiah was slain, and 
his army routed, which occasioned a great 
mourning, 201.35.22,24; Zee. 12.11. 
Hadashah, had'a-shah [news], a city in the 
valley of Judah, Jos. 15.37. 

Hadassah, ha-das'sah [myrtle], the Jewish 
name of Esther, Es.2.7. 

Hadoram, ha-do'ram [Hador, i.e. the fire- 
god, is exalted], ^1) One of the sons of 
Shem, 1O1.1.21.—(2 AsonofTou, iCh. 
18.10. 

fladrach, ha'drak [inclosure], a land near 
Damascus, denounced by Zechariah, Zee. 
9 - 1 - 

jrlagar, ha'gar [flight, stranger], an Egyptian 
servant to Sarah, given to Abraham to wife, 
Ge. 16. 2;—flees from Sarah, 6;—encour¬ 
aged by an angel to return, 7-12;—bare 
Ishmael to Abraham, 15;—she and her son 
dismissed, 21.9-14;—comforted by an angel 
in the wilderness, 17;—her history allegor¬ 
ized, Ga.4.22. 

Kagarenes, ha-gar-eens', or Hagarites, 
the descendants of Hagar, iCh.5.10,20; 
^.83.6. 

liaggai, hag'gai [one who keeps holiday], 
a prophet who returned from the Baby¬ 
lonish captivity witn Zerubbabel, Ezr.2.2; 
—he and Zechariah promote the rebuild¬ 
ing of the temple (b.c. 520), 5.1, &c.;—his 
prophecies referred to, 5.1; 6.14; He.12.20. 
Haggiah, hag-gl'ah [festival of Jehovah], 
one of the posterity of Levi, 1 Ch.6.30. 
Kaggith, hag'gith [festivity], a wife of Da¬ 
vid, and mother of Adonijah, 2 Sa. 3.4:1 Ki. 
1.5,11; 1 Ch.3.2. 

Hail, (i) A storm of, one of the plagues of 
Egypt, Ex.9.24; Ps. 78.47, 105; 32. 33;—in 
the defeat of the Canaanites, Jos.io.n;— 
fulfils God’s word, Ps. 148. 8.—(2) Health 
be to you, Mat.26.49; 27.29; Lu.1.28. 

Hair, of Absalom remarkable, 2 Sa. 14. 26; 
—used as a type of the fate of Jerusalem, 
Eze. 5. 1;— gray hairs to the old a ‘crown 
of glory,’ Pr. 16. 31;—pure white a sym¬ 
bol of divine majesty. Da. 7. 9;—a natural 
covering to women, 1 Co. 11.15;—* plaiting 
the hair’ censured, 1 Pe.3.3. 

Hakupha, hak-u'fah [crooked], one of the 
Nethinims whose descendants returned 
to Babylon, Ne.7.53. 

Hallelujah. See Allelujah. 

Hallohesh, bal-lo'hesh [whisperer], one 
who sealed the covenant, Ne.10.24. 
Hallow, to render sacred, to set apart to a 
holy use, Ex. 20. n; 28. 38;—to reverence 
or worship, Le.22.32; Mat.6.9. 

Halt, (x) Lame on the feet, Ge.32.31; Ps. 
38. 17; Je. 20. 10.—(2) Falter between two 
opinions, 1 Ki. 18.21. 

Ham [hot], (1) The youngest son of Noah; 
his offence and punishment, Ge.9.22;—his 
descendants, 10.6; 1 Ch.1.8. (2) A name 

given in Scripture to Egypt, Ps. 105.27. 
Hainan, ha'man [honourable], an Agagite 
or Amalekite, an ambitious and unprinci¬ 
pled courtier who became prime minister 
of Ahasuerus, Es.3.1;—not respected by 
Mordecai, 2;—the want of this honour de¬ 
stroyed his happiness, 5. 13;—obtains a 
decree to kill all the Jews, 3.8;—erects a 
* gallows to hang Mordecai, 5.14;—hanged 
on it himself, 7.10;—his sons hanged, 9.12. 
Hamath, ha'math [fortress], a noted city 
of Syria, and capital of a province of the 
same name, lying on the river Orontes, on 
the north boundary of Palestine, Jos. 13.4; 
j u 3> 3;—the king of, friendly to David, 
2 Sa. 8 . 9;—afterwards taken by Solomon, 
2 Ch 8. 3;—was taken by the Assyrians in 
the time of Hezekiah, 2 Ki. 17* 24; 18. 34; 
—called ‘ Hamath the Great,’ Am.6.2 
Hammedatha, ham-med'a-tha, the father 
of Haman, Es.8.5; 9.10,24. 

Hammer, the word of God compared to, 
Je. 23.29;— Babylon called the hammer of 
the whole earth, 50.23. 

Hamonah, ham-o'nah [multitude], a city 
and a valley, mentioned in Eze. 39. 16 as 
a place where multitudes of Gog shall be 
buried. The valley of Ha mon-Gog [Gog s 
multitude] is the prophetical name of the 
valley in which they shall be buried, Eze. 
39.11,15- 


Hamor, ha'mor [an he-ass], prince of She- ] 
chem, whose son ravished Dinah, Ge.34. 

2;—his application to Jacob, and his de¬ 
struction, 6,26. 

Hamul, ha'mul [spared], a grandson of 
Judah, 1 Ch.2.5. 

Hanameel, ha-nam'e-el [the grace of God], 
a kinsman of the prophet Jeremiah, sold 
him a field, Je.32.7. 

Hananeel, ha-nan'e-el [grace from God], 
a tower at Jerusalem, Ne. 3. 1; 12. 39; Je. 

3I ’ 38 -. 

Hanani, ha-na'ni [grace to me, or mercy], 
the prophet, reproves Asa, 2Ch.16.7- 
Hananiah, han-a-nl'ah [grace of the Lord], 
the false prophet, Je. 28. 1;—breaks Jere¬ 
miah’s yoke, 10;—his death foretold, 15. 
Hand, of the Lord, denotes his power, 
whether in punishing or saving, Ju.2.15; 2 
Sa.24.14; Ne.2.8; Job 2. 10; Ex. 9. 3; 16.3; 
Is. 59. 1; Lu. 1.66;—of Moses leprous, Ex. 

4. 6:—of Jeroboam withered, 1 Ki. 13. 4;— 
withered, restored by Jesus, Mat. 12. 10; 
Mar.3.2; Lu.6.6;—writing on the wall seen 
by Belshazzar, Da. 5.5. 

Hand-breadth, a measure about 4 inches, 
Ps.39.5; Is.48.13;—rendered ‘span,’ La.2. 
20. 

Handle, to manage, Ge. 4. 21; Ju.5.14; Ps. 

115.7; Je.2.8; Lu.24.39. 

Handmaid, Ge. 16. 1; 29.24; 1 Sa. 1. ix, 16; 

Ps.86.16; 116.16; Lu.1.38. 

Hands, imposition of, in blessing, Ge. 48. 
14; Mat. 19. 15;—in dedicating sacrifices. 
Ex. 29.10; Le. 1.4;—in ordaining to offices, 
Nu.8.10; 27.18; De.34.9; Ac.6.6; iTi.4.14; 
5.22; 2 Ti.i. 6;—in miraculous cures, Mar. 
6.5; 16.18; Lu.4.40; 13.13; Ac.9.17; 28.8;— 
in imparting the gift of the Holy Spirit, 
Ac.8.17; 19.6. 

-—, lifted up in prayer, Ex.17.11; Ps. 

28. 2; 63. 4; 88. 9; 134. 2; 141. 2; 143. 6;—in 
taking an oath, Ge.14.22. 

--, to pour water on, to serve, as 

Elisha did to Elijah, 2 Ki. 3. 11;—to wash 
publicly, to declare innocent, De. 21. 6, 7; 
Mat. 27.24. 

Hanging, an infamous death, Nu.25.4;De. 
21.22; Ga. 3.13;—of Pharaoh’s baker, Ge. 
40. xp;—of those who joined in the worship 
of Baal-peor, Nu. 25. 4;—of the five kings 
by Joshua, Jos. 10. 26;—of Saul’s sons, 2 
Sa.21.8; —of Haman and his sons, Es.7.10; 
9.14. 

Hannah, han'nah [graciousness], the wife 
of Elkanah, and mother of the prophet 
Samuel, reproached for her barrenness, 

1 Sa. 1. 6;—prayed for a son, 10, 11;—first 
reproved, and then encouraged by Eli, 14. 
I7; _ bears Samuel, 20;—presents him. to 
the Lord, 24;— her song, 2.1, &c. 

Hanun, ha'nun [gracious], the son and suc¬ 
cessor of Nahash, king of the Ammonites, 
who insulted David’s ambassadors, by 
cutting their clothes and beards, 2 Sa. 10. 
2,4; 1 Ch. 19.2-6. 

Hapharaim, haff'a-ra-im [two pits], a city 
in the tribe of Issachar, Jos. 19.19. 

Haply, perhaps, 1Sa.x4.30; Mar.n.i3;Lu. 

14.29; Ac.5.39; 17-27; 2 Co.9.4. 

Happiness, felicity, wherein it consists, 
Ps. 1.1, &c.; 32.1; 40-4: 106.3; 1*2.1; 1191; 
128.1; 144.15; *46.5; Pr - 3-13; 29 *8; Is -5 6 - 
2; Mat.5.3, &c.; Lu.6.20; 11.28; 12.43; Jn. 
13.17; Ro.4.7; 14-22; Ja.1.12; Re.14.13. 
Haran, ha'ran [mountaineer], (1 The eldest 
son of Terah, and brother of Abraham, 
and father of Lot, Ge. 11. 26-31.— (2) ihe 
place where he dwelt called after his name, 
32; 12. 4,5;—also called Chnrrnn, Ac. 7. 2, 
4. It was a place in Mesopotamia, Ge. 
24.10, or more properly in Padan-Aram, 
25. 20. It is identified with the modern 
village called HarrCm on the banks of the 
Belik, which flows into the Euphrates. 
Harbonah, har-bo'nah [ass-driver], one of 
the seven eunuchs of King Ahasuerus, 
Es.1.10; 7.9. 

Harden, obdurate, Ex. 4.21; 14.17; De.15. 
7; Job6.10; Ps.95.8. 

Hare, a well-known, swift, and timid ani¬ 
mal, Le.11.6; De.14.7. . 

Hareth, ha'reth [thicket], a forest in the 
tribe of Judah, into which David fled from 
Saul, 1 Sa.22.5. 

Harliaiah, har-ha-T'ah [zeal of Jehovah], 
the father of Uzziel, Ne.3.8. 

Harirn, ha'rim [flat-nosed], (1) The head of 
the second course of priests, 1 Ch.24.8;— 
his descendants, to the number of 1017, 
returned from captivity, Ezr.2.39:—those 
of them who had married strange women 
agree to put them a"’ay, 10.21.— 2 Another 
person of this name, 2.32; Ne.7.35. 


Harlot, literally, a common prostitute, Pr. 
29.3;—metaphorically, the idolatrous im¬ 
purities of Israel, Is.1.21; Je.2.20; 3.1; Eze. 

16.15, &c. 

Harmless, innocent, untainted, Mat.io.i6; 
Phi.2.15; He.7.26. 

Hamepher, harine-fer [snorer], one of the 
sons of Zophah, 1 Ch. 7.36. 

Harness, armour for warriors, or furniture 
for horses, i Ki.20.11; 22.34; 2 Ch.9.24. 
Harod, ha'rod [fear, astonishment], a foun¬ 
tain of water at the foot of Mount Gilboa, 

Ju 7.1; 1 Sa.29.1. 

Harosheth, har'o-sheth [wood-cutting], a 
city of Upper Galilee, near the Lake 
Merom, where Sisera resided, and his army 
was routed, Ju.4.2,16. 

Harp, a stringed musical instrument, in¬ 
vented by Jubal, much used by the pro¬ 
phets, and in the worship of God, 1 Sa. 10. 

5; 1 Ch. 25. 3; Ps.33.2; 43.4; 57.8;—David 
skilful in use of, 1 Sa. 16.16,23. 

Hart, Ps. 42.1. See Deer. 

Harvest, the season of reaping corn and 
fruits, begins in Palestine about com¬ 
mencement of April and ends in June, Ge. 
8.22;—of barley. Ex. 9. 31, 32; Ru. 2. 23;— 
of wheat. Ex. 34. 22;—Sabbath kept in, 

21;—promises of, Ge. 8. 22; Je. 5. 24 ;—il¬ 
lustration of a people who are ripe for 
destruction, Joel 3.13; — the end of the 
world, Mat. 13.30;—a season of wrath. Re. 

14.15. 

Hashabiah, hash-a-bl'ah [regarded by 
Jehovah], son of Kemuel of Hebron, Ezr. 
8.24; 1 Ch.26.30. 

Hashbadanah, hash-bad'a-na [considera¬ 
tion in judging], a Levite, mentioned Ne. 
8.4. 

Hashmonah, hash-mo'nah [fatness], an en¬ 
campment of the Israelites in the wilder¬ 
ness, Nu. 33.29. 

Hashupha, ha-shu'fa [uncovered], one of 
the Nethinim, Ne.7.46. 

Hatipha, ha-ti'fa [captured], a Nethinim, 
Ne.7.56; Ezr.2.54. 

Hatred, ill-will, of our fellow-men to be 
guarded against, Le. 19. 17; Pr. 10. 12,18; 
26.24; 1 Jn.2.9; 3.15; 4.20. 

Haughtiness, pride and arrogance, con¬ 
demned, 2Sa.22.28; Pr.16.18; 18.12; Is. 2. 
11,17. See Pride. 

Haunt, to frequent, 1 Sa.30.31; Eze.26.17. 
Hauran, haw'ran [caves, cave-land], a 
country north-east of Canaan, and south 
of Damascus, embracing a portion of the 
kingdom of Bashan, Eze. 47.16,18. It is 
identical with the Greek province of 
A uranitis. 

Haven, a seaport, Ge.49.13; Ps. 107.30; Ac. 
27 8,12. 

Havilah, hav'Y-lah [terror], the son of Cush, 
Ge. IO _ 7;—gave name to the country of, 
probably identical with Colchis, 25. 18; 1 
Sa.15.7. 

Havock, to lay waste, Ac.8.3. 
Havoth-Jair, ha'voth-jT.'ir [cabins or vil¬ 
lages of Jair], the vitlagesor hamlets which 
Jair took from the Ammonites, on the 
north of Mount Gilead, Nu.32.41; Ju.10.4. 
Hawk, a well-known bird of the falcon 
tribe, unclean according to the law, Le.n. 
16;—described, Job 39.26. 

Hazael, haz'a-el [seeing God], probably an 
officer in the army of Naaman the Syrian, 
sent to consult Elisha at Damascus, 2 Ki. 
8.7;—his iniquity predicted, 13;—kills his 
master, 15;—oppresses Israel, 10.32:13.22; 
diverted by presents from pVoceeding to 
Jerusalem, 12.17;—his death, 13-24. 
Hazar-Gaddah, ha zar-gad'dah [village of 
fortune], a town in the extreme south of 
Judah, Jos.x5.27. 

Hazar-Maveth, ha'zar-ma'veth [court of 
death], a descendant of Shem, 1 Ch. 1.20. 
Hazeroth, haz'e-roth [villages], the six¬ 
teenth encampment of the Israelites in the 
wilderness, Nu.11.35; 12.16. 

Hazor, ha'zor [inclosuie, village], (1) The 
chief city of North Palestine, on the west 
side of the waters of Merom, taken by 
Joshua, Jos. 11.10; 15.23.—(2) One of the 
cities of Judah in the south, Jos.15.23.— 
(3) A place in which the Benjamites resided 
after the captivity, Ne.11.33. 

Head, Christ is, of his body—the church, 
Ep.5.23;—of principality and power, Col. 
2. xo;—of all things for the good of his 
church, Ep. 1.22;—applied to rulers,princes, 
magistrates, Ex. 18. 25; De.1.15,16; 33. 21: 
Is. 9;—the chief of families, Ex. 6.14,25; 
1 Ch.5.24. 

Healing, curing ailments, Je.30.13; Mat.4. 
23; Lu.9.6; Ac.xo.38. 


(Ha—He) 607 

Health, the value of it, and how preserved, 
Pr.3.7,8; Ac.27.34. * Ti.5.23. 

Hear, we are commanded to hear Christ, 
Mat. 17. 5; Mar. 9. 7; -and the Spirit ad¬ 
dressing the churches, Re.2.7,11,17,29; *3- 
9;—we ought to do so attentively , Lu. 21. 
38; Ac. 10.33: He.2.1;—with reverence, Ps. 
89.7;—with faith, He.4.2;—with discrimi¬ 
nation, Mar. 4. 24;—with a humble and 
teachable disposition, Lu.10.39; Ja.1.21;— 
with self-application. Mat. 26. 22;—with 
constancy, Pr.8.34; Ac.2.42,46; Ja.1.24,25: 
—with a view to practice. Mat. 7. 24-27; 
Ro.2.13;—with prayer, Ps. 119.18,27. 

Heart, the seat of the affections, desires, 
and motives, commonly used for the soul, 
Ps.19.8144.21; Is.9.9;—naturally depraved, 
Ge.6.5; 8.21; Ec.9.3; Mat. 15.19;—hard and 
unfeeling in matters relating to the soul, 
Ps.119.70; Eze.11.19;Ep.4.18;—proud, Ps. 
10.4; 73.6; Is.9.9; Je.49.16; Ob. 3;—deceit¬ 
ful, Ps. 12.2; Pr. 28. 26; Je. 17. 9: 1 Co. 8.2; 
Ga. 6. 3; Re. 3. 17;—rebellious, Je. 5. 23;— 
idolatrous, Eze.14.3,4. 

-, should be pure, Jos. 24.14: 1 Sa.16. 

7; 1 Ch.28.9; 29.17; Ps.7.8; 24.4:51.6; 73.1; 
119.80; 125.4; Pr. 4.23; 23.26; 24.12; Mat. 
5.8; Lu.8.15; 11.39; Ro.2.29; 1 Ti.1.5; 2TL 
2.22; Ja.4.8. 

-, evidences of its being pure, are its 

abhorring vain and sinful thoughts, Ps. 119. 
113;—delighting in holy meditation, Ps.r. 

2; 119.97;—desirous of nearness to God, 
42. 1, 2; 63. 1; 84. 2;— prompting to holy 
conversation and deportment, Mat.12.34, 
35; Ja.3.13;—exciting to pray for greater 
purity, Ps.51.2,7,10. 

-, we are commanded watchfully to 

keep, Pr. 4.23;—the Lord looks chiefly to 
it, 1 Sa. 16. 7; Je. 17. 10;—a broken and a 
contrite one pleasing to the Lord, Ps. 34. 
18; 51.17; Is.57.15; 61.1; 66.2. 

-, God judicially hardens, or in right¬ 
eous judgment gives up sinners to harden 
themselves: as in the case of Pharaoh, Ex. 

4. 21; 7. 13; 9. 12;—of Sihon, De. 2. 30;—of 
the inhabitants of Canaan, Jos.11.20 —of 
the Israelites, Ps.81.12;—of the Gentiles,. 
R0.1.24. 

-, marks of one thus hardened, are 

insensibility and indifference about the 
state of the soul, Ps. 119.70; Is.1.3; 6.fo;— 
total neglect of duties, Job 21. 14, 15: Ps. 
10.4;—unrestrained indulgence in sin, Ro. 
1.24; Ep.4.18,19;—contempt of threatened 
judgments, Is.5.18,19; 2 Pe.3.3,4. 

-, awful doom of those who are thus 

hardened in, Pr.29.1;—cautions to guard 
us from, 1 Sa.6.6; Ps.95.8; Pr.28.14; He.3. 
8.15; 4-7- 

Hearth, the place on which the fire is 
made, Ge.18.6; Ps.102.3; ls.30.14. 

Heath, a plant in barren wastes. It is 
probably the juniper that is meant in Is. 
I 7-5 -8 - 

Heathens, those who are without the 
written Word of God, Ps.2.1; Mat.6.7; Ga. 
2.9;—might know somewhat of God by his 
works, Ac.14.17; Ro.1.19,20;—are notwith¬ 
standing ignorant of him, 1 Co.x.21;-—are 
sunk into idolatry and vice, Ro.i.21-32;— 
shall be judged by the law and light of 
nature, 2.12-16;—in the latter times shall 
enjoy the gospel. See Gospel. 

Heaven, sometimes means the place where 
holy souls dwell, 2 Ki.2.t,n; Lu.2.15; Ep. 
3. 15; Col. 1. 5: 1 Pe. 1. 4;—and sometimes 
the visible firmament, Ge.7.11; Le. 26.19; 
De. 4.11; La. 4.19: Lu.21.26;—the heaven 
of heavens, 2C0.6.18;—the third heaven, 
12.2. 

-, the happiness of it, Ps.i6.n;Da. 

12.3; Mat. 5.12; 13.43: Lu. 12.43; Jn.12.26; 
17.21; 1 Co.2.9; 13.12; 1 Pe.1.4; Re.7.16,17; 

I 4- I 3- . . w 

-, degrees of happiness in it. Mat. 

16.27; Lu.19.17; Jn.14.2; 1 Co.15.41; 2 Co. 
9.6. 

-, who will be admitted into it, Mat. 

5.3-12; J11.3.15; Ro.2.7: 1 Ti.6 19. 

--, who will be excluded from it. Mat, 

7.21; Lu.13.27; 1 Co.6.9; Ga.5.21, &c.; Re. 
22.15. 

Heaviness, sorrow and distress of mind, 
Ezr. 9. 5: Ps. 69. 20; Pr. 10.1;—Christ con*' 
forts those who are in. Is.61.3. 

Heber, Eber, h6'ber [community], 1 Tip- 
son of Shelah, and great-grandchild of 
Shem, Ge. 10.24.—(2 The husband of Jael 
who killed Sisera, Ju.4.17-21. 

Hebrews, a name given to the Israelites, 
Ge. 14.13; 40.15: Ex. 2. 6; 3.18; 1 Sa. 4.0,9, 
&c.; derived from Heber the ancestor of 
Abraham, or from eber (beyond, from the 




























TIIE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


608 (He-Ho) 

other side , the name by which the Jews 
were known to foreigners, while in speaking 
among themselves of themselves they used 
the name Israelites. 

Hebrews Epistle to), though anonymous 
yet the weight of evidence is in favour of 
the opinion that it was written by Paul 
about a.d. 62. Its great design is to show 
that the Levitical priesthood was a shadow 
of that of Christ, and that the legal sacri¬ 
fices prefigured the great and final atone¬ 
ment made by his blood. 

Hebron, he'bron [fellowship], the oldest 
town in Palestine, and one of the most 
ancient and renowned cities of the world, 
Nu. 13.22;—called Kirjath-Arba, Ju. 1.10; 
Mamre, Ge.33.19; 35.37;—Abraham dwelt 
there, 13. 18;—taken from the Amofites, 
Ju.i.io. Its modern name is el-Kknitl [the 
friend], with a population of about 1000, 
including about 60 Jewish families. 

Hedge, for protecting fields or gardens, Pr. 
15. 19;—whatever defends from harm, Is. 
5.5; Eze. 13. 5;—troubles and hindrances, 
La. 3.7; Ho.2.6. 

Heel, put for the body, or the inferior part 
of human nature, Ge.3.15. 

Hegai, heg'a-i [eunuch], Es.2.8,15. 

Heifer Red), a young cow, the use of its 
ashes, Nu.19.1, &c. 

Heinous, very wicked, Job31.11. 

Heirs of God, Christians so called, Ro. 8. 
17; Ga.4.7; Ep.3.6; Tit.3.7; He.6.17; Ja.2. 
5; Christ the heir of all things, He. 1.2. 
Helbon, hel'bon [fat], a city of Syria, not 
far from Damascus, famed for its excellent 
wine, Eze. 27.18. 

Heleph, he'leff [an exchange], a city of 
Naphtali, Jos. 19.33. 

Heli, he'll, probably the father of Joseph, 
husband of the Virgin Mary, Lu.3.23. 
Heliopolis, he-ii-op'o-lis [the city of the 
- sun], one of the oldest cities in the world, 
situated in Lower Egypt, about 10 miles 
north-east of Cairo. It is thus named 
both in the Septuagint and Vulgate, but 
called On in the Hebrew; Joseph married 
the daughter of Potipherah the priest of, 
Ge.41.45; 46.20. The site of the city is 
now occupied by low mounds, the only 
remains of its famous temple being a 
granite obelisk about 68 feet high. 

Hell. This word is the translation of the 
H ebrew sheol and the Greek hades. Sheol 
is rendered by our translators thirty times 
by grave, e.g. Ge. 42.28; 45.29; Ps.49. 14; 

141.7; Is.38.18. It is rendered hell, as de¬ 
noting the place of punishment, De. 32.22; 
Ps. 9. 17; Pr.23.14; Mat.5.29; 10.28; 23.33; 
Mar.9.43; L11.12.5; 16.23; 2 Pe- 2. 4. 'l his 
is its most frequent signification. The hor¬ 
rors and punishments of it set forth. Mat. 
13.42: 18. 9; 25. 30; Jude 13; Re. 14. 10; 19. 
20;20.10,14; 21.8;—sufferings in it various, 
according to the degrees of guilt, Mat.11. 
22; 23.14; Lu.12.47,48;—the eternity of the 
torments thereof asserted. Da. 12. 2; Mat. 
3.12:25.46; Mar. 9. 44; Lu. 16. 26; Jude 
13 - 

Helmet, a metal cap for defending the 
head, 1 Sa. 17.5,38 -—figuratively, the hope 
of salvation, Ep.6.17; 1 Th.5.8. 

Heman, he'man [faithful], 1 A Kohathite, 
the grandson of Shemuel, the ‘singer,’ 

1 Ch. 6. 33.— 2; The son of Zerah, cele¬ 
brated for his wisdom, 1 Ki.4.31; 1 Ch.2.6. 
Hemlock, a poisonous herb. Ho. 10. 4;— 
figuratively, perverted judgment. Am.6. 
12. 

Hepher, he'fer [a pit or well], a city of the 
ancient Canaanites; was subdued by Jo¬ 
shua, Jos. i2. 17;—also the name of Zelo- 
phehad’s father, 17.3. 

Hephzibah, hef'zi-bah [pleasure, delight], 
the queen of Hezekiah, and mother of 
Manasseh, 2 Ki. 21. 1;—the church thus 
called. Is.62.4. 

Herald, one who proclaims the orders of a 
king. Da. 3.4. 

Herbs, appointed for the food of man, Ge. 

3- *8, figurative of the transitory pros¬ 
perity and life of man, 2 Ki.19.26; Ps.37.2. 
Herd, larger cattle, distinguished from the 
smaller called th efiock, Ge.18.7; Ex.10.9; 
Hab.3.7. 

Heresy [sect], a system of opinions; ren¬ 
dered sect, Ac.24.5; 26.5; 28.22;—corrup¬ 
tion of the true faith, 1 Co.11.19. 

Heretics, those who hold or teach false 
doctrine, Tit 3.10; 2^.2.17,18. 

Heritage, inheritance, estate by succes¬ 
sion, Ex.6.8; Ps. 16.6; 61.5; 1 Pe.5.3. 
Hermas, and Hermes, her'mas [Mercury 
or gain], two disciples of Christ residing in 


Rome, to whom Paul sends his salutations, 
Ro. 16.14. 

Hermogenes, her-mo'jen-es [descendant of 
Mercury], one who turned his back on 
Paul, and probably on a Christian profes¬ 
sion, 2 Ti.1.15. 

Hermon, her'mon [lofty, prominent peak], 
a mountain in the north-eastern boundary 
of the Holy Land, often mentioned, Jos. 
12.5; 13.5,11; Ps.89.12; 133.3. This moun¬ 
tain is 8950 feet above the level of the sea. 
Its modern name is Jebel-esh-sheikh [chief 
mountain], called by the Sidonians ‘ Sirion,’ 
De.3.9. 

Hermonites, properly Hermons, that is the 
three) summits of the Hermon, Ps.42.6. 
Herod the Great, an Idumean, the second 
son of Antipater, who had been made pro¬ 
curator of Judea by Julius Czesar, B.c. 47; 
king of Judea when Christ was born, Mat. 
2. 1;—was troubled at the report of his 
birth, 3;—sent for the Magi, or wise men, 
who had come to see Christ, and by false¬ 
hood endeavoured to make them inform 
him where the infant Saviour was, 7, 8;— 
enraged, because they complied not with 
his wish, he commanded all the children 
in Bethlehem, from two years old and 
under, to be murdered, 16. After his death 
by a dreadful disease his kingdom was 
divided among his three sons. His son 
Archelaus (Mat.2.22) received Judea, Idu¬ 
mea, and Samaria; Philip received Ba- 
tanea, Iturea, and Trachonitis; and Herod 
Antipas, called Herod the Petrarch (Lu. 
3.1), Galilee. 

- Antipas the Petrarch , son of Herod 

the Great by his wife Malthace a Sa¬ 
maritan, King of Galilee, married his 
brother’s wife. Mat. 14. 3;—reproved for 
this by John the Baptist, 4;—imprisons 
and puts him to death, 3-10; Mar. 6.17; 
L11.9. 7, 9;—hears of the fame of Jesus, 
Mat. 14.1;—reported to design to kill him, 
Lu.13.31;—examines him, 23.6. 

- Agrippa /., the grandson of Herod 

the Great by his eldest son Aristobulus, 
puts to death the apostle James, Ac. 12. 2; 
—imprisoned Peter, 3, 4;—his terrible 
death, 20-23;—he reigned seven or ten 
years, and was the father of Agrippa, Ber¬ 
nice, Drusilia, and Mariamne. 

- Agrippa II., son of the preceding, 

is mentioned in the New Testament only 
by the name of Agrippa. Festus brought 
Paul before him, and was almost per¬ 
suaded to be a Christian, Ac. 26. 1-32. 
After the destruction of Jerusalem he went 
to Rome, where he died at the age of 
seventy. 

Herodians, he-ro'di-ans, a Galilean politi¬ 
cal party, who favoured Herod’s ambitious 
desire to gain from Rome the title of king. 
In their religious tenets they were Saddu- 
cees. Mat. 22.16; Mar. 12.13. 

Herodias, he-ro'di-as, the sister of Herod 
Agrippa I., and granddaughter of Herod 
the Great; her first husband was her uncle 
Philip, son of Herod the Great, whom she 
deserted, and lived in adulterous inter¬ 
course with Herod Antipas, his brother. 
Heron, an unclean biid according to the 
law, Le.11.19; De.14.18. The Heb. word 
[anaphah) so rendered is supposed to de¬ 
signate a species of plover. 

Heshbon, hesh'bon [reason, intelligence]; 
chief city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, 
about 20 miles east of the river Jordan; given 
to the tribe of Reuben, Jos. 13. 17;—after¬ 
wards assigned to the Levites, 21. 39;— 
famous for its fish-pool, Ca. 7. 4;—its ruins 
are still seen. 

Heth [trembling, fear], the eldest son of 
Canaan, and father of the Hittites, Ge.io. 
i5r Abraham purchased a burying-place 
from his sons, 25. 10;—the daughters of, 
embittered Rebekah’s life, 27.46. 

Hew, to cut wood or stone, Ex. 34. 4;—to 
slay or cut into pieces man or beast. Ho. 
6.5; 1 Sa.11.7. 

Hezekiah, hez-e-kl'ah [strengthened of the 
Lord], king of Judah, succeeds Ahaz, 2 Ki. 
16. 20; 2 Ch. 28. 27;—conquers the Philis¬ 
tines, 2 Ki. 18.8;—made war upon by Sen¬ 
nacherib. 18.13; 2 Ch.32.1; Is.36.1, & c .;— 
receives ambassadors from B. bylon, 2 Ki. 
20.12; Is. 39.1;—threatened for his ostenta¬ 
tion, 6;—cleanses the temple, 2 Ch.29.3;— 
proclaims a solemn fast, 30. 1; —sick, but 
recovers, 2 Ki. 20. 1, &c.; Is. 38. 1, &c.;— 
dies, 2 Ki.20.21. 

Hiddekel, hid'de-kel Rhe rapid Tigris], one 
of the rivers which had their source in 
paradise, Ge. 2. 14;— on the banks of it 


Daniel had one of his visions, Da. 10.4. It | 
rises about 15 miles south of the source of 
the Euphrates, and after pursuing a south¬ 
east course joins that river at Korna, about 
50 miles above Bassorah. 

Hiel, hi'el [the Lord liveth], a man of 
Bethel, who, notwithstanding the curse 
denounced by Joshua against him who 
should attempt to rebuild Jericho, Jos. 6. 
26, undertook it, and found the curse veri¬ 
fied, 1 Ki.16.34. 

Hierapolis, hl-er-rap'o-lis [a sacred or holy 
city], a city of Phrygia, in Asia Minor, in 
the neighbourhood of Colosse: here Chris¬ 
tianity was early planted, Col. 4. 13. Its 
modern name is Painbuk-Kalessi [cotton- 
castle], about 5 miles north of Laodicea. 
Higgaion, hig-ga'yon [the murmuring], the 
low tone of the harp, Ps. 92. 3. In Ps. 19. 

15 it means meditation, and in 9. 16 is a 
musical sign. 

High Places, places chosen for the erec¬ 
tion of altars, Ge. 12. 7,8; 22.2; 31.54; Jit.6. 
25,26; 1 Sa. 9. 12; but after the building of 
the temple such places became an abomi¬ 
nation, as the scenes only of idol-worship, 

1 Ki.3.2,4; 12.31,32; 13.2; 14.23, &c. 
High-priest, his robes, Ex. 28.39;—how he 

must enter the holy of holies, Le.16.1, &c.: 
—succession after the captivity, Ne. 12.10; 

—Christ our great, He.4.14. 

Hilkiah, hil-ki'ah [portion of Jehovah], a 
high-priest in the reign of Josiah, 2 Ki. 18. 
18,37; D.36.22; 2 Ki. 22.4; 2 Ch. 34.15; Ne. 
8.4- 

Hill Country, the country immediately to 
the south of Jerusalem, L11.1.39. 

Hin, a liquid measure, containing the Jth 
part of a ‘bath,’=12 Roman sextarii=5 
quarts, Ex.29.40; 30.24, &c. 

Hind, the female of the red deer or stag, 
Job 39.1; Ps.29.9;—swift and sure of foot, 

2 Sa. 22.34; Ps. 18.33;—emblems of activity, 
Ge. 49. 2;—gentleness, Pr. 5.19;—modesty, 
Ca.2.7; 3.5;—earnest longing of, Ps.42.1;— 
maternal affection, Je. 14.5. 

Hinder, to obstru«(t, Ge. 24. 56; Ac. 8. 36; 1 
C0.9.12; Ga.5.7. 

Hinges, joints on which a door turns, 1 Ki. 
7.50; Pr.26.14. 

Hinnom, hin'nom [lamentation], a deep 
and narrow ravine to the south and west 
of Jerusalem. It is first mentioned in Jos. 
15.8; 18.16. From the time of Joshua (2 
Ki.23.10,13,14; 2 Ch. 34. 4,5) it became the 
common cesspool of the city. It is said 
that perpetual fires were kept up in it to con¬ 
sume all that was combustible. It was 
called ‘the valley of the son" 1 or ‘children 
of Hinnom,’ Je. 19.2. By the later Jews 
it was called Ge Hinnom, Gehenna, to 
denote the place of eternal punishment. 
Hiram [noble, free], (1) KingofTyre (called 
also Huram, 1 Ch. 14.1; 2 Ch. 2. 2,11,12 , 
reigned thirty-three years over Tyre, seven 
in David’s reign and twenty-six in that 
of Solomon; sends to David, 2Sa.5.n;— 
congratulates Solomon on his accession, 1 
Ki.5.1;— makes him a present, 9.14;—his 
answer to Solomon about assistance in 
building the temple, 2 Ch. 2. 11.— (2) An 
eminent artificer, sent from Tyre to assist 
in the building of the temple, &c., 1 Ki.7. 

13;—and the furniture of it, 15, &c.—(3 A 
Benjamite, iCh.8.5. 

Hire, to be paid promptly to the labourer, 
Le.19.13; De.24.14,15;—of a w'hore not to 
be brought into the house of the Lord, 
23.18. 

Hireling, one employed for hire for a 
limited time—figurative allusion, Job 7.1; 

14 6;—one who takes little interest in the 
flock compared with the shepherd, Jn.10. 
12 , 13 - 

Hissing, crying like a serpent, and used to 
denote scorn or contempt, 2 Ch. 29. 8; Je. 

18.16; Mi.6.16;—to call with a hiss denotes 
authority, Is.5.26; 7.18; Zec.10.8. 

Hitherto, till now, Ex.7.16; Ps.71.17; Tn. 
5.17; Ro.1.13. 

Hittites, hit'tites, the descendants of Heth, 
the second son of Canaan; two of David’s 
mighty men were, 1 Sa. 26. 6; 2 Sa.11.6;— 
in the days of Elisha, they had kings of 
their own, 2 Ki.7.6. 

Hivites, hl'vites, a tribe of the Canaanites, 

Ge. 10. 17;—sometimes called Avims, De. 
2.23; Jos.13.3. 

Hizkijah, hiz-kl'jah [the strength of the 
Lord], one who sealed the covenant with 
Nehemiah, Ne. 10.17. 

Hoary Head, gray hairs, a crown of glory, 
when found in the way of righteousness, 

Pr. 16.31;—the beauty of old men, 20.29;— 


honour to be given to, Le.19.32;—promise 
to carry to. Is. 46. 4;—prayer for one who 
has reached, Ps.71.18. 

Hobab, ho'bab (beloved], the son of Raguel 
the Midianite, Nu. 10.29; Ju.4.11;—usually 
identified with Jethro, Ex. 18.5,27,'comp. 
Nu. 10. 29, 30;—accompanies him and the 
Israelites in the wilderness, Nu. 10. 29;— 
Heber a descendant of, Ju.4.11. 

Hobah, ho'bah [hiding-place, hidden], a 
town north of Damascus, whither Abraham 
pursued the kings who had taken Lot, 
Ge.14.15. 

Hodaiah, hod-a-i'ah [the praise of the 
Lord], one of David’s posterity, 1 Ch.3.24. 
Hoglah, hog'lah [partridge], the third of 
the five daughters of Zelophehad, Nu. 26. 

33; 

Hoised, raised up on high, Ac. 27.40. 
Holiness, freedom from sin, and devoted¬ 
ness to God; the necessity of it, Le. 11.44; 
19. 2; Ps. 4. 3; R0.6.19; 12.1; 13.12; 2 Co. 7. 

1; Ep. 1.4; 4.24; Phi.1.27; Col.x. 10; 1 Th.2. 
12; 1 Pe. 1.15; 2 Pe. 3. 11;—a motive to it: 
from the holiness of God, Le.11.44; 19.2; 

1 Pe. 1. 16;—from the dissolution of all 
things, 2 Pe.3.11;—none can see him with¬ 
out it. He. 12.14;—must be served in, L11. 

1. 74,75; —saints elected, and called to it, 
Ro. 8. 29; F.p.1.4; 1 Th.4.7; 2 Ti.1.9;—pro¬ 
mised to the church, Is.35.8; Ob.17; Zee. 
14 20,21. 

-, genuine, has its seat in the heart,, 

and is the effect of gracious principle, im¬ 
planted by the Holy Spirit,. Ju.3.6; R0.6. 
22; 8.5;—appears in purity of speech. Col. 
4.6;—sanctity of practice, Phi.1.11; pro¬ 
gressive advancement in goodness. Job 17. 

9; Phi.3.13. 

-, specially required of the minis¬ 
ters of Christ, Le. 21. 16; Is. 52. 11; Mat. 5. 
13,14,16; Ro.2.21; 2 Co. 6. 3,4,6; 1 Ti. 3 2, 
&c.; 4.12, &c., &c. 

Holon, hf/lon [sandy], (1) A city of the 
priests, situated in the mountains of Judah, 
Jos.15.51; 21.15;—called Hilen in 1 Ch.6. 
58.— 2 A city of Moab, Je.48.21. 

Holpen, helped, Ps. 83. 8; 86. 17; Is. 31. 3; 
Da. 11.34; Lu. 1.54. 

Holy, often applied to God, to signify his 
infinite purity , I.e.19.2; 21.8;—frequently 
he is called ‘The Holy One of Israel,’ 2 
Ki. 19.22; Ps.71.22; 78.41; Is. 1.4;—persons, 
places, and things so called, which are 
separated to the Lord, Ex. 19.6; Le. 16.33; 
Nu.31.6. 

Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit. See Ghost. 
Homer [a heap], a measure of capacity = 

10 baths, I.e.27.16; Nu. 11. 32; Eze. 45.11; 
called also a cor. 

Honest, upright or becoming, Lu.8.15; Ac. 

6.3; Ro.12.17; 2 Co.8.21. 

Honesty, in our dealings, enjoined, Le. 19. 
J 3> 35; l )e - 2 5- *3; Pr- 11. 1; 20. 10, 23; 28. 8; 
Je.17.11; Ho.12.7; Mi.6.8,11; Mar.10.19. 
Honey, was so abundant in Canaan, that 
the land was said to flow with it, Ex. 3.8, 

1 7» J 3- 5; He. 3 2 - 13; 1 Sa. 14. 25; Pr. 25. 27; 
Ca.4.11. 

Honour, true and permanent, promised to 
them who honour and serve God, 1 Sa.2. 
30; Pr.3.16; 4.8; Jn.12.26. 

Hoods, of the Jews, like the turbans of the 
Turks and Persians, raised high in the 
middle, Is.3.23. 

Hope, of eternal life, is founded on the pro¬ 
mises and merits of Christ, Col.1.27; 1 Th. 

I. 3; 2 Th.2.16; Tit. 1.2;—said to be saved 
by it, Ro. 8. 24;—rejoicing in it, 12. 12;—a 
motive to godliness, Ro. 15. 4,13; He. 3. 6; 

1 Pe. 1. 13;—certain objects of the saint’s 
hope: Christ's second appearing, Tit.2.13; 

-the resurrection, Ac.23.6; 24.15;—future 
glory, Ro.5.2; Col.1.27. 

•-of the hypocrite and unjust shall 

perish, Job 8.13,14; Pr.11.7. 

Hophni, hof'n'f [pugilist], and Phinehas, 
the sons of Eli, the high-priest, 1 Sa.1.3; 

—were dissolute and abandoned men, 2. 
12-17:—hearkened not to the gentle reproof 
of their father, 25;—their doom foretold, 
27-34;—revealed also to young Samuel,3. 
n-14;—both slain by the Philistines, 4. 

II, 17. 

Hor, hor [the mountain], (1) A mountain on 
the confines of Idumea, on which Aaron 
died, Nu. 20. 25, 28; 33. 38, 39. It has a 
double summit, and is 4800 feet above the 
Mediterranean.—(2) A mountain named 
only in Nu.34.7,8, probably identical with 
Lebanon. 

Horeb, ho'rfeb [dry, desert], probably an¬ 
other name for the whole ^or a part of 
Sinai. Here the angel of the Lord ap- 
















peared to Moses, while he kept the flock | 
of Jethro, Ex. 3.1,2;— here Moses smote the 
rock, and drew water for all the host of 
Israel, 17.6;— God’s covenant with the Is¬ 
raelites the/e, De.5.1, &c. 

Hor-hagidgad, hor-ha-gid'gad [mount of 
thunder], the thirty-third encampment of 
the Israelites, Nu.33 32. 

Horites, ho'rites, or Horims [dwellers in 
caves], an ancient people who dwelt in the 
mountains of Seir, Ge. 14.6;— were power¬ 
ful and had princes before Esau conquered 
their country, 36.20; De. 2.12,22. 

Hormah, hor'mah [dedicated], a royal city 
of the Canaanites in the tribe of Simeon, 
to which the Canaanites pursued the Is¬ 
raelites, when, in opposition to Moses, 
they attempted to enter the Land of Pro¬ 
mise, Nu. 14.45;—many years after, it was 
conquered by them, 21.1-3;—called Zeph- 
ath, Ju.1.17. 

Horn, a defensive weapon of an ox. Ex. 21. 
29 —figuratively, an emblem of honour 
and power, x Sa. 2.1,10; Ps. 132.17; Je. 48. 
25;—powerful kingdoms. Da. 7.8,11,21; 8. 
5,8,9,21; Zec.1.18,19,21. 

Hornets, a species of wasp, remarkable for 
strength and irritability, employed as in¬ 
struments of divine judgment on the 
Canaanites, Ex.23.28; De.7 20; Jos.24.12. 
Horon, and Horonaim, hor'on and hor-o- 
na'im [two caverns], a city of Arabia, on 
the east of the Dead Sea, Is.15.5; Je.48.3; 
—Sanballat probably a native of, Ne. 2. 
10,19; 13*28. 

Horrible, dreadful, terrible, Ps.11.6; Je. 5. 
30; 18.13; Ho.6.xo. 

Horse, Ge. 49. 17;—riding on, a mark of 
dignity, Ec. to. 7; — used by kings and 
warriors, Ex. 14. 9,23; Es. 6. 8;—war-horse 
described. Job 39.10, &c. 

Horses, the Jewish kings forbidden to mul¬ 
tiply, De. 17.16;—Solomon, contrary to this 
prohibition, had 40,000 stalls of, 1 Ki.4.26; 
—in the vision of Zechariah, Zee. 1.7. 
Hosanna, ho-zan'nah [save, I beseech thee], 
used as a prayer, or an ascription of praise, 
Mat.21.9,15; Mar.11.9,10; Jn.12.13. 
Hosea, ho-ze'ah [saving], one of the minor 
prophets, son of Beeri, contemporary with 
Isaiah. His ministry extended from Jero¬ 
boam’s death to the beginning of Heze- 
kiah’s reign, about sixty years. 

Hosen, the old plur. of ‘ hose,’ an under¬ 
garment, Da. 3.21. 

Hoshama, hosh'a-mah [heard, or he obey¬ 
ing], one of the posterity of David, 1 Ch. 
3.18. 

Hoshea, ho-she'a [salvation], (1) The same 
with Joshua, De.32.44.— 2 Thenineteenth 
and last king of Israel, 2 Ki.x5.30; 17.1;— 
he and his people conquered, and carried 
captive into Assyria, 5. 6; 17. 3, &c.;—and 
thus the kingdom of the ten tribes came 
to an end, 2 Ki. 17.1-6; Ho 13.16 b.c. 725). 
Hospitality, the practice of kindly enter¬ 
taining strangers, recommended, Ro. 12. 
13; 1 Ti. 3.2; Tit.1.8; He.13.2; 1 Pe.4.9;— 
test of Christian character, 1 Ti.5.10. 

--, examples: of Abraham to the 

angels, Ge.18.3, &c.;—of Lot to the angels, 
ig. 2 ; —of Laban to Abraham's servant, 24. 
3 x;—of Jethro to Moses, Ex.2.20;—of an 
old man at Gibeah to a Levite, Ju.19.15;— 
of Job, Job 31. 32;—of Lydia to Paul and 
Silas, Ac. 16.15;—of the people at Melita, 


28.2. 

Host, one who lodges and entertains guests, 
Lu. 10.35; Ro.16.23. 

Hostages, persons given to another as a 
pledge for the performance of certain con¬ 
ditions, 2 Ki. 14.14; 2Ch.25.24. 

Hosts, or Armies, Jehovah is often called 
the Lord of, Ex. 12.41; 1 Sa.1.11; Ps. 59. 5; 
84.1,3,12, &c. 

Houghing of Horses, disabling them, by 

- hamstringing , i.c. cutting the ‘ tendon 
Achillis’ of the hinder legs, Jos. 11. 6, 9; 2 


Sa.8 4. 

Hour, the Jews for many ages did not 
divide the day by hours, but into the 
morning, neon, first evening, and last 
evening. After the Chaldean captivity, 
and especially after they came under the 
Romans, they adopted the division of the 
day into twelve hours, beginning with the 
rising of the sun, Da. 4. 191 Mat. 9* 22 1 2 7- 


45, &c. 

louse, denoting a family, Ge.12. 17; 1 Ti. 
v 8;—a race, Lu.2.4;—property, 1 Ki.13.8. 
touseholder, master of a family, Mat. 13. 


27,52; 21 33. 

Houses, of the Jews, were built flat on the 
roof, on which, as the season favoured, 


THE BIBLE STUI 

they walked, prayed, slept, and published 
any important matter to the people in the 
streets, 1 Sa.9.25; Mat.10.27; Ac. 10.9;—to 
prevent them from falling from, it was 
guarded by a parapet wall, De.22.8;—new 
houses to be dedicated, 20.5;—the leprosy 
in, Le. 14.33. 

Howbeit, nevertheless, Ju. 4. 17; Is. 10. 7; 
Mat. 17.21; Ga.4.8. 

Howling, like the noise of a dog, Is. 15. 8; 
Je.25.36; Zep.1.10. 

Huge, vast, large, 2 Ch.16.8. 

Hukkok, huk'kok [decreed], a place on the 
borders of Naphtali, near Zebulun, Jos. 19. 
34; 1 Ch.6.75. 

Huldah, hul'dah [a weasel], a prophetess, 
foretells the destruction of Jerusalem, 2 
Ki.22.x5; 2 Ch.34.23. 

Humanity, or social kindness, enjoined, De. 
22.1; Lu. 10. 37; Ep. 4. 32; Col. 3.12; 1 Pe. 
3.8. 

Humility, or lowliness of mind, recom¬ 
mended, Ps. 138. 6; 144.3; Pr- u. 2; 16. 19; 
18.12:22.4; Is.57.15; Mi.6.8; Mat.18.4; 23. 
12; Lu. 18.14; R°* 12.3,10,16; Phi.2.3; Col. 

3. 12; Ja. 4. 10; 1 Pe. 2. 17; 5. 5;— to obtain 
and cherish this excellent spirit, we should 
consider that we are mortal creatures, 
Job 7. 1; 14. 1;— dependent creatures, Ac. 
17.28; 1 Co, 4. 7;— ignorant creatures, Job 
8.9; 11. 12;— sinfid creatures, Ro. 3. 23; 1 
Jn.1.10;—we should consider its advan¬ 
tages, Lu. 14. 11; Ja. 4. 6;—and study the 
example of Christ, Mat. 11. sty,—advan¬ 
tages of: it is pleasing to God, 1 Pe.3.4;— 
approved by good men, Pr.29.23;—has the 
promise of divine care and love, Ps. 25.9; 
Is. 57.15;—it keeps us from being hurt by 
prosperity, Pr. 1. 32; Ge. 39. 2;—makes us 
patient and resigned in adversity, Job 2. 
10; Ps. 69. 32, 33;— examples of: Moses, 
Ex. 18.^4;—Gideon, Ju. 6.15;—Elijah, 1 Ki. 
19.4;—Daniel, Da. 2. 30; —the Psalmist, Ps. 
131.1;—Jesus Christ, Phi. 2.5-8;—John the 
Baptist, Lu.3.16;—Peter, Ac.3.12:10.26;— 
Paul and Barnabas, 14.15;—Cornelius, 10. 
33;—Paul, 1 Co. 15. 9; 2 Co. 12. 11; Ep. 3. 
8; 1 Ti.1.15. 

Hunger, a desire of food, Ex. 16.3; De.28. 
48; Lu.15.17;—after righteousness, bless¬ 
edness of them who do. Mat.5.6;—no hun¬ 
ger shall be felt in heaven. Re. 7.16. 
Hungry, promises to them who feed the, 
Is. 58.10; Eze. 18.7: Mat.25.35;—soul, God 
illeth, Ps. 107.9; Lu. 1.53. 

Hunters, they who chase, Ge. 10. 9; 25.27; 
Pr.6.5; Je. 16.16. 

Hur [a hole], (t) The son of Caleb, who, 
along with Aaron, held up Moses’ hands, 
while Israel fought with the Amalekites, 
Ex. 17. 10;—to him and Aaron, Moses di¬ 
rected the people for counsel, while he was 
on Sinai, 24. 14.—(2) One of the kings of 
Midian, Nu.31.8; Ex.24.14. 

Hurl, to drive quickly, Nu. 35. 20; Job 27. 
21; 1 Ch.12.2. 

Hurtful, mischievous, Ezr.4.15: Ps.144.10; 

1 Ti.6.9. 

Husbandman, one who cultivates the 
ground, an honourable occupation, Ge. 9. 
20; Je.51.23; Jn.15.1; 2 Ti.2.6; Ja.5.7. 
Husbandry, the art of tillage, or cultivat¬ 
ing the ground; the antiquity and honour 
of it, Ge.3.23; 4.2;2Ch.26.10; Pr.i2.n;28. 
19; Ec.5.9. 

-, the church called God’s, 1 Co. 

3-9- 

Husbands. the house-bands , who connect 
the family, and keep it together, their 
duty, Ge. 2. 24; Pr.5.15,18; Mal.2.14,15; 1 
Co.7.3; Ep.5.25; Col.3.19; 1 Pe.3.7. 
Hushai, hu'shl [haste], an Archite, a par¬ 
ticular friend of David’s, who acted as his 
spy, 2 Sa. 15. 32;—his counsel preferred to 
that of Ahithophel, 17.7. 

Hushathite, hu'shath-ite [hasting], de¬ 
scended from Hushah, 1 Ch. 11.29. 

Husk, the outmost cover of fruits, Nu.6.4; 

2 Ki.4.42. In Lu. 15.16 the word refers to 
the fruit of the carob-tree, which was used 
in feeding swine, called also St. Johris- 
bread, from the idea that the Baptist used 
it in the wilderness. 

Huzzab, huz'zab [molten], supposed to be 
the queen of Nineveh, but the meaning is 
uncertain, Na.2.7. 

Hymeneus, hy-men-S'us [nuptial, or a wed¬ 
ding song], and Alexander , for a time 
professed the Christian faith; but fell into 
error and vice, for which they were excom¬ 
municated, 1 Ti. 1. 20;—he and Philetus 
maintained that the resurrection was past, 
2Ti.2.i7,i8. 

Hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs, recom- 


)ENT’S ASSISTANT 

mended, Ac.16.25; Ep.5.19; Col. 3. 16; Ja 
5.13. The hymn mentioned in Mat.26.30 
was the great Hallel, consisting of Ps. 
cxiii.-cxviii. 

Hyperbole, a rhetorical figure, which re¬ 
presents things much greater or less than 
they really are; great and beautiful ones, 
2 Sa.1.23; Je.4.13; La.4.19; Am.2. 9; Hab. 
1.8. 

Hypocrisy, the assuming of a character 
which we are conscious does not belong to 
us, with a view to impose on mankind; its 
guilt and punishment, Job 8.13; 15.34; 27. 
8; 36.13; 15.29.13:33.14; 58.2; Je.3.10; Eze. 
33.31; Mat. 6.2,5; 7.21; 23.13,23,28; 24.51; 
Lu. 12. 1; 16.15; 1 Pe. 2.1; Re. 3.1;—exam¬ 
ples of: Pharaoh, Ex. 8. 28, 29;—Balaam, 
Nu.23. 10;—Saul, 1 Sa. 15.13-15;—Jehu, 2 
Ki. 10. 16, 31;—Herod, Mat. 2.8;—Judas, 
26. 25,48;—Pilate, 27.24;—Ananias, Ac.5. 
1-10. 

Hyssop, a plant, either the marjoram or the 
thorny caper, much used in the Jewish 
purifications. Ex.12.22; Le. 14.4,6,49,51,52. 


I. 


I AM THAT I AM, the name by which 
God made himself known to Moses, ex¬ 
pressive ot his self-existence and independ¬ 
ence, Ex. 3. 14;—in similar terms Christ 
speaks of himself, Jn.8.58. 

Ibhar, ib'har [chosen], one of David’s sons, 

2 Sa.5.15; 1 Ch.3.6. 

Ibleam, ib'le-am [he consumes the people], 
a city of Manasseh, on the border of Issa- 
char, west of Jordan, Jos. 17.11;—the Ca¬ 
naanites still dwelt in it, 12.13;—identical 
with Bileam, 1 Ch.6.70. 

Ibzan, ib'zan [illustrious], a judge of Is¬ 
rael, Ju. 12. 8;—had thirty sons and thirty 
daughters, 9. 

Ichabod, ik'a-bod [where is the glory], a 
name given to the son of Phinehas when 
the ark was taken by the Philistines, 1 Sa. 

4.19-22! 

Iconium, T-ko'ni-um, the metropolis of 
ancient Lycaonia, in Asia Minor, situ¬ 
ated in a beautiful and extensive plain 
at the foot of Mount Taurus, about 50 
miles east of Lystra. Paul and Barnabas 
fled to it, Ac. 13. 51;—here they preached 
in the Jews’ synagogue, 14. 1;—here they 
were persecuted, 2-6. Its modern name 
is Konieh , with a population of about 
30,000. 

Iddo, id'do [his hand], 1 A prophet of the 
kingdom of Judah, who wrote the annals 
of the reign of Rehoboam and Abijah, 2 
Ch. 12. 15;—vision of, 9.29;—book of, 12. 
15;—story of, 13. 22.—(2) The father of 
Berachiah, and grandfather of the prophet 
Zechariah, Zee. 1.1; Ezr. 5.1:6.14.— 3 The 
chief of the half tribe of Manasseh, 1 Ch. 
27.21. 

Idle, lazy, Ex. 5.8;—not working, Mat.20. 

3; Lu. 24.11; 1 Ti.5.13. 

Idleness, sloth, censured, Pr.6.6,11; 10.4, 
26; 12.24,27; 13.4:15.19; 18.9:19.15,24:20. 
4,13; 21.25; 22.13; 23.21; 24.30; 26. 13; Ec. 
10. 18; Eze. 16.49; R°- 12. 11; 1 Th. 4. 11; 2 
Th.3.10; 1 Ti.5.13. Parties who exempli¬ 
fied it, Is. 56.10; Ac. 17.21; 2TI1.3.11. 

Idol, an image or statue representing some 
false deity, to which worship was given, 
Le.19.4; De.29.17; Ps.96.5;—anything too 
much esteemed, 1 Jn.5.21. 

Idolatry, forbidden, Ex. 20.4,22; 22.20; 23. 
13,24; Le. 26. 1; De.4.15; 11.16; 17.2; 18.9, 
27.15; Ps.97.7; Je.2. 9; 1 Co. 10. 14; 1 Jn. 5. 
21; Re. 21. 8; 22.15;—the folly of it ridi¬ 
culed, 1 Ki.18.27; Ps. 115-4; I 35- I 5: Is - 44- 
9; 46.1; Je.2.26; 10.3;—the punishment of 
it, death, De. 13.9; 17. 2;—the Canaanites 
extirpated on account of it, De. 12.29;—the 
monuments of it to be destroyed, Ex. 23. 
24; 34. 13; De. 7. 5, 25; 12. 1, &c., 29;—all 
communication with idolaters forbidden, 
De.5.1, &c. 

Idolatry, examples of it: Laban, Ge. 31. 
19,30;—Jacob’s household, 35.2-4;—Egyp- 
tians, Nu. 33. 4; — the Israelites in the 
golden calf. Ex 32.1, &c.;—in the worship 
of Baal-peor, Nu. 25. 1, &c.;—after the 
death of Joshua, Ju. 2. 12; 3. 7;—after the 
death of Gideon, 8. 33;—the Danites, 18. 
3 o;—Solomon, 1 Ki. 11. 4;—Jeroboam, 12. 
28;—in the time of Ahab, 18. 22;— Ahaz, 2 
Ki. x6. 3;—the Samaritans, 17.29;—Amaz- 
iah, 2 Ch.25.14;—Manasseh, 33.2. 


(Ho—Im) 609 

Idolatry, covetousness so called. Col. 3.5. 
Idols, meat offered as sacrifice to them not 
to be eaten by Christians, except in parti¬ 
cular cases, 1 C0.8.1; 10.14, &c., 25- 
Id umea, id-u-m6'ah [red], the Greek form 
of Edom, originally called ‘Mount Seir,’ a 
country bordering on the Holy Land, pos¬ 
sessed by the Edomites, or descendants of 
Esau; was bounded on the north by the 
Dead Sea and Moab, and extended south¬ 
ward to the eastern gulf of the Red Sea, 
Is. 34.5; Eze. 35.15; 36.5; Mar. 3.8. 

Igeal, ig-S'al or ig'fi-al [avenger], (1) One 
of the sons of Shemaiah, 1 Ch. 3. 22.—(2) 
One of David’s famous warriors, 2 Sa. 
23.36. 

Ignominy, shame or reproach, Pr. 18.3. 
Ignorance, want of knowledge, Ep.4.18;— 
sins of, Le. 5. 1;—sacrifices for them, Nu. 
15.22; Le.4.1;—does not excuse sin, Le. 4. 

2; Lu.12.48;—chosen by wicked men, Job 
21.14; Ro.1.28. 

-, voluntary, censured, Jn. 3.19; 

2 Pe. 3 -5- 

--, involuntary, comparatively ex¬ 
cusable, Jn.>9> 41; Ro. 14. 1: 15.1; 1 Co.8.9; 
9.22; 1 Ti. 1. 13;—but not excusable when 
there are the means of information,'Jn. 3. 
19; 5.40; Ac. 17.11,30; 2 Pe.3.5. 

Ignorant, the want of understanding, Is. 
56. 10; 63. 16;—without knowledge, Ac. 4. 
13; Ro. 1.13; He.5.2. 

Uluminated, enlightened with the saving 
knowledge of Christ, He. 10.32. 

Illyricum, il-lyrT-kum, a country in Eur¬ 
ope, lying between Panonia and the Gulf 
of Venice, now called Sclavonia, and about 
480 miles in length, and 120 in breadth; 
from Jerusalem to this country, Paul 
preached, Ro. 15. 19;—Dalmatia, which 
Titus visited, 2 Ti. 4. 10, was the southern 
part of this province. 

Images, not to be worshipped. Ex. 20.4; De. 

4.15: 5. 8; 16. 22;—a golden one set up by 
Nebuchadnezzar, Da. 3.1, &c.;—are seen 
by him in a dream, 2.1, &c. 

Imaginations, the ideas, conceptions, pur¬ 
poses, and desires of men naturally evil, 
Ge.6.5;—corrupt reasonings, 2 Co. 10.5. 
Immanuel, or Emmanuel, im-man'u-el 
[God with 11s], a name given to Christ, ex¬ 
pressive of his partaking both of the di¬ 
vine and human natures. Is.7.14; 8.8; Mat. 
1.23. 

Immediately, in a moment, instantly, 
Mat.4.22; 8.3; Ac.9.34; 12.23; Ga.1.16: Re, 
4.2. 

Immortality, not subject to death or dis¬ 
solution, ascribed to God, 1 Ti.1.17; 6.16; 
—the bodies of believers shall be, 1 Co. 15. 
55;—brought to light by the gospel, 2Ti. 
1.10. 

Immutability, unchangeableness, ascribed 
to God, Ps. 102. 27;—to his counsel, pro¬ 
mise, and oath, He. 6. 17, 18;—to Jesus 
Christ, 13.8. 

Impart, to communicate, Lu. 3.11; Ro. 1.11; 
1 Th.2.8. 

Impediment, in speech, that which hinders 
one to speak plain, Mar.7.32. 

Impenitent, one who repents not of sin, 
Ro.2.5. 

Imperious, commanding in a haughty and 
insolent manner, Eze. 16.30. 

Implacable, scarcely to be pacified or re¬ 
conciled, Ro.1.31. 

Implead, to charge with crimes before a 
judge, Ac. 19.38. 

Implicit faith, or believing as we are 
taught, without examining for ourselves, 
condemned, Is.8.20;.Ac.17.11; 1 Th.5.21; 

1 Jn.4.1; Re.2.2. 

Importunity, or earnestness in prayer, the 
prevalence thereof, Ge.32.26; Lu.11.5; 18. 
1. See Prayer. 

Impose, to lay or bind upon one, E:;r. 7.24; 
He. 9. xo. 

Imposition of hands. See Hands. 
Impossible, what cannot be done, nothing 
is so to God, unless it imply evil, or a con¬ 
tradiction, Lu.1.37; 18.27. 

Impotent, weak and incapable of action, 
Jn.5.7; Ac.4.9; 14.8. 

Impoverish, to make poor, Ju. 6.6; ls.40. 

20; Je.5.17. 

Imprecations, or prayers for curses, re¬ 
markable ones. Job 3. 3: Ps.28.4: 59.5,13; 
143.12; Je 18.21; 20.12,14: La.3.64. 
Imprison, to shut up in prison, Ac.22.19; 

2 Co.6.5; He.11.36. 

Impudence, want of modesty and shame, 
censured, Pr.7.13; 21.29; Eze.3.4,7. 
Impute, to account, or ascribe to a person 
that which he himself hath not, or did not; 


















THE WORLD’S BIBLE 


CIO (In—Is) 

and to deal with him as if it were his; thus | 
God imputed our sins to Christ, ls.53.6; 1 
Pe.a.24;—and thus he imputes the right¬ 
eousness of Christ to believers, and on its 
account treats them as if it were their own, 
comp. Phile.18 with Ro.4.5-13; 2C0.5.21; 
—to lay to one’s charge, 2 Sa. 19.19;—to be 
held guilty, Le. 17.4. 

Inability, natural or physical, the want of 
ability to do that which we wish; as of the 
blind to see, or the lame to run, Mat.9.27; 
Ac. 3. 2;— moral inability, consists in the 
want of inclination, desire, and will to do 
what God requires, Job 21.14; Jn.5.40; 8. 
43 - 

Incense, a rich perfume compounded of 
frankincense and other spices used in sac¬ 
rifices, Ex. 30. 8,34; 37.29;—the merit of 
Christ’s death, Re.8.3,4. 

Incensed, provoked to anger, or kindled 
into rage, Is.41.x1; 45.24. 

Incest, illicit commerce of those connected 
by consanguinity or affinity, forbidden, Le. 
18.6, &c.; 20.17; De. 22.^0; 27.20; Eze.22. 
11; Am. 2.7. 

-, examples of it: of Lot, Ge. 19.33; 

—of Reuben, 35.22;—of Judah, 38.18;—of 
Amnon, 2 Sa. 13.1, &c.;—of Absalom, 16. 
21:—of Herod, Mar. 6.17. 

Inchantments, or Enchantments, magi¬ 
cal charms or spells; the practice of witch¬ 
craft, or the arts of conjuration and sorcery, 
forbidden, Le. 19.26; De. 18.9-12. 

Incline, the ear, to listen attentively, Pr.5. 
13; Je.7.24; 11.8; 25.4:— the heart, to ear¬ 
nestly study and desire, Jos. 24.23; 1 Ki.8. 
58; Ps.78.1. 

Inclose, to compass, or shut up round about, 
as Israel did the Benjamites, Ju.20.43;— 
wicked men did Christ, Ps.22.16. 
Incontinent, unchaste, 2 Ti. 3.3. 
Incorruptible, not liable to corruption or 
decay, God is, Ro. 1. 23;—the bodies of 
saints shall be, 1 Co. 15. 52;—the seed, or 
word and agency of the Spirit, by which 
they are born again, 1 Pe. 1. 23;—their 
heavenly inheritance, 4. 

Increase, the produce of the earth and of 
cattle, Le. 19. 25; De. 7. 13;—to grow, ad¬ 
vance, or improve, Col. 1.10; 1 Th.3.12;— 
to multiply, 1 Ch.27.23. 

Incredible, what cannot be believed, the 
resurrection of the dead ought not to be so 
accounted, Ac. 26.8. 

Incredulity, not believing the testimony of 
men, how far innocent, Pr.26.25; Je.12.6; 
Mat.24.23; x Jn.4^1;—of the apostles, and 
especially of Thomas, Mat.28.17; Mar. 16. 
11, &c.; Lu.24.11; Jn.20.24. 

Incurable, what cannot be healed, 2Ch.2t. 
18;—that which is very difficult to be cured, 
Job 34.6; Je.15.18; 30.12. 

India, an extensive country' in the south of 
Am a. remarkable for its fertility and riches. 
The name occurs only in Es. 1.1,8, as the 
limit of the territories of Ahasuerus in the 
east. As there used it denotes not the 
peninsula of Hindostan, but the districts 
round the Indus—the Punjaub. 
Indignation, wrath or anger, Ne. 4.1; Es. 
5.9; Mat.20.24;—the judgments of God, or 
the dreadful effects of his anger, I s. 26.20 ; 
34- 2 1—a holy displ easure against one’s self 
for sin, 2 Co. 7.11. 

Indite, to form thoughts for speech or writ¬ 
ing, from the overflowing of the heart; or 
as the word signifies, from its boiling- or 
bubbling up, Ps.45.1. 

Industry, or diligence, of body and mind, 
recommended, Pr.6.6; 10.4; 12.24; 13.4; 21. 
5; 22.29; 27.23; Ep.4.28; 1 Th.4.n. Ex¬ 
amples of, Ge.29.9; 3t.6; Ex.2.16; Ru.2.2, 
3; Ac. 9.39. 

Inexcusable, not to be excused, or palliated 
by' apology, Ro.2.1. 

Infallible, that which cannot be mistaken, 
or admit of doubt, Ac. 1.3. 

Infamy, loss of character by crimes; dis¬ 
grace, reproach, Pr.25.10; Eze.22.5; 36.3. 
Infant [one who cannot speak], a young 
child, 1 Sa.15.3; Job 3.16; Ho. 13.16; Lu. 
18.15;—during the millennium there shall 
not be an infant of days, that is, all Chris¬ 
tians shall be men in Christ, in respect of 
gracious attainments, Is.65.20. 

Inferiors, persons beneath us in rank, sta¬ 
tion, or wealth, not to be despised, Pr.17.5; 
Ro. 12. 10, 16;—their duty towards their 
superiors, Pr.25.6; Ro.13.7. 

Infidelity, disbelief of Christianity; the 
causes of it, Jn.5.44; 2 Co.4.4; Ep.2.2; 2 
Th.2.12;—the danger of it, Mar.16.16; Lu. 
12.46; Ro.i.28; 2 Ti.2.12; Re.21.8;—of the 
Israelites, Ps.106.24;—of the inhabitants of 


Nazareth, Mat. 13.57;—of the brethren of 
Jesus, Jn.7.5;—of the Jews at Jerusalem, 
12.37;—at the preaching of Paul, Ac. 13.44. 
See Unbelief. 

Infidels, those who reject revelation; Chris¬ 
tians not to contract marriages with them, 
2 Co.6. 14. See Unbelievers. 

Infinite, without bounds or limits, as God’s 
understanding is, Ps. 147.5;—that which is 
exceeding great. Job 22.5; Na.2.9; 3.9. 
Infirmities, weaknesses which are unavoid¬ 
able; allowances to be made for them, Job 14. 
4; Ps.78.39; 103.14; Mat.7.3; Ro.7.14; 14.2; 
15.1; Ga.5.17; 6.1; He.4.15;—sickness or 
feebleness of body', Lu. 7. 21; 1 l i.5.23;— 
afflictions, or persecutions, 2 Co. 12. 10;— 
spiritual weakness, and defects in grace, 
R0.6.19; 8.26. 

Inflame, to set on fire, Is.5.11; 57.5. 
Inflammation, a disease, accompanied with 
a sensation of heat, arising from obstructed 
blood, or matter; threatened for disobed¬ 
ience, Le.13.28; De 28.22. 

Inflicted, imposed as a punishment, 2 Co. 
2.6. 

Influence, the power of one thing operating 
on another; as from the sun, moon, stars, 
or rain, to cause the earth bring forth fruit, 
Job 38.31. 

Infolding, inclosing, Eze. 1.4. 

Informing, or discovering of great crimes, 
a duty, De. 13.8. 

Ingathering, the feast of, called also the 
‘feast of tabernacles;’ celebrated after all 
the produce of the fields and viney'ards was 
gathered in Ex. 23.16; Le.23.39-44; Jn.6. 
37 , 38 - 

Ingraft. See Graff. 

Ingratitude, insensibility to favours receiv¬ 
ed, and return of evil for good, censured, 
Job 19. 14-16; Ps. 7. 4; 106. 7, & •.; Pr. 17. 
13; Je.3.5; 2TL3.2;—of Pharaoh’s butler 
to Joseph, Ge.40.23;—of the Israelites to 
the family of Gideon, Ju.8.34;—of Saul to 
David, 1 Sa. 18.6, &c.;—of Joash, 2 Ch.24. 
22. 

Inhabitants, they' who dwell in a place, 
Ge. 19.25; Ps.33.8,14; Da. 4.35. 

Inherit, to possess by'inheritance, Ge. 15.8; 
Mat. 19.29; He.6.12. 

Inheritance, an estate by succession or 
donation, Nu. 26. 53, 54; Pr. 13. 22;—those 
whom God hath chosen as his peculiar 
people, Ps. 28. 9; 94. 14 ;—the kingdom of 
heaven, Ep.5.5; 1 Pe. 1.4. 

Iniquity, sin and wickedness in general, 
Ge. 15. 16; 1 Sa. 3. 14; Mat. 7. 23;—original 
corruption, Ps. 51.5;—punishment for sin, 
Ge.19.15; Le.5.1. 

Injure, to do a person wrong or injustice, 
Ga.4.12;—an injurious person is one who 
wrongs others, 1 Ti. 1.13. 

Injustice, prohibitions against, Ex. 22. 21, 
22:23.6; Le.19.15,35; De.16.19; Pr.22.16; 
Je. 22. 3;-—punishment of, Pr. 11. 7; 28. 8; 
Am. 5.11,12; 8.5,8. Examples of, Ge. 39.20; 
1 Sa.8.3; 1 Ki.21.10,15,16; Da.6.4; Ac.24. 
27. 

Inkhorn, a vessel for holding ink, originally' 
made of horn, Eze.9.2,3,11; Je.36.18. 

Inn, a place for travellers to lodge in. In 
ancient times hospitality was so common, 
that public inns such as are found in mo¬ 
dern times did not exist. In the earliest 
ages the word denoted merely a place or 
well where travellers might conveniently 
rest. Aftenvards khans or caravansaries 
were built such as are now found in the 
East, where travellers may have lodging 
and food, Ge.42.27; 43.21; Ex.4.24; Lu.2.7; 
10.34. 

Innocent, not guilty' of particular crimes, 
Ex.23.7; De.27.25; Ps.10.8; 15.5; Mat.27. 

24- 

Innumerable, that cannot be numbered, 
Job 21.33; Ps.40.12; Lu.12.1; He.12.22. 
Inordinate, disorderly, excessive, not un¬ 
der restraint, Eze.23.11; Col.3.5. 
Inquisition, inquiry, search, or examina¬ 
tion, De. 19.18; Es.2.23; Ps.9.12. 
Inquisitiveness, or prying into the busi¬ 
ness of others, censured, Jn.21.21; 1 Pe.4. 
15 - 

Insatiable, not to be satisfied; things that 
are so, Pr.27.20; 30.15; Ec.1.8; 4.8; 5.10; 
Hab.2.5. 

Inscription, a sentence written or engrav¬ 
ed on pillars, altars, &c., Ac. 17.23. 
Inspiration, a supernatural divine influence 
exercised on the minds of the sacred writers, 
by which they were qualified to communi¬ 
cate to the world the will of God; as was’ 
the case with the prophets and apostles, 1 
Sa.10.10; 2Sa. 23. 2; Mat.10.20; Jn.14.24; 


AUXILIARY 

1 16.13; Ep.3.5; 2 Ti. 3.16; 2 Pe. 1.21. Man¬ 

ners of inspiring referred to, Nu.7.89; 12. 
6; 24.4; Job 33.15; Is.6.8; Eze.11.24; Ac. 
19.21. Examples, Ex.4.12; Nu.24.2; Ac. 
1.16; 8.29; 10.19; 13.2; 16.6,7; 21.11; Re.1. 
10. 

Inspiration of the Scriptures of the Old 
and New Testaments is proved by exter¬ 
nal evidence:— God enabted the penmen 
of them to perform miracles ( see Mira¬ 
cles 1 , numerous, various, and in the most 
public manner;—and he taught them to 
utter prophecies ( see Prophecy) of many 
future events, which none but he could dis¬ 
close to them. And it is proved by inter¬ 
nal evidence, or from what is contained 
in the Scriptures themselves; such as the 
sublime majesty with which God speaks 
in them, Is.57.15; 66.1,2;—the perfect holi¬ 
ness which they inculcate, Ps. 12.6; 19.8; 
Mat.5.8; He.12.14;—the scope and design 
of the whole, to humble sinful men, and to 
exalt God; and to promote both our pre¬ 
sent and eternal happiness, Is.64.6; 1 Ch. 
16.23-29; iTi.4.8;—their brevity, fulness, 
and clearness, 2 Ti. 3.13-17;—their absolute 
perfection as a rule of duty, Ps. 19.7; Re. 
22.18,19;—the harmony or agreement of 
all their parts, though written by various 
persons, and in different ages, Lu.24.27; 
Ac. 10.43;—their power and efficacy both 
to convert and comfort, Ps.19.7,8; 119.50; 
He.4.12. 

Instability, want of steadiness, censured, 

1 Ki. 18.21; Ho.6.4; Ep.4.14; Col. 1.23; Ja. 

I. 6. 

Instant, urgent, immediate, quick, Is.30. 
13; Lu.2.38; 2TL4.2. 

Instantly, immediately, Lu.7.4; Ac.26.7. 
Instruct, or teach, as God does men by his 
Word, 2 Ti. 3.16;—by his Spirit, Ne.9.20;— 
by his ministers, 2 Ti.2.24,25;—by correc¬ 
tions, Je.31.19. 

Instruction, to be regarded, Pr.i.8;4.i3; 
5.12; 6.23:8.33; 12.1,5; i3- lS : I5-5.3D3 2 : 
19.20; 23.12; Je.32.33. 

Instrument, the tool used in executing any 
work, or a frame of wood, &c., for music. 
Ex. 25.9; 1 Sa. 18.16;—the means, or second 
causes, whereby God executes his works 
of mercy or judgment, Is 41.15. 
Insurrection, a seditious rising or tumult, 
Ezr.4.19; Ps.64.2; Mar. 15.7; Ac. 18.12. 
Intangle, to perplex, or to bring into trouble 
or danger, Ex.14.3; Mat.22.15; Ga.5.1; 2 
Ti.2.4; 2 Pe.2.20. 

Integrity, entireness, sincerity, honesty, 
Ge.20.5,6; Job 2.3,9; Ps.25.21; Pr.19.1. 
Intelligence, information by' correspond¬ 
ence, Da. 11.30. 

Intend, to aim, or purpose, Jos.22.33; 2 Ch. 
28.13; Ac.5.28. 

Intent, design, or purpose, 2 Sa. 17. 14; 2 
Ki.10.19; Jn.11.15; 13.28; Ac.9.21. 
Intercession of Christ, his pleading for his 
people, by appearing in heaven as their ad¬ 
vocate, and presenting his sacrifice in their 
behalf, Ro.8.34; He.7.25; 9.11,14,22,26; 10. 
19,21; 1 Jn.2.1;—he pleads for the conver¬ 
sion of his unconverted ones; and for the 
consolation, preservation, and glorification 
of h is saints, Jn.xvii.; 1 Jn.2.1,2;—the pro¬ 
perties of his intercession are, that it is 
authoritative, Jn. 17. 24;— wisely adapted 
to the case of his people, 2.25;— compas¬ 
sionate, Is.63.9; He.2.17;— earnest, Jn. 17. 

II, 17;— unceasing, He.7.25;— prevalent, 1 
Jn.2.1,2;—the intercession of Christ is cal¬ 
culated to teach us, that it is through 
Christ only we can come to God, Jn.14.6; 
—that the love of Christ is unchangeable, 
Jn.13.1;—that the salvation of his people 
is infallibly certain, He. 7.25;—that we have 
strong encouragement to come to him with 
our pray'ers, Re. 8.3,4. 

-—-of the Holy Spirit, is his 

assisting his people by' his influences, ope¬ 
rating on their hearts, in their prayers, Ro. 
8.26;—his intercession differs from Christ’s, 
who intercedes without his people, and in 
heaven,He.9.24;—whereas the Holy Spirit 
intercedes within them, and on earth, Ga. 
4.6; Ep.6.18. 

-of the Saints, examples: of 

Abraham for Sodom, Ge. t8. 23;—of Lot 
for Zoar, 19.18;—of Moses for the people, 
Ex.32.11; Nu.14.17; De.9.18,26. 
Intermeddle, to share of, Pr. 14.10:—to at¬ 
tempt to deal in, 18.x. 

Intermission, ceasing, stopping a little, La. 
3-49- 

Interpretation, a translation from one lan¬ 
guage into another, Jn.1.42; 1 Co.12.10,30; 
M- 2 7 ; Ac. 13. 8;—the gift of expounding 


dreams and visions, Ge.40.8; Da. 3.4,45; 4. 
19;—exposition or explanation, Pr. 1. 6; a 

Pe. r.2o. 

Intreat, to beseech, to beg earnestly, to 
pray, Ge. 23. 8; Ex. 8. 8, 28; 1 Ki. 13. 6;—to 
entertain or use kindly, Ge. 12. 16; Je. 15. 
11; Ac.27.3. 

Intrude, proudly to intermeddle with what 
we have nothing to do with, Col. 2.18. 

Invade, to enter into a country with hostile 
intentions, x Sa.23.27; 27.8; 30.1. 

Inventions, wise and artful contrivances, 
Pr.8.12;—sinful schemes and practices, Ps. 
99.8; 106.29; Ec. 7.29. 

Invisible, what cannot be seen by our 
bodily eyes, Ro. 1. 20; Col. 1.15,16; 1 Ti.x. 
17; He. x 1.27. 

Inward Parts, signify' the heart or soul, 
Ps.5.9;5i.6; Pr.20.27; Je.31.33. 

Ira, Trah [watchful], (1) One of David’s 
thirty warriors, 2 Sa. 23. 26; 1 Ch. 11. 28.— 
(2) A Jethrite, also one of David’s warriors, 
2 Sa.23.38.—(3) A Jairite and priest, 2 Sa. 
20.26. 

Irad, I'rad [runner], son of Enoch, Ge.4.x8. 

Irijah, i-ri'jah [seen of Jehovah], son of 
Shelemiah, Je.37.13. 

Iron, the metal so called, the most useful 
in the world, Nu. 35. 16; Job 28. 2;—the 
parched and hardened earth, De. 28. 23;— 
iron yoke, one heavy' and galling, De. 28. 
48; Je. 28. 13, 14;—hoofs, feet, or teeth, 
great and destructive power, Da. 2.33; 7.7, 
19; Mi.4.13;—‘northern iron,’ Je.15.12. 

-made to swim, 2 Ki.6.6. 

Irony, or sarcasm, when a person means 
the contrary of what he says; examples of, 
Le.26.34,35; 2 Sa.6.20; 1 Ki. 18.27; 2 Ki. 18. 
23; Job 26.2,3; Mar.7.9; 1 Co.2.6. 

Irpeel, ir-pe'el [God restores], a city of 
Benjamin, Jos. 18.27. 

Irsliemesh, ir-she'mesh [city of the sun], a 
city of Dan, Jos. 19. 41;—identical with 
Beth-shemesh. 

Isaac, I'zak [laughter], promised to Abra¬ 
ham, Ge.17.16; 18.10;—born in Gerar, 21.1; 
—a feast made when he was weaned, 8;— 
was bound to be offered in sacrifice by his 
father, 22.9;—his father sends for a wife to 
him, 24. 1, &c.;—went out into the fields 
to meditate or pray', 63;—married to Re- 
bekah, 67;—has two sons by her, 25.24;— 
goes to Gerar during a famine, 26. 1;— 
God’s promise to him and his seed, 4;— 
falsely called his wife his sister, 7;—the 
Lord appeared to him, and blessed him, 
24;—Abimelech makes a covenant with 
him, 28;—sends Esau for venison, that he 
might bless him, 27.1, &c.;—is deceived by 
Jacob, and blesses him, 18-29;-trembled 
exceedingly' when Esau entered, and 
blessed him also, but in an inferior degree, 
33-40;—called Jacob, and again blessed 
him, and sent him to Padanaram, 28.1;— 
his age and death, 35.27-29. 

Isaiah, T-za'yah [the salvation of the Lord], 
one of the most eminent of the prophets, 
both for the majesty of his style, and the 
clear views which he exhibits of the char¬ 
acter, sufferings, and kingdom of Christ, 
and therefore usually called the evangeli¬ 
cal prophet. Little is known of his per¬ 
sonal history'. He was the son of Ainoz, 
began his public ministry in the end of the 
reign of Uzziah (b.c. 756), and continued it 
till the end of the reign of Hezekiah (b.c. 
711). He was contemporary with Hosea, 
Amos, and Micah. He is sent with a 
heavy complaint against Judah, Is. 1.1-10; 
—prophesieth of Christ’s kingdom, 2.1-5; 
—of the calamities coming on Judah, 3.1- 
9;—sees the glory of God, 6. 1; — receives 
his commission, 9;—encourages Ahaz, 7.1; 
— and Hezekiah, 2 Ki. 19. 2; Is. 37. 21; — 
foretells the Babylonish captivity, 39. 6; 
2 Ki. 20. 17;—foretells the preaching of 
John the Baptist, 40. 3; — the office of 
Christ, 42. 1-4; — his sufferings, 53; the 
glory of the church, 60.1-14;—the calling 
of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the 
Jews, 65.1-16;—God’s judgments against 
the wicked, 66.15, &c. 

Iscariot, is-karVi-ot. See Judas. 

Ishbak, ish'bak [leaner], one of Abraham’s 
sons by' Keturah, Ge.25.2. 

Ishbibenob, ish'bi-be'nob or ish-bi'be-nob 
[my seat is at Nob], one of the Rephainx, 
a giant of the Philistines, killed by' Abishai, 
when he was about to cut off David, 2 Sa. 
21.16,17. 

Ishbosheth, ish-bo'sheth [man of shame], 
the son of Saul, made king by Abner, 2 
Sa. 2.8; -murdered, 4.5-8. 

Ishi, i'shi [a husband]. It is said, Ho.2.if\ 













THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


that Israel should no more call God ‘ Baali,’ 
Lord , or rigid Master; but ‘ Ishi,’ husband, 
a kind and gentle ruler. 

Ishmael, ish'ma-el [God who hears], (i) 
The son of Abraham by Hagar, born at 
Mamre, Ge. 16.15;— prophecies concerning 
him, 11; 17.20;— saved from dying of thirst, 
21.19;— his descendants, 25.12; 1 Ch. 1.29. 
—(2) Conspires against Gedaliah, Je. 40. 
41, &c. 

Ishmaelites, ish'ma-el-ites, the descendants 
of Ishmael, the son of Hagar, Ge. 37. 27; 
xxxix. ; Ju. 8. 24; Ps. 83. 6; —also Ishmeel- 
ites, Ge. 37.25,27,28. 

Ishmerai, ish'me-ri [preserved by Jeho¬ 
vah], a descendant of Benjamin, 1 Ch.8.18. 
Isle, or Island, properly, a spot of earth 
surrounded with sea, as Cyprus, Crete, 
Rhodes, &c., Ac. 4. 36; 27. 7; 21. 1; — the 
Hebrews thus called any colony or settle¬ 
ment, Ge. 10. 5; Job 22. 30; — maritime 
places, Is. 20. 6; 22. 2,6; Eze. 27. 7;—places 
separated from their country by sea, Is.24. 
15:40.15:42.4,10,12;—islands properly so 
called, Es. 10. 1. The ‘Isles of the Gen¬ 
tiles,’ probably the region around the 
Mediterranean, Ge.10.5, comp. Zep.2.11. 
Ismachiah, is-ma-kl'ah [supported by Jeho¬ 
vah], a Levite, 2 Ch.31.13. 

Ismaiah, is-ml'ah [heard by Jehovah], the 
name of two of David’s officers, 1 Ch.12.4; 
27.19. 

Israel, is'ra-el [prince who prevails with 
God], a name given by the angel to Jacob 
at Mahanaim, Ge. 32. 28:—often used to 
signify his descendants, Ex. 4.22; 5.2, &c.; 
—used to denote the ten tribes (2 Sa. 2. 9; 
1 Ki. 12.1) under Rehoboam;—all Jacob's 
posterity, 1 Co. 10.18;—all true believers, 
Is.45.17: Ro.9.6. 

Israelites, is'ra-el-ites, the descendants of 
Israel, or Jacob, the usual name of the 
twelve tribes from the time of the exodus 
till the revolt under Jeroboam;—oppressed 
in Egypt, Ex. 1.7; 5.9;—the heads of their 
families, 6.14;—directed to demand jewels 
of the Egyptians, 11.2;—leave Egypt, 12. 
30; — numbered, Nu. 1. 2;—again, in the 
plains of Moab, 26.1;—enter into a cove¬ 
nant with God, Ex. 19.5, &c.; De. 29.10;— 
called a peculiar people, 26.18;—-the order 
of their encampment, Nu. 2. 1;—of their 
marches, io. 14;—all their stations in the 
wilderness, 33. 1, &c.; — murmur at Ta- 
berah, 11.1;—on the death of Korah, &c., 
16. 41;—at the return of the spies; 14.1;— 
punished for it, 26; 26. 63;—defeated, 14. 
45;—all the murmurers perished in the 
wilderness, De.2.16;—defeat the Canaan- 
ites at Hormah, Nu. 21. 1;—join in the 
worship of Baal-peor, 25.1;—their various 
rebellions enumerated, De. 9. 1;—swerve 
from their worship after the death of 
Joshua, Ju. 2. 7: 3. 7;-repent when op¬ 
pressed by the Philistines and Moabites, 
10. 10;—their ingratitude to the family 
of Gideon, 8.35;—their war with the tribe 
of Benjamin, 19.29, &c.;—defeated by the 
Philistines, and the ark taken, iSa.4.1, 
•&c.;—desire a king, 8.5;—carried captive 
to Babylon, 2 Ki.25.11: 2 Ch.36.20; Je. 39. 
5;—return from their captivity, Ezr. 1.5, 
&c.the number that returned, 2.1; Ne. 
7.5, &c.;—their history recapitulated, Ps. 
Ixxviii.; cv.-cvii.; — their rebellions enu¬ 
merated and lamented, Ezr. 9. 5: Ne. 9. 
7, &c.; Eze. 20.5:—their degeneracy com¬ 
plained of, Is. 1. 1, &c.; 43. 22: Am. 2. 9; 
Mi. 3. 1, &c.; 6. 1; 7.1; Hab. 1. 1; Zep. 3.1, 
&c.; Zec.7.5: Mai. 1.2: 3.7, &c.;—their suf¬ 
ferings for their sins, Is. 1.7; 3.1: 5 - 2 4 I 7 - x 7 i 
&c.; 9. 8, &c.; 10.1, &c.; 17. 4,9: 22.1, &c.; 

24.1, &c.; xxv.; 38.17; 29.1, &c.; 30.1, &c.; 
32.9; 42. 24; 50.1; 51.17: 57- I 7: 59- 2 : 63.10; 
64.5; 65. 2, &c.; Je. 13.22; 14.17; is-1. &c.; 
16.10; 17.1; 18.11; Eze. 6. 1; 7- 1 ; 8. 18; 9- t> 
&c.; 12.18; 14.1, &c.; 16.1, &c.; xxi.; 22.1; 
xxiii.; Ho.2.1, &c.; 3.4; iv.; 13.1, &c ; Am. 
2.4,6; 4.1; 6.1; 8.1; 9.1; Mi. 1.1, &c.; 2.1; 
Zep. 1.1, &c. 

- 1 their future restoration foretold, 

Is.1.26; 4. 2, &c.; 14. 1; 27. 9; 29. 18; 30. 18; 
32.15; 44.22; 54.6, &c.; 60.1, &c.; Je.31.iS, 
31; 50.4; Eze.11.19; 16.60; 36.26; Zep.3.13; 
Zee. 12.10; 13.1, &c. 

-, their return from their present 

dispersion particularly promised, Is. 11.11, 
&c.; 14.1, &c. ; 18.2, &c. ; 27.12; 49.9, &c.; 
51.11; 65.9; 66. 8; Je. 12.14; 16.14; 23.1,8; 
30. 1, &c. ; xxxi. ; 32. 36; 33. 14,20; 46 27; 
Eze. 6.8; 11.16; 12. 22; 16. 60; 20. 33; 28. 24; 
29. 21; 36.1, &c. ; xxxvii.; Da.12.1;— repre¬ 
sented by the revival of dead bones, Eze. 

37.1, &c. 


Israelites, their prosperity and virtue in | 
the last times, Is.2.1, &c.jVfi, &c.; 12.1, 
&c.; 25. 6; xxvi.; 28. 5; 35. 1, &c.; 40. 1,11; 
xli.; 44. 1, &c.; 51. 22; 52. 12; 62. 4; 65. 17; 
Eze. 17. 22; Ho.i. 7,10; 2.14; 11. 8; 13..9,14; 
Joel 2. 21, 28; 3. 1, &c.; Am. 9. n; Ob. 17; 
Mi.2.12; 4.1, &c.; 7. 8, &c.; Zep.3.14, &c.; 
Zec.2.1, &c.; 8.2, Sic .; 10.5; 14. 9, &c. 

-, the nations that have oppressed 

them will suffer for it, Is. 17.12; 33.1; 34.1, 
&c.; 49.25; 54.3; 55.5:60.16; 61.5:63.1; 66. 
20,24; Je.46.27; Joel 3.2, &c.; Mi.5.8; 7.16; 
Zep. 3.8; Hag. 2. 22; Zee. 10. 5, &c.; 12.4,9; 

14.1, &c., 12. 

-, other nations will be subject to 

them, Is.49.22. 

■—*--, they will be the instructors of 

all other nations, Is.42.1,10; 49.6; 56.6; 60. 
3; 62.2; 65.1; 66.19. 

■-, they will no more be two king¬ 

doms, but one, Eze. 37.22. 

-, their history a warning to Chris¬ 
tians, 1 Co. 10.6. See Jews. 

Issachar, is'sa-kar [there is reward], the 
fifth son of Jacob, his inheritance, Jos. 10. 
17;—his descendants, 1 Ch.7.1. 

Issue, children or posterity, Ge.48.6; Mat. 
22.25;— a passage or outlet, Ps.68.20;—to 
come forth hastily, Jos. 8. 22;—disease of 
men, how cleansed, Le. 15. 2, &c.; — of 
women, 19. 

Italy, a well-known and highly-celebrated 
country in the south of Europe. It is 
bounded on the north by the Alps, which 
separate it from Austria and Switzerland; 
on the south by the Mediterranean, on the 
east by the Gulf of Venice, and on the 
west by France and the Mediterranean. 
It is about 700 miles in length, and be¬ 
tween 100 and 320 in breadth. In 1859 
the greater part of the peninsula was 
erected into the kingdom of Italy. In 
1866 Venetia was added, and in 1870 the 
incorporation was completed by the re¬ 
moval of the seat of government to Rome. 
It is mentioned, Ac. 18.2; 27.1;—Paul was 
a prisoner at Rome when he wrote his 
epistle to the Hebrews, He. 13. 24. Its 
climate is generally mild and genial, and 
the soil is fertile. The Roman Catholic 
religion is established in, but under the new 
government since the pope lost his tem¬ 
poral power a great measure of liberty is 
enjoyed by Protestants. 

Itch, a disease of the skin, threatened for 
disobedience, De.28.27. 

Itching, tickling words for amusement, 2 
Ti.4.3. 

Ithamar, ith'a-mar [isle of palm-trees], the 
fourth and youngest son of Aaron; he and 
his descendants continued in the rank of 
ordinary priests till the days of Eli, when 
the high-priesthood was transferred into 
his family, Ex.6.23. 

Ithiel, ith'i-el [God with me], and Ucal, 
children or disciples of Agur, Ne.11.7; Pr. 

30.1. 

Ithream, ith're-am [remnant of the people], 
the sixth son of David, born in Hebron, 2 
Sa.3.5; 1 Ch.3.3. 

Ittah-Kazin, it'tah-ka'zin [time of a judge], 
a town near the east boundary of the tribe 
of Zebulun, Jos.19.13. 

Iturea, it-u-re*ah, a small province of Syria, 
in the north-east of Palestine, where Philip 
was tetrarch, Lu.3.1. It derived its name 
from Jetur (1 Ch.1.31), son of Ishmael;— 
now called Jedilrz 

Ivah, I'vah [overturning, ruinl, a city in 
Babylon, 2 Ki.18.34; 19.13; Is. 37.13;—the 
same as Ava, 2 Ki. 17. 24;—probably also 
as Ahava, Ezr.8.15,21,31. 

Ivory, the tusk of the elephant, hard, solid, 
of a white colour, and capable of a fine 
polish; Solomon had a throne of it, 1 Ki. 
10.18;—we read also of beds of it, Am.6.4; 
—and of houses of it, 1 Ki. 22. 39; Am. 3. 
15. 

Izhar, iz'har [a shining one], (1) A son of 
Kohath, 1 Ch. 6. 2,18.—(2) A Levite, Ex. 

6.18. 

Izrahiah, iz-ra-hl'ah [whom Jehovah brings 
forth], grandson of Issachar, 1 Ch.7.3. 


J- 


Jaakobah, ja-ak'o-bah [supplanter, heel- 
catcher), a paragogic form of the name 
Jacob; a chief man of the tribe of Simeon, 
1 Ch.4.36. 


Jaalam, ja'ii-lam [concealer], one of the 
sons of Esau, Ge.36.5. 

Jaareoregim, ja'ar-e-or'e-gim, a Bethle- 
hemite, 2 Sa.21.19; 1 Ch.20.5. 

Jaazaniah, ja-az-za-nl’ah [whom Jehovah 
hears], (1) The son of a Maachathite, 2 Ki. 
25. 23.—(2) One of the Rechabites, Je.35. 

3.—(3 The son ofShaphan, Eze.8.11. 
Jaaziah, ja-a-zi'ah [whom Jehovah con¬ 
soles], a descendant of Merari, 1 Ch. 24. 
26,27. 

Jabal, ja'bal [stream], one of the sons of 
Lamech, and the father of such as dwell 
in tents, Ge.4.20. 

Jabbok, jab'bok [a pouring out], a rivulet 
falling into the Jordan, about 30 miles 
below the Sea of Galilee, Ge.32.22: De 2. 
37; Jos.12.2. Now called Zurka, or Blue 
River. 

Jabesh Gilead, ja'besh-gil-e-ad [dry land 
in Gilead], a city of the half tribe of Man- 
asseh in the land of Gilead, distant a night’s 
journey from Bethshan (1 Sa. 31. 12), and 
about 6 miles from the ruins of Pella. It 
was destroyed for not joining the Israelites 
in the war with the tribe of Benjamin, Ju. 
21.10;—threatened by the Ammonites, 1 Sa. 
it. 1;—delivered by Saul, 4;—the inhabi¬ 
tants bury the bodies of Saul and Jona¬ 
than, 31.11; 1 Ch. 10.11;—David commends 
them for it, 2 Sa. 2. 5. The ruin called 
el-Deir marks its site. 

Jabez, ja'bez [he causes pain], (1) A person 
of whom highly honourable mention is 
made, 1 Ch. 4. 9;—his prayer, 10.—(2) A 
place in Judah, 1 Ch.2.55. 

Jabin, ja'bin [he who understands], (1) 
King of Hazor, in the northern part of 
Canaan, Jos. 11. 1;—defeated by Joshua, 
2-15.—(2) Another king of Hazor, who, in 
the days of the Judges, oppressed the Is¬ 
raelites for twenty years, Ju. 4. 2, 3;—de¬ 
feated by Deborah and Barak, who deli¬ 
vered the Israelites, 4-24;—this victory- 
alluded to, Ps.83.9. 

Jabneel, jab'nel [God causeth to be 
built], (1) A town on the frontiers of Naph- 
tali, Jos. 19. 33.—(2) A town in the tribe of 
Judah, 15. 11; probably the same as Jab- 
neh, called by the Greeks and Romans 
Jamnia;—was dismantled by Uzziah, 2 Ch. 
26.6. Now called Yebna, about 11 miles 
south of Jaffa. Its population is about 
3000. 

Jachin, ja'kin [establisher], (1) The fifth 
son of Simeon, and head of the family of 
the Jachinites, Nu. 26. 12.—(2) The name 
of one of the two great pillars of brass cast 
by Hiram for the porch of Solomon’s tem¬ 
ple ; and the other was called Boaz , or 
strengthener, 1 Ki.7.21. 

Jacinth, ja'sinth, properly’’ a flower of a 
deep purple or reddish blue, and hence a 
precious stone of like colour, Re.9.17; 21. 
20. 

Jacob, ja'kob [supplanter, heeler], the 
second-born of the twin sons of Isaac and 
Rebekah, born, Ge. 25. 26;—buys his bro¬ 
ther’s birthright, 33;—by craft and false¬ 
hood gets his blessing, 27. 28;—goes to 
Padan-aram, 28. 5;—his vision at Bethel, 
11;—marries Leah and Rachel, 29. 23, 28; 
—his sons born there, 32, &c.;—leaves 
Padan-aram, 31. 17;—his interview with 
Laban, 25;—his vision at Mahanaim, 32. 
1;—wrestles with an angel, 24;—meets his 
brother, 33. 1, &c.;—resides at Shechem, 
18;—goes to Bethel, 35. 1; — his name 
changed to Israel, 9;—sends to buy corn 
in Egypt, 42.3;—goes to Egypt, 46.5;—God 
appears to him at Beersheba on his way 
thither, 2;—his grandsons, 8;—presented 
to Pharaoh, 47.7;—his age, 9,28;—blesses 
the sons of Joseph, 48.15;—foretells the 
future destiny of all his sons, 49. 1, &c.;— 
dies, 33;—the great mourning for him, 50. 
7;—his family in Egy-pt, Ex. 1. 1;—his de¬ 
scendants, 1 Ch.2.1, &c. 

Jacob’s Well, a well of water near the 
city of Shechem, at which Christ instructed 
the woman of Samaria, Jn. 4. 6, 12. Still 
known by the same name, about half a 
mile south-east of Nablus, at the foot of 
Mount Gerizim. 

Jaddua, jad-du'a [known], the son of Jona¬ 
than, and the last high-priest mentioned 
in the Old Testament, Ne. 12.11: he is 
thought to be the Jaddus who lived in the 
time of Alexander the Great. 

Jael, ja'el [the mountain goat], the wife of 
Heber the Kenite, Ju.4.17:— met Sisera in 
his flight, and invited him into her tent, 
18; after courteously entertaining him, 
killed him while asleep, 19-21. 


(Is— Ja) 611 

Jagur, ja'gur [lodging-places], a city of 
Judah, on the south-west of the Dead Sea, 

Jos.15.21. 

Jah, a contraction for Jehovah, the proper 
name of God, importing his self-existence 
and eternal duration, Ps. 68. 4. See Je¬ 
hovah. 

Jahaleleel, ja-ha'le-lel [praising God], 
father of Ziph, 1 Ch.4.16. 

Jahaz, Jahazah, jii'haz, ja-ha'zah [a place 
trodden down], a city on the northern 
frontiers of Moab, and near Aroer, and not 
far from the river Arnon; here Moses de¬ 
feated the army of Sihon,-Nu. 21. 23;—al¬ 
lotted to the Reubenites, and afterwards 
to the Levites, Jos. 13.18; 1 Ch.6.78;—taken 
by the Moabites after the death of Ahab, 
and destroyed by the Chaldeans, Is. 15. 
4; Je. 48. 21;—also called Jahaza, Jos. 13. 
18;—Jahazah, 21.36;—Jahzah, 1 Ch.6.76. 
Jahaziel, ja-haz'i-el [seeing God], a son of 
Hebron, 1 Ch. 23. 19;—the name of others 
also, 12.4; 16.6; 2 Ch.20.14-17. 

Jahdiel, jah'di-el [whom God makes joy¬ 
ful], one of the posterity of Manasseh, 1 
Ch.5.24. 

Jahleel, jah'lel [hoping in God], son of 
Zebulun, and progenitor of the Jahleelites, 

Nu.26.26. 

Jailer, or keeper of a prison, of Philippi, 
his conversion, Ac. 16.33. 

Jair, ja'er [whom God enlightens], (1 For 
about twenty’-two years a judge of Israel, 
Ju. 10. 3:—had thirty sons who had thirty 
cities, 4. — (2) The son of Segub, took 
several towns from the Amorites, Nu. 32. 
40,41; 1 Ch.2.21-23. 

Jairus, ja'rus [diffuser of light], a chief 
ruler of the sy'nagogue at Capernaum, 
MdE 5. 22; Lu. 8. 41;—besought Jesus to 
heal his only daughter: and while doing 
so, was informed that she was dead, 49; — 
Jesus restored her to life, 55. 

James [supplanter], (1) Son of Zebedee and 
Salome, and elder brother of John the 
Evangelist, usually- called Janies the 
Greater ; called to attend Jesus, Mat.4.21; 
—his zeal reprcwed, Lu.9. 54;—his request 
to sit at the right hand of Jesus, Mat. 20. 
20; Mar. 10. 35;—put to death by Herod 
Agrippa, Ac. 12. 2.—(2) A son of Cleopas, 
Mar. 15.40;—called the ‘Lord’s brother,’ 
Ga. 1.19;—an apostle, Mat. 13. 55; 15.40;— 
brother of Jude, Lu.6.16;—Jesus appears 
to him after his resurrection, 1 Co. 15.7;— 
addresses the apostles about the disciple- 
ship of the Gentiles, Ac. 15.13;—the author 
of the epistle of James, Ja. 1.1. 

Jamlech, jam'lek [kingly], a prince of the 
tribe of Simeon, 1 Ch.4.34. 

Jangling, or unprofitable contention, cen¬ 
sured, 1 Ti. 1.6. 

Jannes, jan'nez, and Jambkes, two Egyp¬ 
tian magicians, who, by their arts, opposed 
Moses, 2Ti.3.8; Ex.7.9-13. 

Janohah, ja-no'hah [rest], a city on the 
north-east border of Ephraim, Jos. 16.7;— 
called Janoah, 2 Ki. 15.29. Identical with 
the modern village of Janun, about 12 
miles south-east of Nablus (=Sichem i. 
Japheth, ja'feth [enlargement], the eldest 
(Ge. 10. 21; comp. 9.24] son of Noah:—he 
and Shem modestly cover their father 
while he lay exposed, 9. 23;—his enlarge¬ 
ment foretold by his father, 27;—his de¬ 
scendants, Ge.10.2; 1 Ch.1.5. 

Japhia, ja-fi'ah [splendid], (1) A city of 
Zebulun, surrounded with a double wall, 
Jos. 19. 12. Identical with Ya/a, about 
2 miles south-west of Nazareth, a village 
of about thirty- houses.—(2) One of the 
sons of David, 2 Sa.5.15. , 

Japlileti, jafla-ti [the Japhletite, deliverer], 
descendant of a son of Heber, Jos. 16.3; 1 
Ch.7.32,33. 

Jareb, ja'reb [adversary], a figurative title 
of the king of Assyria, Ho.5.13; 10.6. 
Jared, jfi'red [descent], the son of Maha- 
laleel, and father of Enoch, Ge.5.15; Lu.3. 
37 • r 

Jaresiah, ja-re-sl'ah [whom Jehovah nour¬ 
ishes], one of the ‘sons’ of Jcroham, 1 Ch. 
8.27. 

Jarmuth, jar'miith [height], (1) A city ot 
Judah, the king of which was killed by- 
Joshua, Jos. 10. 3-5, 22-26; 12. 11. The 
modern Yanttuk. —(2) A Levitical city, 
Jos.21.29, called Remeth, 19.21, and Ra- 
moth, 1 Ch.6.73. 

Jasher, ja'sher [righteous], a book or pub¬ 
lic register in which memorable events 
were written by- a scribe of this name; or 
the bopk of the records of ‘upright men,’ 

Jos. 10.13. 




















612 (Ja—Je) 

Jashobearn, ja-sho'be-am [to whom the | 
prophet turneth], a valiant man in David’s 
army, who with his spear slew 300 men, 

1 Ch. 11. 11; -he, with other two of the 
mighty men, passed through the camp of 
the Philistines, and drew water for David, 
16,17. 

Jashub, ja'shub or j&sh'ub [turning him¬ 
self], the third named of the four sons of 
Issachar, 1 Ch.7.1. 

Jason, jfi'son [healing], a Greek form of 
Jesus or Joshua, the host of Paul and 
Silas at Thessalonica; to preserve them 
from danger, hazarded his life, Ac. 17.5;— 
he afterwards appears to have removed to 
Rome, Ro. 16.21. 

Jasper [polished, glittering], a gem of vari¬ 
ous colours, white, red, brown, and bluish- 
green, Ex.28.20; Eze.28.13; Re.4.3; 21.11. 
Javan, ja'van [clay], (1) The fourth son of 
Japheth, and the father of the Ionians or 
Greeks, Ge.10.2;—used for Ionia, Is.66.19; 
Eze. 27.13;—the Macedonian empire. Da. 
8.21; 10.20; 11.2;—the Syrian empire. Zee. 
9. 13.—,2) A town in Southern Arabia, 
whence the Phoenicians bought sword- 
blades, Eze. 27. 19. Probably Uzal in 
Yemen. 

Javelin, a spear, or half pike, or kind of 
dart, Nu.25.7; 1 Sa.18.10,11. 

Jaw-bone, the bone in which the teeth are 
fixed, Ju.15.15,17. 

Jaws, often used figuratively to denote 
wicked men’s power and cruelty. Job 29. 
17; Ps.22.15; Is.30.28; Ho.11.4. 

Jazer. Y^Jaazer. 

Jealousy, the suspicion between married 
persons of want of fidelity to each other, 
Nu.5.14;—the trial of it, 11-31;—violence 
of this passion, Pr.6.34; Ca.8.6;—its image 
shown to Ezekiel, Eze.8.5. 

•-, an earnest concern for the welfare 

of others, joined with fear of their miscon¬ 
duct, 2 Co. 11.2;—God’s regard for his own 
glory, and his hot displeasure against sin, 
De.29.20; Ps.78.58; Is.42.13. 

Jeberechiah, jeb-er-re-ki'ah [whom Jeho¬ 
vah blesses], father of Zechariah the priest, 
Is.8.2. 

Jebus, je'bus [place trodden down], the 
capital and stronghold of the Jebusites, an 
ancient name given to Jerusalem, Jos. 18. 
28; 1 Ch.9.4. See Jerusalem. 

Jebusi, jeb'u-si, the name used for Jebus 
injos.15.8; 18.16,28. 

Jebusites, jeb'u-sites, the descendants of 
Jebus, the son of Canaan, Ge.10.16;—not 
conquered by Joshua, Jos. 15.63;—David 
encouraged his men to kill them, 2 Sa.5.8. 
Jecamiah, jek-a-ml'ah [whom Jehovah 
gathers), son of Jeconiah, 1 Ch. 3.18. 
Jeconiabi, jek-o-nl'ah [whom Jehovah ap¬ 
points], sometimes called Coniah or Je- 
hoiachin, king of Judah, the son of Jehoia- 
kim, 1 Ch. 3. 16;—his sons, 17;—succeeds 
his father, 2 Ki.24.6; 2 Ch.36.8;—foretold 
that he should be carried to Babylon, Je. 
22. 25;—carried away captive, 2 Ki. 24. 12; 
Je.24.1;—false prophecy respecting his re¬ 
turn, 28. 4;—after thirty-seven years’ im¬ 
prisonment in Chaldea, he was released, 
and raised to dignity, 52.31. 

Jedaiah, je-dai'ah [knowing Jehovah], a 
priest, who returned from the Babylonish 
captivity with 973 of his brethren, Ezr. 2. 
36:^6.7.39. 

Jediael, jed-i-a'el [known of God], a brave 
officer in David’s army, who abandoned 
Saul, and joined the son of Jesse, 1 Ch. n. 
45; 12.20. 

Jedidah, jed- 7 'dah [well - beloved], the 
mother of Josiah, 2 Ki.22.1. 

Jedidiah, jed'id-T-ah [friend of Jehovah], 
name given to Solomon at his birth by 
Nathan, 2 Sa. 12.25. 

Jeduthun, jed-u'thun [praising], one of the 
four great masters of the temple music, 1 
Ch. 16.38,41,42;—several of the Psalms bear 
his name, particularly the xxxix.lxii.lxvii , 
&c. 

Jegar - Sahadutha, je'gar- sa-ha-du' thah 
[pile of testimony), name given by Laban 
to the heap of stones, memorial of Ins 
league with Jacob, Ge.31.47. 

Jehdeiah, je-dei’ah [whom Jehovah makes 
joyful], one of David’s officials, 1 Ch.27.30. 
Jehezekel, je-hez'e-kel [whom God makes 
strong], one of the priests, 1 Ch.24.16. 
Jehoadah, je-ho'a-dah [whom Jehovah 
adorns], a descendant of Saul, 1 Ch.8.36. 
Jehoahaz, je-ho'a-haz [possession of the 
Lord], (1) Son and successor of Josiah, king 
of Judah, 2 Ki. 23. 31; 2 Ch. 36.1 .-carried 
toi^gypt, 2Ki.23.33; 2 Ch. 36.4;—foretold 


TIIF. WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


not to return, Je.22.10.—(2) Son and suc¬ 
cessor of Jehu, king of Israel. 2 Ki.10.35; 
—his death, 13.9. 

Jehoash, je-ho'ash [Jehovah given], or in 
the contracted form Joash, (i) The son of 
Ahaziah, king of Judah, saved by his aunt, 
and made king after his father, 2 Ki.11.12; 
2 Ch. 23.1, &c.;—kills Zechariah, the son of 
Jehoiada, 24. 21;—killed by his servants, 
25; 2 Ki. 12.20.—(2) King of Israel, son of 
Jehoahaz, and grandson of Jehu, was wick¬ 
ed, 2 Ki. 13.10,11;—died, 13. 

Jehohanan, je-ho'ha-nan [whom Jehovah 
restores), a military commander under Je- 
hoshaphat, 2Ch.17.15; 23.1. 

Jehoiachin, je-hoy'a-kin [Jehovah appoint¬ 
ed], son and successor of Jehoiakim, king 
of Judah, 2 Ki.24.8;—called Conaiah, Je. 
22. 24;—Jeconiah, 1 Ch. 3. 17 ;—Jeconias, 
Mat. 1.12. 

Jehoiada, je-ho/a-dah [the Lord knows], 
the high-priest, preserves Joash from the 
cruelty of Athaliah, 2 Ch. 23. 1;—anoints 
him king, 2 Ki. 11.12;—restores the worship 
of God, 2Ch.23.16;—his death, 24.15. 

Jehoiakim, je-hoy'a-kim [whom Jehovah 
sets up], the second son of Josiah, and the 
brother of Jehoahaz; his original name was 
Eliakim, which Necho changed to Jehoia¬ 
kim, 2 Ki.23.34;—succeeds Jehoahaz, 2 Ki. 
23.34; 2Ch. 36.4;—conquered byNebuchad- 
nezzar, 2 Ki.24.1;—carried to Babylon, 2 
Ch.36.6; Da.1.1;—his death, after a reign 
of eleven years, 2 Ki.24.6;—foretold to be 
buried like an ass, Je.22.19. 

Jehoiarib, je-hoy'a-rib [whom Jehovah de¬ 
fends], the head of the first family of the 
priests established by David, 1 Ch.24.7;— 
from this illustrious family were the Macca¬ 
bees descended. 

Jehoram, je-hs'ram [exaltation of the Lord], 
(1) Eldest son and successor of Jehosha- 
phat, the fifth king of Judah, 1 Ki.22.50; 
2 Ki.8.16; 2 Ch.21.1;—the Edomites revolt 
from him, 8;—the Philistines and Arabs 
distress him, 16;—receives a letter from 
Elijah, 12; — his death, 19; 2 Ki. 8. 24;— 
buried without royal honours, 2Ch.21.14- 
20.—(2) Or Joram, tenth king of Israel, 
succeeds his elder brother Ahaziah, 2 Ki. 

I. 17;—goes to war with the Moabites, 3.6; 
—killed by Jehu, 9.11. 

Jeho shab eath, j e - h 0 -s h ab'e-a t h [whose oath 
is Jehovah], daughter A king Joram and 
wife of Jehoiada the high-priest, 2CI1.22. 

II. 

Jehoshaphat, je-hosh'a-fat [Jehovah will 
judge], (1) Son and successor of Asa, king 
of Judah, 1Ki.15.24; 2CI1.17.1;—his great¬ 
ness, 12;—makes an alliance with Ahab, 
18.1; 1 Ki.22.2;—with Ahaziah, 2 Ch.20.35; 
—joins him in his war with the Moabites 
and Edomites, 2 Ki.3.7;—reproved by the 
prophet Jehu, 2 Ch. 19.2;—proclaims a fast, 
20.3;—defeats the Ammonites, Moabites, 
and Edomites, 22;—makes ships to go to 
Tarshish which are destroyed, 35; 1 Ki.22. 
48;—dies, 50; 2 Ch. 21.1.—(2) The son of 
Ahilud, recorder, or secretary to David, 
and afterwards to Solomon, 2 Sa. 8.16; 1 
Ki. 4. 3.—(3) Valley of, mentioned only 
in Joel 3.2,12. It is a narrow valley run¬ 
ning from north to south between Jerusa¬ 
lem and the Mount of Olives, through 
which the brook Cedron flows. The ‘King’s 
Dale,’ mentioned in Ge.14.17 and 2 Sa.18. 
18, is probably this valley. Called ‘Valley 
of Decision,’ Joel 3.14. 

Jehovah, je-ho'vah, or Jah, one of the 
Scripture names of God, significant of his 
self-existence, and giving existence to all 
others, Ps.83.18; Is.12.2; 26.4;—it is given 
both to Christ and the Holy Spirit (see 
these articles)—the Jews had so great a 
veneration for this name, that they called 
it the ineffable name, and therefore would 
not pronounce it; on which account its 
true pronunciation was forgotten. This 
name occurs very frequently in the Old 
Testament; but is commonly rendered 
Lord in our Bibles, and printed in capital 
letters, to distinguish it from the name 
Lord, signifying Rider or Governor. 
Jehovah-Jireh, je-ho'vah-ji'reh [the Lord 
will see or provide], the name given by 
Abraham to the place on Mount Moriah 
where the angel of the Lord appeared to 
him when he was about to offer up his son 
Isaac, Ge.22.14. 

Jehovah-Nissi, je-ho'vah-nis'si [the Lord 
my banner], name given by Moses to an 
altar erected in celebration of the great 
victory over the Amalekites, Ex. 17.15. 
Jehovah-Shalom, je-ho'vah-shal-lom [the 


I Lord is peace], name given by Gideon to 
the altar he erected at Ophrah to com¬ 
memorate the salutation by the angel of 
the Lord, Ju.6.24. 

Jehovah - Shammah, je-ho'vah-sham-mah 
[the Lord is there], the name of the future 
Jerusalem, the church of God, Eze.48.35. 

Jehovah - Tsidkenu, je-ho'vah-tsid'ke-nu 
[the Lord our righteousness], Je.23.6. 

Jehozabad, je-hoz'a-bad [whom Jehovah 
bestows], one of the murderers of J oash, 2 
Ch.24.26. 

Jehozadak, je-hoz'a-dak [the justice of the 
Lord], son of Seraiah, a high-priest, 1 Ch. 

6.14. 

Jehu, je'hu [he that is], (1) The son of 
Nimshi and grandson of Jehoshaphat, cap¬ 
tain of the troops of Joram, king of Israel, 
anointed king of Israel, 2 Ki. 9.6;—kills 
Joram, king of Judah, in the field of Na¬ 
both, 24;—kills the sons of Ahab, 10.1;— 
and forty-two priests of Baal, 18;—dies, 
after reigning twenty-eight years, 35.—(2) 
The prophet, the son of Hanani the seer, 
reproves Jehoshaphat, 2 Ch. 19.2. 

Jehudijah, je-hu-dl'jah [praise of the Lord], 
the wife of Ezra, 1 Ch.4.18. 

Jekameam, jek-a-me'am [who gathers the 
people], of the posterity of Levi, 1 Ch. 23. 
T 9 - 

Jekamiah, jek-a-ml'ah [whom Jehovah 
gathers], of the posterity of Judah, 1 Ch. 
2 44 - 

Jemima, je-ml'ma [handsome as the day 
or dove], the name of the first of Job’s 
three daughters, Job 42.14. 

Jemuel, jem-u'el, or Nemuel [daylight of 
God], the first named of the sons of Simeon, 
Ge.46.10; 1 Ch.4.24. 

Jeopardy, hazard, or peril, Ju. 5. 18; 2 Sa. 
23.17; Lu.8.23; 1C0.15.30. 

Jephthah, jef'thah [the opener], one of the 
judges of Israel, who was the son of Gilead 
by a concubine, Ju.ii.i;— thrust out from 
his father’s house by his brothers, 2;—was 
solicited to head the Gileadites against the 
Ammonites, 5;—agrees on terms that he 
should continue to be their head, 9;—first 
expostulates with the Ammonites, 12-28;— 
his rash vow, 30.31;—proves victorious, 33; 
—is met by his daughter, who was ignorant 
of his vow, 34;—did with her according to 
his vow, by devoting her to God in per¬ 
petual virginity, 39 ; — the daughters of 
Israel went yearly to lament, or talk with, 
and condole with her, 40;—the Ephraim- 
ites quarrel with him, 12.1.—his death, 7;— 
his faith, He. 11.32. 

Jephunneh, je-fun'neh [nimble], father of 
Caleb, Nu.13.6; 14.6; 30.38; 26.65. 

Jerahmeel, jer-ah-me'el [on whom God has 
mercy],the tribe descended from, inhabited 
the southern borders of Judah, 1 Sa.27.10; 
30.29. 

Jeremiah, jer-e-ml’ah [exalted of the Lord], 
called also Jeremy, Mat.2.17; Jeremias, 

16.14, was the son of Hilkiah the priest of 
the line of Abiathar (1 Ki. 2. 26-35), and 
one of the chief of the Hebrew prophets— 
entered on his office in the thirteenth year 
of the reign of Josiah (b.c. 628);—his com¬ 
mission, Je.1.4;—a promise from God to 
himself, 15. 19; — laments over Josiah, 2 
Ch. 35. 25;—directed to prophesy in the 
gates of Jerusalem, Je.17.19;—complains 
of ill-usage, 20. 7;—advises the king to 
yield to Nebuchadnezzar, 21.8;—foretells 
the seventy years’ captivity, 25.8;—appre¬ 
hended, 26. 8;—acquitted, 16;—writes to 
the captives at Babylon, 29.1;—foretells 
the fate of two lying prophets, 20;—and of 
Shemaiah, 30;—imprisoned by Zedekiah, 
32.1;—buys a field, 6;—has his prophecies 
written by Baruch, 36.1,32;—foretells the 
return of the Chaldeans after they had left 
the city, 37.6;—put into prison, 14;—into 
the dungeon, 38.6;—favoured by Zedekiah, 
14;—by Nebuchadnezzar, 39.11;—goes to 
Gedaliah, 40.6;—promises Johanan safety 
in Judah, 42. 7 ;—foretells Nebuchadnez¬ 
zar’s conquest of Egypt, 43.8;—the destruc¬ 
tion of his countrymen in Egypt, 44.11;— 
gives his prophecy to Seraiah, to be carried 
to the Euphrates, 51.59;—complains of the 
misery of his country, La.1.18. 

Jeribaij jer'i-bl [contentious], one of 
David’s mighty men, 1 Ch. 11.46. 

Jericho, jerii-ko [place of fragrance], the 
largest city in the valley of Jordan, about 
20 miles north-east from Jerusalem. First 
mentioned in Nu.22.1;—spies sent to view 
it, Jos. 2.1;—taken by Joshua,6.20;—rebuilt 
by Hiel, 1 Ki. 16. 34;—here was a school 
of the prophets, 2 Ki. 2. 4,5,15;—Elisha 


healed its waters, 2.19-22;—Christ passed 
through, Lu.19.1;—near it he healed twQ 
or perhaps three blind men, Mat.20.29-34; 
Mar. 10.46-52; Lu.18.35;—called the ‘city 
of palm-trees,’ De.34.3; 2Ch.28.15. It is 
now a small village called Riha or Eriha, 
with about 200 inhabitants. 

Jerioth, jer'i-oth [tim.dity], wife of Caleb, 
1 Ch.2.18. 

Jeroboam, jer-o-b 5 'am [increaser of the 
people], (1) The son of Nebat, opposes 
Solomon, 1 Ki. 11. 26;—addressed by the 
prophet Ahijah, 29;—made king by the 
ten tribes, 12.12;—sets up the worship of 
the calves, 28;—opposed by the prophet at 
Bethel, 13. 1;—his death, after a reign of 
twenty-two years, 14. 20.—(2) The son of 
Joash, succeeds him as King of Israel, 2 
Ki.13.13; 14.16;—during his reign luxury, 
pride, oppression, and idolatry prevailed. 
Am. 2.6-16 ;v. vi.;—dies after a reign of forty- 
one years, 2 Ki. 14.29. 

Jerubbaal, je-rub-ba'al [let Baal plead], 
surname of Gideon, Ju.6.32; 7.1. 

Jeruel, je-ru'el [founded of God], a wilder¬ 
ness, westward of the Dead Sea, and not 
far from the desert of Zin, in which Jeho¬ 
shaphat obtained a signal victory over the 
Ammonites, Moabites, &c., 2 Ch.20.16, &c. 

Jerusalem, je-ru'sa-lem [foundation or 
habitation of peace], the metropolis of the 
kingdom of Judah, and the seat of govern¬ 
ment during the reigns of David, Solomon, 
and their successors. It is distant from 
the Dead Sea and Jordan valley 15 miles, 
and from the Mediterranean 31 miles. It 
was called Salem [peace], in the time of 
Abraham, Ge.14.8; He.7.2. It is so called 
also in Ps.76.2; and it was called Jebus at 
the time Israel obtained possession of the 
Holy Land, Jos.15.8; 18.28; 1 Ch.11.4. It 
seems probable, therefore, that the name 
Jerusalem is merely a compound of the 
terms Jebus and Salem. It is called Zion, 

1 Ki.8.1;—city of God, Ps. 46. 4;—city of 
the Great King, Ps. 48. 2;—the holy city, 
Ne.11.1-18;—city of solemnities, Is.33.20. 
In its most flourishing state it consisted 
of four parts, built on four hills; namely, 
Zion, Acra, Moriah, and Bezetha. In 
fact, the whole foundation was a high 
rock, with four heads or hills, and with 
steep ascents on every side, except the 
north; and surrounded with a deep valley, 
which was embosomed with hills. The 
city was encompassed with three walls, 
over which there were towers, and appears 
to have been about 4J4 miles in circumfer¬ 
ence. It was taken by the children of 
Judah, Ju. 1.8;—partly inhabited by the 
Jebusites, 21;—by David, 2Sa.5.6;iCh. 

11.4;—expostulated with, and threatened 
for its crimes, Je.1.15; ii. iii.; 4.19; v.-ix.; 
10.17, &c.; ii.x.&c.; Eze.xxi.; 22.1, &c .;— 
described as an exposed infant, 16.1, &c.; 
—taken by Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Ki. 25.4; 2 
Ch.36.17; Je.39.1; 52.4, &c.;—burned, 52. 
12;—represented as a female captive. Is.3. 
26;—its desolation lamented, Lari. &c.;— 
its captivity represented by a figure, Eze. 
4.1:5. 1;—to be rebuilt, Je. 31.,38;—built 
after the captivity, Ne. 3. 1, &c.;—after 
much opposition, 4. 1, &c.; — its walls 
finished, 6.15;—its inhabitants chosen by 
lot, 11.1, &c.;—the dedication of its walls, 
12. 27;—its future state, Eze. 48. 30;—its 
new name, 35;—Christ’s lamentation over 
it. Mat.23.37;—foretells the destruction of 
the temple, and of it, 24. 2-28;—it repre¬ 
sents the gospel, Ga.4.26;—a new one de¬ 
scending from heaven. Re. 21.2,10. About 
seventy years after Christ it was besieged, 
taken, sacked, and burned by Titus. Above 
1,000,000 of the Jews perished, and 97,000 
were taken prisoners; and our Saviour’s 
prediction—that it should become a heap 
of ruins—was fully verified. It gradually 
became settled again; but in the year 134 
the Emperor Adrian banished all the Jews, 
prohibiting their return on pain of death. 
The temple was demolished, and the site 
ploughed up. Several hundred years after, 
this city was again rebuilt. In the year 
614 the Persians captured it, and 90,000 
Christians were slain. In 637 the Saracens 
seized it, and kept it till 1079, when the 
Turks became its masters. It was taken 
by the first Crusaders in 1099, and held by 
the Christians till 1187, when it was taken 
by Saladin. After varied changes it was 
taken by the Sultan Selim I. in 1517. In 
1542 its present walls were built by Soli- 
man the Magnificent. In 1832 the Pasha 
of Egypt occupied it, but in 1841 it once 






THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


more passed under the Turkish sceptre. | 
Under the auspices of the ‘ Palestine Ex¬ 
ploration Fund’ it is now being explored 
by means of excavations, which have 
already brought to light many very in¬ 
teresting facts regarding the ancient city, 
over the ruins of which the modern one is 
built. Its present population is about 
16,000, of whom 4000 are Moslems, 8000 
Jews, 1800 Greeks, 1300 Latins, and about 
900 of various nations. 

Jerusha, je-rii'sha [possessed], the mother 
of King Jotham 2 Ki. 15.33. 

Jeshanah, jesh-a'nah, a city of the king¬ 
dom of Israel near Bethel and Ephraim, 
Nil.34.4; 2 Ch.13.19. 

Jeshebeab, jesh-eb'e-ab [seat of his father], 
chief of a family of priests, 1 Ch.24.13. 

Jeshimon, jSsh'Y-mon [a wilderness], a city 
in the wilderness of Maon, belonging to the 
tribe of Simeon, situated in the southern¬ 
most part of Palestine, 1 Sa.23.24. 
Jeshishai, je-shish'l [grayish], one of the 
posterity of Gad, 1 Ch. 5.14. 

Jeshohaiah, jesh-o-hl'ah [worshipper of 
Jehovah], a prince of the tribe of Simeon, 

1 Ch.4.36. 

Jeshua, jesh'u-ah [Jehovah the salvation], 
the son of Jozedech, and high-priest of the 
Jews when they returned from Babylon, 
Ne. 7. 7; 12. 1, 7, 10, 26; Ezr. 2. 2;—called 
Joshua, Hag. 1. 1, 12; 2. 2, 4; Zee. 3.1,7,10. 
The name of several other persons, 1 Ch. 
24. 11; 2 Ch. 31.15; Ezr. 2. 6,40; 8.33;—also 
the name of a city of Judah, Ne.11.26. 
Jeshurun, j6sh'u-run [upright], a symboli¬ 
cal name given to the people of Israel in 
token of affection, De. 32.15; 33. 5,26; Is. 
44 2 - 

Jesimiel, jes-im'mf-el [appointed of God], 
of the tribe of Simeon, 1 Ch.4.36. 

Jesse, jSs'se [firm or manly], the son of 
Obed, and the father of David, Ru.4.17, 
22;—his descendants, 1 Ch.2.13;—Christ is 
called the 'Root of David,’ Re.5.5; 22.16; 
the ‘Root of Jesse,’ Is.11.10. 

Jesting, not to be improperly used, Pr.26. 
18,19; Ep.5.4. 

Jesuites, jes-u'ites, the posterity of Jesui, 
Nu.26.44. 

Jesus, je'sus [Saviour], the name by which 
our glorious Redeemer is called, because 
he saves his people from their sins, Mat.i. 
21, 25. For his divine character, &c., see 
Christ. The principal incidents in his 
history are his genealogy, both by his 
father and mother, Mat. 1.1, &c.; Lu.3.23, 
&c.;—conception, Mat.i.18; Lu.1.26, &c.; 
—birth. Mat. 1.25; Lu.2.6;—is circumcised, 
21;—visited by the Magi, Mat.2.1, &c.;— 
carried into Egypt, 14;—is brought back, 
and settles at Nazareth, 23;—is taken to 
Jerusalem at twelve years of age, Lu.2.42; 
—is baptized, Mat.3.13; Mar. 1.9; Lu.3.21; 
Jn. 1. 32;—his temptation, Mat. 4. 1, &c.; 
Mar. 1. 12; Lu.4.1;— his first disciples, Jn. 
1. 35; Mat. 4. 18; Mar. 1. 16; Lu. 5. 1;—his 
miracles: changes water into wine, Jn. 2. 

1 {see Miracles);— attends the first pass- 
over at Jerusalem, 13;—his conversation 
with Nicodemus, 3.1, &c.;—with the wo¬ 
man of Samaria, 4. 1, &c.;—preaches in 
Galilee, Mat.4.17; Mar.1.1 4 ; Lu.4.14;—at 

Nazareth,Lu.4.16-30;—his discourse on the 

mount. Mat. v.-vii.;—a similar one on the 
plain, Lu.6.20, &c.;—discourages several 
persons from following him, Mat.8.i8;Lu. 
9 . 57 —discourses with the Pharisees about 
fasting, Mat. 9. 14; Mar. 2. 18; Lu.5.33;— 
asserts his Godhead, Jn.5.17, &c.;—walks 
in the corn-fields, Mat.12.1; Mar.2.23; Lu. 
6.1;—calls the twelve apostles, Mat. 10. 2; 
Mar.3.13; Lu.6.13;—discourses about the 
sin against the Holy Ghost, Mat. 12. 31; 
Mar. 3. 22; Lu. 11. 15;—his mother and 
brethren desire to speak to him, Mat. 12. 
46; Mar. 3. 31; Lu. 8. 19;—sends out the 
twelve apostles, Mat. 10.1; Mar.6.7; Lu.9. 

1;—discourses about John the Baptist, 
Mat. 11. 7; Lu. 7. 24; —pronounces woe 
against Chorazin, & c.,Mat.n.2o;Lu,io.i3; 
—dines with Simon the Pharisee, Lu.7.36; 
—reproves those who followed him for the 
loaves and fishes, Jn. 6.26;—exhibits himself 
as the bread of life, 33,35;—discourses con¬ 
cerning his mission, 5.17;—concerning tra¬ 
ditions, Mat. 15. 1; Mar. 7. 1;—discourses 
about a sign from heaven, Mat. 16.1; Mar. 
8. 11; Lu. 12. 54;—foretells his sufferings, 
Mat.16.21; 20.17; Mar.8.31; 9.31: Lu.9.18; 
—his transfiguration, Mat. 17.1; Mar. 9. 2; 
Lu. 9. 28; 2 Pe. 1. 16;—again foretells his 
sufferings, Mat. 17. 22;—pays the tribute- 
money, 24;—discourses concerning humi¬ 


lity and forgiveness, 18.1; Mar.9.33; Lu.9. 
46;—reproves the apostles for rebuking one 
who cast out devils in his name, Mar. 9.38; 
Lu. 9. 49;—leaves Galilee to go to Judea, 
Jn. 7.2; Mat. 19.1;—foretells the destruction 
of Jerusalem, Lu. 13.34; 17. 20;—again he 
foretells it, 21.5; Mat. 24. 1, &c.; Mar. 13. 

1, &c.;—his reply to those who told him 
that Herod intended to kill him, Lu.13.31; 
—sends forth seventy disciples, 10.1;—dis¬ 
courses with the Jews about his mission, 
at the feast of tabernacles, Jn. 7. n;—his 
address to the woman taken in adultery, 

8. 1;—discourses with the Jews about his 
being the light of the world, 12;—concern¬ 
ing Abraham’s seed, 31;—is entertained 
by Mary and Martha, Lu. 10.38;—inveighs 
against the Pharisees, 11. 37;—discourses 
about the Galileans slain by Pilate, 13.1;— 
discourses about humility and suffering in 
his cause, 14.26;—about his being the Mes¬ 
siah, at the feast of dedication, Jn. 10. 22; 
—concerning divorces. Mat. 19.3; Mar. 10. 

1;—blesses little children, Mat. 19.i3;Mar. 
10.13; Lu. 18. 15;—addresses a rich young 
man, Mat.19.16; Mar. 10. 17; Lu. 18. 18;— 
retires to Ephraim in the wilderness, Jn. n. 
54;—foretells his sufferings a third time, 
Mat. 20. 17; Mar. 12.30; Lu. 18. 31;—enter¬ 
tained by Zaccheus, Lu. 19. 2;—his lamen¬ 
tation over Jerusalem, Lu.19.41;—sups at 
Bethany, Mat.26.6; Mar. 14.1; Jn. 12. 1;— 
makes a triumphal entry into Jerusalem, 
Mat.21.1; Mar.11.1; Lu.19.29; Jn.12.12;— 
cleanses ttys temple. Mat.21.12; Mar. 11. 
11; Lu. 19.45; Jn. 2. 14;—a voice from hea¬ 
ven is heard in the temple, in answer to 
his prayer, Jn. 12. 28;—discourses again 
concerning his mission, 30;—concerning 
the baptism of John, Lu. 20. 3;—about 
tribute to Caesar, Mat. 22. 17; Mar. 12.13; 
Lu. 20. 20;—about the resurrection, Mat. 
22. 23; Mar. 12. 18; Lu. 20.27;—about the 
great commandment, Mat.22.35; Mar. 12. 
28;—about the Messiah, as the son of 
David, Mat.22.41; Mar. 12.35; Lu.20.41;— 
inveighs against the Pharisees, Mat. 23. 1; 
Mar. 12.38; Lu.20.45;—hi s observation on 
the poor widow’s mite, Mar.12.41; Lu.21. 
1;—discourse on watchfulness. Mat. 24.42; 
Mar.13.33; Lu.21.34; 12.35;—describes the 
last judgment, Mat. 25. 31-46;—Judas en¬ 
gages to betray him, 26.14; Mar. 14.10, Lu 

22. 3;—his preparation for the last pass- 
over, Mat.26.i7;Mar.i4.i2; Lu.22.7;—cen¬ 
sures the contest among the disciples 
about who should be greatest, Lu.22.24;— 
washes their feet, Jn. 13. 1;—the last sup¬ 
per, Mat.26.20; Mar.14.18; Lu.22.14;—in¬ 
stitutes the Lord’s supper, Mat. 26.26;Mar. 
14.22; Lu.22.19; 1 Co. 11.33;—his discourse 
to comfort his disciples, Jn. 14. 1, &c.;— 
compares himself to a vine, 15. 1, &c.;— 
gives the promise of the Holy Spirit, 16. 
16,26; 15.26; 16.7;—prays for his disciples, 

17. 1, &c.;—his agony in the garden of 
Gethsemane, Mat. 26. 36; Mar. 14.32; Lu. 
22.39;—> s taken, and carried before Caia- 
phas, Mat.26.57; Mar. 14.53; Lu.22.54; Jn. 

18. 12;—is denied by Peter, Mat. 26. 69; 
Mar. 14.66; Lu. 22.54; Jn. 18.15;—is brought 
before Pnate, Mat.27.11; Mar. 15. 1; Lu. 
23.2; Jn.18.28;—examined by Herod, Lu. 

23. 6;—crucified, Mat. 27. 33; Mar. 15. 21; 
Lu. 23. 33; Jn. 19.17;—buried, Mat.27.60; 
Mar.15.46; Lu.23.53; Jn.19.42;—his resur¬ 
rection, Mat. 28.1; Mar. 16.1; Lu.24.1; Jn. 
20.1;—appears first to Mary Magdalene, 
Mar. 16. 9;—afterwards to two disciples 
going to Emmaus, Lu.24.13; Mar.16.12;— 
to all the apostles, Mar. 16. 14: Lu. 24.36; 
Jn.20.19;—to the disciples in Galilee, Mat. 
28. 16; 1 Co. 15. 6; Jn. 21. 1;—his final in¬ 
structions, Mat. 28.18; Mar.16.15; Ac.1.3; 
—his ascension, Mar.16.19; Lu.24.51; Ac. 
1. g appears to Paul on his way to Da¬ 
mascus, 9. 4, 17;—speaks to him at Cor¬ 
inth, 18. 9;—appears to him at Jerusalem, 
22.17;—to John in Patmos, Re. 1.13-17. 

Jesus, meaning Joshua, the son of Nun, 
the captain of Israel, Ac.7.45; He.4.9. 
Jether, jS'ther [scruples], (1) The husband 
of Abigail, David’s sister, and the father 
of Amasa, 1 Ch. 2. 17. — (2) The son of 
Gideon, Ju. 8. 20.—f3) Father of Amasa, 
David’s general, 1 Ki.2.5,32; 1 Ch.2.17;— 
called also Ithra, 2 Sa. 17.6. 

Jethlah, jeth'lah [high], a city of Dan, 
Jos. 19.42. 

Jethro, je'thro [excellence], a priest and 
prince, or the chief sheykh , of Midian, and 
the father-in-law of Moses, Ex. 2. 16;—his 
flocks kept by Moses, 3. 1;—Moses soli¬ 
cited him for permission to visit his breth¬ 


ren, 4. 18;—brought to Moses in the wil¬ 
derness his wife and sons, 18.1,2;—is affec¬ 
tionately received by Moses, 7;—took a 
burnt-offering and sacrifices for God, 12; 
—his advice to Moses concerning judging 
the people, 17, &c. 

Jewel, a costly ornament of gold, silver, or 
other precious metals, worn on the fore¬ 
head, the nose, the ears, and the hand, 
Ge.24.53; Eze. 16.12,17,39;— figuratively, 
the people of God, who are precious in his 
sight, Mai. 3.17. 

Jewess, a female Jew, as was the mother 
of Timothy, Ac. 16. 1;—and Drusilla the 
wife of Felix, 24.24. 

Jewry, the country of Judea, Da. 5.13; Jn. 
7 - 1 - 

Jews, a name which came into use for the 
first time as a designation of the subjects 
of the kingdom of Judah, 2 Ki. 16.6:25.25; 
Je. 32. 12; 38. 19. After the return from 
captivity it became the designation of the 
whole Israelitish people. In the N. T. it 
is used to denote the descendants of Jacob, 
as distinguished from the Gentiles, Mar. 

7. 3; Lu. 23. 51. The original designation 
of this people was the Hebrews, which fell 
into disuse after the exile. Their great pri¬ 
vileges, De.4.33; 7.6; 1 Ch.17. 21; Ro. 3.1; 

9. 4 ;—their rejection and dispersion fore¬ 
told, Le.26. 33; De. 4. 27; 28. 64; Da. 12. 7; 
Ho.9.17;—are to be recalled and acknow¬ 
ledge Jesus Christ, De.30.1; Is. 11.11; Je. 
23. 3; 29. 14; 31. 8; 32. 37; Eze.36.33; 39.25; 
Ho.3.5; Am.9.14; Zee. 8. 7; Ro. 11. 1, 23; 2 
Co.3.16;—in danger from Haman, Es.3.8; 
—allowed to defend and avenge them¬ 
selves, 8.7:9.5,15;—Paul laments their 
case, Ro. 9. 1;—their conversion foretold, 
11.26. See Israelites. 

Jezebel, jez'e-bel [chaste], the wife of Ahab, 
king of Israel, was daughter of Ethbaal, 
king of the Zidonians, 1 Ki. 16. 31;—at¬ 
tempted to cut off the prophets of the 
Lord, 18.4;—fed at her table 400 idolatrous 
prophets of the groves, and 450 of the 
prophets of Baal. 19;—persecutes Elijah, 
19.1;—plots against Naboth, 21.5;—killed 
and devoured by dogs, 2 Ki. 9. 33;—the 
name became proverbial for a wicked wo¬ 
man, 2 Ki.9.22; Re.2.20. 

Jezer, je'zer [formation], the third of the 
four sons of Naphtali, and head of the 
family of the Jezerites, Ge. 46. 24; Nu. 26. 
49 - 

Jeziel, je'zi-el [assembled by God], a friend 
of David, 1 Ch.12.3. 

Jezoar, jez'o-ar [white], one of the posterity 
of Judah, 1 Ch.4.7. 

Jezrahiah, jez-ra-hl'ah [whom Jehovah 
brings forth], the chief of the singers at 
the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, 
Ne.12.42. 

Jezreel, jez'rel [what God planteth], (1) 
‘The Versailles of Israel,’ a city of great 
celebrity in the half tribe of Manasseh, 
situated in the midst of a beautiful and 
extensive plain of the same name, on the 
west of Jordan, and the south border of 
Issachar, Jos. 19. 18;—Abner made Ish- 
bosheth king over it, 2 Sa.2.9;—Ahab had 
his palace in, 1 Ki.21.1;—the dogs did eat 
Jezebel by the wall of, 23; 2 Ki.9.30-37;— 
threatening to revenge on Jehu the blood 
of. Ho. 1. 4. In the valley of Jezreel, 
lying between the parallel ridges of Gilboa 
and Moreh, and forming an offshoot of 
the plain of Jezreel (=Esdraelon), Gideon 
gained his memorable victory over the 
Midianites, Ju.6.33. This city is repre¬ 
sented by the modern Zerin, a village of 
about twenty houses, situated at the wes¬ 
tern point of Mount Gilboa.—(2) A city in 
the south of J udah, Jos. 15.56;—David took 
a wife from, 1 Sa.25.43. 

Jidlaph, jid'laf [tearful], son of Nahor, 
Abraham’s brother, Ge. 22.22. 

Jiphtah, jiftah [opening], a city in the 
tribe of Judah, Jos. 15.43. 

Jiphthael, jif'thah-el [God opening], a 
valley bounding the tribes of Zebulun and 
Asher, Jos.19.14,27. 

Joab, jo'ab [Jehovah-father], the son of 
Zeruiah, David’s sister, and brother to 
Abishai and Asahel, iCh.2.16;—the com¬ 
mander-in-chief of David’s army, 2 Sa. 2. 
13; 8. 16; 20. 23;—kills Abner, 3. 27;—and 
Amasa, 20. 10;—remonstrates with David 
against numbering the people, 1 Ch. 21. 3; 
—puts words into the mouth of a widow tQ 
plead for Absalom’s restoration, 2 Sa.14.2; 
— slew Absalom, contrary to David’s 
orders, 18. 14; — dissuades David from 
mourning for Absalom, 19.1;—put to death 


(Je— Jo) 613 

by orders of Solomon, and was buried in 
his own house, 1 Ki.2.5-34. 

Joah, jo'ah [Jehovah-brother], (1) Secretary 
to King Josiah, and by him employed in 
repairing the temple, 2 Ch.34.8.— (2) Secre¬ 
tary to King Hezekiah, sent to receive the 
propositions of Rabshakeh, 2 Ki. 18.18. , 
Joahaz, jo-a'haz, a contracted form of 
Jehoahaz, the father of Joah, recorder in 
Josiah’s reign, 2G1.24.8. 

Joanna, jo-an'nah [grace or gift of the 
Lord], the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, 
who, after being cured by Christ, followed 
him, Lu.8.2,3. 

Joash, jo'ash [Jehovah-given], (1) Son and 
successor of Ahaziah, king of Judah, 2 Ki. 
13.1;—called Jehoash, 12.1.—(2) Son and 
successor of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, 2 Ki. 
13.9;—encouraged by Elisha, 15;—defeats 
Benhadad, 25;—defeats Amaziah, 14.12;— 
dies, 16; 13.13. 

Job, job [persecuted], the patriarch so re¬ 
nowned for his patience, lived in the coun¬ 
try of Uz, probably on the eastern border 
of Palestine, between the deluge and 
the call of Abraham ; his character and 
wealth, Job 1.1, &c.; his losses, 13, &c.;— 
his children all killed, 18,19;—his patient 
resignation, 20-22;—his personal sufferings, 

2.7;—reproves his wife’s proposal to curse 
God and die, 10;—he curses his day, 3.1, 

&c.;—answers Eliphaz, 6.1; 7.1;—replies 
to Bildad, 9.1; 10.1;—to Zophar, 12.1; xiii. 
xiv.;—to Eliphaz’s second speech, xvi. 
xvii.;—to Bildad’s, xix.; — replies to Zo- 
phar’s second speech, xxi.;—to Eliphaz’s 
third speech, xxiii. xxiv.;—to Bildad’s, 
xxvi. - xxviii.; — to Zophar’s arguments, 
xxix. xxx.;—asserts his innocence, xxxi.; 
— submits to God, 40.3; 42.1;- is re¬ 
stored to double prosperity, 10, 12;—has- 
the same number of children as before, 13; 
—his faith in a resurrection, 19. 25;—his 
age (200 years) and death, 42.16,17;—is 
classed with Noah and Daniel, Eze. 14.14, 
20;—his patience celebrated, Ja.5.11. 

Jobab, jo'bab [desert], a son of Joktan, 
Ge. 10. 29;—tribe descended from, 1 Ch.i. 
23 - 

Jochebed, jok'e-bed [Jehovah her glory], 
the wife of Amram, and the mother of 
Aaron, Moses, and Miriam, Ex.6.20; Nu.. 
26.59. . 

Joel, jo'el [whose God is Jehovah], (1) One 
of the minor prophets, the son of PethueS 
or Bethuel, Joel 1.1. See his prophecies, 
—(2) The eldest son of Samuel, iSa.8.2. 
—(3) The son of Josibiah, iCh.4.35;—(4) 
The son of Zichri, Ne.11.9, &c. 

Joelah, jo-e'lah, one of David’s friends, 1 
Ch.12.7. 

Joezer, jo-e'zer [Jehovah is his help], one 
of the Korhites who resorted to David at 
Ziklag, 1 Ch.12.6. 

Jogbehah, jog-bS'hah [lofty], a city in the 
tribe of Gad, Nu.32.35; Ju.8.n. 

J ohanan, j o-ha'nan [ J ehovah-granted], con¬ 
tracted form of Jehohanan, informs Geda- 
liah of Ishmael’s conspiracy against him, 
Je.40.13;—requests Jeremiah to inquire of 
God, 42.1,2;—goes to Egypt, contrary to 
the word of God, and takes Jeremiah with 
him, 43.1, &c. 

John, jon [the gift of God], (1) The Baptist , 
son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, Lu.1.13;— 
his birth, 57;—his habit, Mat. 3.4;—his testi¬ 
mony to Jesus, Jn.1.15,19; 3.27; Mat.3.11; 
Mar.1.7; his preaching, Mat3.1; Mar.1.1; 
Lu.3.3;—imprisoned by Herod, Lu.3.19;— 
is beheaded. Mat. 14.1; Mar.6.14; Lu.9.7;— 
his disciples at Ephesus, Ac. 19.3.—(2) The 
apostle, son of Zebedee and Salome, was a. 
companion of Peter, Andrew, and Philip, 
who were all of Bethsaida;—is called by 
Jesus, Mat.4.21;—leans on the bosom of 
Jesus, 13.23;—receives his mother after the 
crucifixion, 19. 25; — his Gospel (written 
about A.D. 78), its design, Jn.20.31;—his. 
attestation to the divinity of our Lord, t. 
1-5: 4. 14: 5. 17-23; 10. 18; 1 Jn. 1.1;—was. 
banished to Patmos, Re. 1.9. 

John Mark. See Mark. 

Joiarib, joy'a-rib [Jehovah defends], con¬ 
tracted form of Jehoiarib, one who re¬ 
turned from the Babylonish captivity, Ezr.. 
8.16. 

Joined, literally^/**/, the strongest attach¬ 
ment, 1 C0.6.16. 

Jokdeam, jok'de-am [bu rning of the people],, 
a city in the mountains of Judah, Jos. 15. 
56. 

Jokmeam, jok'me-am [gathered of the 
people], a city in the tribe of Ephraim, t 
Ch.6.68. 













614 (Jo—Ju) 

Joknenm, jok'n« 5 -am [possessed of the 
peopleJ, a city of Zebulun, near Mount 
Carmel, Jos.x2.22; 19.11; 21.34. 

Jokslian, juk'shan [snarer], one of the sons 
of Abraham by Keturah, Ge. 25.2; 1 Ch. 
1.32. 

Joktan, jok'tan [small], the second named 
of the two sons of Eber, and progenitor of 
thirteen nations in Arabia, Ge. 10.25-30. 
Jonadab, jon'a-dab [Jehovah is liberal], a 
contracted form of Jkhonadab, the son of 
Rechab, was contemporary with Jehu, 
and witnessed his zeal in destroying the 
family of Ahab, 2 Ki. 10.15;—his command 
to his descendants, Je.35.6, &c. See Re- 
CH A BITES. 

Jonah, jo'nah Ta dove], one of the minor 
prophets, was the son of Amittai of Gath- 
hepher, 2 ls.i.14 25;—is commanded to go 
to Ni.ieveh, Jonah 1. 2;—flees from the 
presence of God, 3;—swallowed by a fish, 
17;—his prayer, 2. 1;—preaches to the 
Ninevites, 3.2;—his sorrow and anger be¬ 
cause his predictions were not fulfilled, 4. 
x;—is reproved by God, 4-11;—mentioned 
by Christ, Mat. 12.39-41. 

Jonathan, jon'a-than [gift of God], (1) A 
young Levite, who became priest to Micah, 
Ju.17.10;—the Danites take him with them, 
and he and his posterity were priests to 
their idol at Dan, 18.19,30.—(2 The son 
of David’s brother Shimeah, and one of 
the chief members of the council by which 
he administered the civil affairs of his 
kingdom, 1 Ch.27.32; 2 Sa.21.21; 1 Ch.20.7. 
—(3: The eldest son of Saul, distinguished 
for his piety and his valour, defeats a garri¬ 
son of the Philistines, 1 Sa. 14. 13; —in 
danger from his father’s rash vow, 39;—his 
friendship for David, 18.1;—informs David 
of his father’s design against him, 19. 
1;—makes a covenant with him, 20. 1;— 
takes leave of him, 35;—comforts him at 
Ziph, 23. 14;—falls along with his father 
and two brothers at the fatal battle of 
Gilboa, 3X. 2; —his death lamented by 
David, 2 Sa. x. 11,17-27. 

Joppa, jop'pah [beautiful], called Japho, 
Jos.19.46;—a seaport town, on the shores 
of the Mediterranean Sea, about 37 miles 
north-west from Jerusalem;—here the wood 
which Solomon brought from Lebanon was 
unloaded, 2 Ch. 2. 16;—here Jonah found 
the ship in which lie fled, Jonah 1.3;—here 
Peter restored Dorcas to life, Ac.9.40;— 
here he received the messengers of Cor¬ 
nelius, 10.5,23. The modern name of this 
city is Jafa or Jaffa , of about 5000 in¬ 
habitants, of whom 150 are Jews, 600 nomi¬ 
nal Christians, and the rest Moslems. 
‘Among its population are fugitives and 
vagabonds from all countries.’ 

Jorai, jo'rt [sprinkling], a descendant of 
Gad, 1 Ch.5.13. 

Joram, jo'ram [high], 2 Ki. 8. 16;—called 
Jehoram, 3.1-9, King of Israel. 

Jordan, jorMan [flowing down], called ‘the 
river,’ Ge.31.21; the great river of the Holy 
Land, the uppermost spring of which is the 
Hasbany, which rises in the great fountain 
of Furrx xear Hasbeiya , about 12 miles north 
of Tell-el-K&dy. After a course of about 
3 miles through a beautiful valley, it enters 
a dark defile of 6 or 7 miles, issuing from 
which it enters into a marsh of about 10 
miles extent, the termination of which is 
the lake Merom [Hiilch . Leaving this 
lake it flows rapidly with increasing volume 
for 12 miles, when it enters the Sea of 
Galilee. Plowing from the south-east end 
of this sea it descends with great speed till 
it is lost in the Dead Sea. Its whole 
course is in a direct line about 120 miles, 
and in its windings about 200, and is al¬ 
most throughout below the level of the 
Mediterranean. Its Arab name is F.sh- 
Sheriah [the watering-place]. The Israel¬ 
ites passed over on the tenth day of the 
first month (b.c. 1451), Jos.3.1, &c.; 4.11; 
Ps. 114.3;—was divided by Elijah, 2 Ki.2. 
8;—by Elisha, 14;—John baptized in, Mat. 
3.6;—its ‘overflow’spoken of, iCh.12.15; 
Je.12.5. 

Jorkoam, jor-kc/am or jor’kd-am [paleness 
of the people], son of Raham, 1 Ch.2.44. 
Josedech, jos’e-dek |whom Jehovah makes 
just], one of the high-priests, Hag.1.1. 
Joseph, jo'seph [addition, increase], (1) The 
son of Jacob by Rachel; born, Ge.30.24;— 
his dreams, 37. 5, &c.;—sold into Egypt, 
28;—bought by Potiphar, 39 1;—put into 
prison,20;—interprets the prisoners’dreams, 
40. 12;—brought before Pharaoh, and in¬ 
terprets his dream, 41. 14, &c.;—set over 


THE WORLD’S B 

the land of Egypt, 41;—his sons) 5 ° -~ 
treats his brethren roughly, 42. 9; — his 
favour to Benjamin, 43.16; —makes himself 
known to his brethren, 45.1, &c.; meets 
his father, 46. 29;—presents him to Pha¬ 
raoh, 47.7;—gets all the land of Egypt for 
Pharaoh, 20;—visits his sick father, 48.1, 
—his death at the age of no years, 50.26; 
—his bones carried out of Egypt, Ex. 13. 
ig. —( 2 ) The husband of Mary, and re¬ 
puted father of Christ, was of the royal 
line of the house of David, Mat. 1.6,16; Lu. 

I. 27;—by occupation a carpenter, Mat. 13. 
55;—espoused Mary, Mat. 1.18;—was in¬ 
formed by an angel respecting the extra¬ 
ordinary nature of her conception, and the 
child she was to bring forth, 20.21;—was 
again warned to flee into Egypt, 2.13; 
returned and settled at Nazareth, 23;— 
took Jesus and his mother to Jerusalem, to 
observe the passover, Lu. 2.41-43;—appears 
to have died before Christ entered on his 
public ministry, J11.19.25-27.—(3} Of An- 
mat hea, a Jewish senator, and a believer 
in Christ, Mat.27.57; Mar.15.42; Lu.23.50; 
J11.19.38;—did not consent to the cruci¬ 
fixion of Christ, Lu.23.51 ; —went to Pilate 
and begged the body of Jesus, 52;—took 
it down, wrapped it in linen, and buried it 
in his own new sepulchre, 53.— 4) t ailed 
Barsabas, one of the two chosen by the 
early church to fill the vacant office of the 
apostleship, Ac. 1.23. See Barsabas and 
Joses. — 5) Several other persons thus 
named, Nil. 13.7; 1 Ch.25.2; Ezr. 10.42; Ne. 
12.14. 

Joses, or Joseph, jo'sez [sparing, exalted], 
the son of Mary and Cleophas, was the 
brother of James the Less, and nearly re¬ 
lated to Christ, Mat.13.55; 27.56; Mar.6.3; 
15.40,47,—surnamed Barsabas, Ac. 1.23. 
Joshaviah, josh-a-vi'ah [Jehovah is suffi¬ 
cient], one of David’s mighty men, 1 Ch. 

II. 46. 

Joshbekasha , josh-bek'a-shah[seat in hard¬ 
ness], one of the sons of Heman, 1 Ch.25. 

24- 

Joshua, josh'u-a [saviour], (1) The son of 
Nun. His original name was Oshea, Nu. 
13.8;—he is also called Hoshea, De.32.44; 
—Jesus, Ac. 7. 45; He. 4. 8;—he is styled 
‘Moses’ minister,’ Ex.24.13;—he was one 
of the spies sent to explore the Land of 
Promise, Nu.13.16;—he, along with Caleb, 
gave a good account of it, 14.6;—is appointed 
to succeed Moses, 27.18;—encouraged by 
Moses, De.31.7;—God gives him a charge, 
14;—succeeds Moses, 34.9; Jos. 1.1;—his 
instructions, Jos. 1.8;—an angel appears 
to him, 5.13;—God encourages him, 8.1; 
—writes the law on stones, 32;—conquers 
all the land of Canaan, 11. 16;—his in¬ 
heritance, 19. 49;—his exhortation before 
his death, 23.1; 24.1, &c.;—died at the age 
of no years, 25. 29. The Book of, was 
written by Joshua except the last five 
verses—contains the history of the Israel¬ 
ites under the government of Joshua— 
sustains the same relation to the Penta¬ 
teuch that the Acts of the Apostles does to 
the four Gospels. It embraces a period of 
25 years.—12 The high-priest of the Jews 
when they returned from captivity—the 
son of Josedech, Hag.1.1,12,14;—was en¬ 
couraged, along with Zerubbabel, the go¬ 
vernor, in rebuilding the temple, after the 
return from Babylon, 2.4;—a type in the 
prophecy of Zechariah, Zee. 3. 3;—called 
Jeshua, Ne.8.17; 7.7; Eze.2.2, See. 

Josiah, jo-sl'ah [healed by Jehovah], the 
son and successor of Amon, king of Judah, 
succeeds his father, 2 Ki.21.24; 2 Ch.33.25; 
—repairs the temple, 2 Ch.34.8; 2 Ki.22. 3, 
&c.;—finds the book of the law, 2^.34. 
14;—keeps a solemn passover, 35.1;—slain, 
23; 2 Ki. 22. 29; — Jeremiah’s lamentation 
over him, 2Ch.35.25. 

Josibiah, jos-e-bi'ah [dweller with Jeho¬ 
vah], the father of Jehu, a chief man of the 
tribe of Simeon, 1 Ch.4.35. 

Josiphiah, jos-e-fi'ah [increased by Jeho¬ 
vah I, one who returned from the Babylon¬ 
ish captivity, Ezr. 8.10. 

Jot, or Tittle, a point, or the smallest let¬ 
ter or mark of a word, meaning the least 
supposable part, Mat. 5.18. 

Jotbatha, jot'ba-thah [goodness],the thirty- 
fourth encampment of the Israelites, a 
‘land of torrents of water,’ Nu.33.33. 
Jotham, jo'tham [Jehovah is upright], (1) 

I he youngest son of Gideon, addresses the 
people of Shechem in a parable, Ju.9.7;— 
his imprecation fulfilled, 56.—(2 King of 
Judah, son and successor of Uzziah, 2 Ki. 


BLE AUXILIARY 

15.7; 2CIV27.1;—conquers the Ammonites, 
5;—dies, after a reign of forty-one years, 
during twenty-five of which he was asso¬ 
ciated with his father, 9; 2 Ki.15.38. 
Journey, a day's, the space covered with 
quails round the camp of Israel, reckoned 
about 20 miles, Nu. 11. 31;— a Sabbath- 
day’s, reckoned by the Jews to be about 
7 furlongs or J'g of a mile; but it is probable 
that they were allowed to travel to the 
synagogue, though much farther distant, 
Ac.1 12; 2 Ki.4.23. 

Journeys of the Israelites, or their 
marches from the time they left Raineses, 
in Egypt, till they pitched their camp in 
Gilgal, in the Land of Promise, seem to 
have been fifty-two in number, Ex. 12.37; 
13.20; 14.2; 15.23,27; 16.1; 17.1; Nu.33.1, 
&c.; Jos.4.19. When they left Egypt the 
number of males above twenty years of 
age was 603,550, and when they entered 
Canaan it was 601,730. 

Joy, or gladness, is an agreeable sensation 
of the mind, arising from the possession or 
anticipation of something esteemed valu¬ 
able, pleasant, or good. Is a gift of God, 
Ps. 4. 7; Ec. 2. 26; 5. 19, 20. Natural joy 
arises from things which are earthly and 
perishing, Es.5.9; 8.16; Ec.7.14. Religious 
and spiritual joy, experienced by the 
people of God, arises from a warrant to 
claim God as their Father and portion, 2 
Co.6.18; La.3.24; Hab.3.17,18;—Christ as 
their all-sufficient Saviour, J 11.6.37; He. 7. 
25;—to expect all, while in this world, that 
God knows to be good for them, Ps.34.10; 
84.11; —and a glorious inheritance beyond 
the grave, 1 Pe. 1.3,4;—in its nature and 
properties it is pure, refined, and unknown 
to the men of the world, 1 Co. 2.14;—sources 
or causes of it, Jn.i5.io,xi; 16.24; 17.13; 
Ac. 2.28; Ro. 15.13;—its sources remain un¬ 
changeable, He.T3.5,8;— it is unspeakable, 

1 Pe. 1.8;—it shall be eternal, Is.35.10; Jn. 
16.22. The joy of the wicked is delusive, 
Pr. 14.13;—short-lived, Job 20.5; Ec.7.6. 

Jozachar, joz'a-kar [Jehovah-remembered], 
one of the two servants who assassinated 
Jehoash, king of Judah, m Millo, 2 Ki. 12. 
20,21. 

Jubilee, the grand sabbatical year among 
the Hebrews, and celebrated at the end of 
every seven times seven years, Le.25.8,9; 
—this was the year of general release, not 
only of all debts, like the common sabbati¬ 
cal or every seventh year, but of all slaves, 
and of all lands and possessions which had 
been sold, or otherwise alienated from the 
families and tribes to which they originally 
belonged, 10-17. 

Judah, j 11'dah [the praise of the Lord], the 
fourth son of Jacob by Leah, Ge.29.35;— 
saves Joseph from death, 37.26;-—his sons 
by Shuah, 38.3,4; -his guilty connection 
with Tamar, his daughter-in-law, 15;—his 
confession of his guilt, 26;—pleads with 
his father to send Benjamin, along with 
his brothers, into Egypt, 43.3;—intercedes 
with Joseph not to detain Benjamin, and 
offers himself in his room, 44. 18-34 ;—is 
constituted, by his father’s prophetic bless¬ 
ing, the head of his brethren, from whom 
their kings were to descend, 49.8-10;—his 
tribe, and that of Simeon, war with the 
Canaanites, Ju. 1.1,17;—their inheritance, 
Jos. 15.1, &c.;—warned by the example of 
the ten tribes, Ho.4.15;—Moses’ blessing 
on the tribe of, De. 33.^;—the boundaries 
and principal towns of the tribe of, Jos.xv.; 
—they anointed David king in Hebron, 

2 Sa.2.1-11;—at the division into two king¬ 
doms the tribe of Benjamin alone adhered 
to that of Judah, 1 Ki. 12.16-19,—the re¬ 
maining ten tribes constituting the king¬ 
dom of Israel. 

Judaizing, or attempting to induce the 
Gentile converts to join with Christianity 
the religious rites of the Jews, plainly con¬ 
demned, Ga. 3. 1, &c.; 5. 1; 6.12; Col. 2.8, 
16. 

Judas, ju'das, the graecized form of the 
Heb. Judah [celebrated], fi) The author 
of ‘the epistle of Jude,’ the ‘brother of 
James,’ Lu. 6. 16;—called Lebbeus, Mat. 
10.3;—Thaddeus, Mar.3.18;—his question 
to Jesus, Jn.14.22.—(2) Iscariot, is called 
the ‘son of Simon,’Jn. 6. 21. The word 
Iscariot may mean a man of Kerioth (a 
town of Judah, Jos. 15. 25). He was one 
of the twelve disciples of our Lord;—cen¬ 
sures Mary for anointing Jesus, J11.12.4;— 
his treachery foretold, Mat. 26. 21; Mar. 
14.18; Lu.22.21; Jn.6.71; 13.21; — agrees 
with the priests, Mat.26.14; Mar.14.10; 


Lu. 22. 3;—betrays Jesus in the garden^ 
Mat. 26.47; Mar. 14.43; Lu.22.47; Jn. 18.3; 
—hangs himself. Mat.27.a- Ac. 1.16.—(3) 
of Galuee, ms insurrection, Ac.5.35. .4) 

or Barsabas, commended, Ac.15.22,32. 

Judea, ju-de'a, the Greek form of Judah, 
the two words being frequently used indis¬ 
criminately for the country of Judah, 1 Sa. 
23.3; 2 Ki.24.20; 2CIT2.7;—sometimes the 
whole land of Canaan, Mat.24.16; Ac. 1.8. 
Daniel (2.25; 5.13) uses this name to de¬ 
note the land of the Jews generally. The 
province of J udea lay in the south of Pal¬ 
estine, and extended from the Jordan to the 
Mediterranean. In the N. T. it is this 
province which is generally meant by the 
name Judea, Lu.5.17; Mat.4.15; Jn.4-47, 
54. In Lu. 1. 5 it denotes the whole of 
Palestine. 

Judge, to try a cause, Ex. 18.13; 1C0.6.2;— 
to censure rashly, Mat.7.1; 1 Co.4.3;—to 
condemn or punish, Ro.14.13; He.i3.4. 

Judges, (1) Ordinary officers, to be ap¬ 
pointed, De. 16. 18; 17.8;—their qualifica¬ 
tions and duty, Ex. 18. 21; 23.3,6; Le.19. 
15; De.1.13,16; 16. 18; 17.8; 2Ch.i9.6; Ps. 
lxxxii.; Pr. 18.5; 24.23; 31.8,9; Ezr. 7.25;— 
bad ones described, 1 Sa.8.1; Is. 1 23; Ho. 
4.18; Zep.3.3; Mi.3.9; Lu.x8.2; —bad ones 
threatened, Pr. 17.15; 24.24; Is. 5. 23; 10.1. 
—(2) Extraordinary men, raised up by 
God to deliver Israel from oppression, and 
execute judgment against their tyrants, 
before they had a king. When the nation 
sinned it was punished by anarchy, inva¬ 
sion, or conquest; but when it had been 
duly humbled a deliverer was found. On 
six occasions, extending over a period of 
about 400 years, the land was invaded by 
the enemies of Israel. Not many years 
after the death of Joshua the people fell 
into the idolatries of the Canaanites, and 
then the series of oppressions and deliver¬ 
ances began. 

Years. 


i. Servitude, Chushan Rishathaim, 

king of Mesopotamia, lasted . 3 

1. Judge Othniel delivered and 

judged Israel,.40 

ii. Servitude, Eglon, king of Moab; 

Ammon, Amalek.18 

2. Judge Ehud,.80 

3. Judge Shamgar (‘slew of the Phi¬ 

listines’), . unknown 

iii. Servitude, Jabin of Hazor, in Ca¬ 

naan, .20 

4. Judge Deborah | 

5. Judge Barak 1 . 

iv. Servitude, Midian, Amalek, and 

children of the East, .... 7 

6. Judge Gideon,.40 

King Abimelech,.3 

7. Judge Tola,.23 

8. Judge J air, . . 22 

v. Servitude, Ammonites with Philis¬ 

tines, .18 

9. Judge Jephthah, .... .6 

10. Judge Ibzan,. 7 

11. Judge Eglon,.10 

12. Judge Abdon,.8 

vi. Servitude, Philistine,.40 

13. Judge Samson (‘in the days of the 

Philistines’),.20 

14. Judge Eli,.40 

15. Judge Samuel,.12 


Judges (Book of), gives the history of the 
Jews under the fifteen judges, extending 
over a period of 450 years, Ac. 13.20. 
It is generally supposed that Samuel the 
prophet, the last of the judges, was the 
author of it. 

Judging, others rashly and censoriously, 
condemned, Mat.7.1; Lu.6.37; Ro.2.1; 14. 
3,4; 1 Co. 4. 5; Ja. 4. 11, 12;— ourselves, or 
trying our character by careful and impar- 
tial self-examination, commanded, 1 Co. 
11.31; 2 Co. 13.5. See Examination. 

Judgment (Future), intimations of it, Ps. 
1.5; 9.7; 1 .; Ec.3.17; 11.9; 12.14;—to be ad¬ 
ministered by Christ, Mat. 16. 27; 25. 31; 
Jn.5.22,27; Ac.10.42; 17.31; Ro.2.16; 2C0. 
5. 10; 2 Ti. 4. 1;—the time of it unknown, 
Mat.24.44; Mar. 13.32; 1 Th.5.2; 2 Pe.3.10; 
—why delayed, 9.15. 

-, to be preceded by false Christs, 

Mat.24.5,24;—the appearance of the man 
of sin, 2TI1.2.8; 1 Jn.2.18;—the preaching 
of the gospel among all nations, Mat. 24. 
14; Lu.21.24; R0.1t.25; Re. 14.6;—the con¬ 
version of the Jews, Ho. 3. 5; Ro. 11. 23, 
&c.; 2 Co. 3.16;—remarkable wars and other 
calamities, Mat.24.6,21. 

-, the circumstances of it , a trum- 






















THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


pet will be sounded, Mat. 24. 31; 1 Co. 15. | 
52; 1 Th.4.16;—a change will take place in 
the bodies that are raised. Mat. 22. 30; 1 
Co. 15. 42; Phi. 3. 21; Col. 3.4; 1 Jn. 3. 2 ;—a 
conflagration or change in the world, Zep. 
3.8; 2'Ph. 1.8; 2 Pe.3.7;—Christ coming in 
the clouds, Da.7.10,13; Mat.16.27; 24.30; 
26.64; Du.21.27; Ac. 1.11; 1 Th. 3. 13; 4. 16; 
Re. 1.7;—who will then judge all men, Mat. 
24.31; 25.31; R0.14.10; 2 Co.5.10; Jude 15; 
Re. 20.12:22.12;—according to their works. 
Job 34.11; Ps.62.12; Pr.24.x2; Ec.n.9; 12. 
14; Je.17.10; 32.19; Eze. 18. 20; Mat. 16.27; 
2 5-35 - 45: R0.2. 6; 1 Pe. 1. 17; Re.20.12,13; 
22. 12;—heathens, by the law of consci¬ 
ence, Ro. 2. 12, 14, 15;—Jews, by the law 
of Moses, 12;— the apostles to be judges 
with Christ, Mat. 19. 28; Lu. 22. 30; 1 Co.6. 
3;—the righteous will be separated from 
the wicked, Mat. 13.49; 25.32. The com¬ 
ing of the judgment calls to repentance , 
Ac. 17. 30, 31;— holiness, 2 Co.5.9,10; 2 Pe. 
3.11,14;— prayer and watchfulness. Mat. 
25.13; Mar. 13.33. 

Judgments of God. meaning his law or 
word: so called because they are the rule 
by which he will judge all to whom they 
are given, and by which they ought to 
judge themselves, Ps.19.9; 89. 30; 119.13, 
20,30,39,43, &c. &c. 

■-,the punishments which 

he inflicts on transgressors, are all right¬ 
eous, Ps.97.2; 145.17; Ro.2.2; Re.16.7; 19. 
2;—sometimes dark and unsearchable, Ro. 
11.33;—illustrate the righteous character 
of God, Ex. 9. 14-16; Eze.39.21,22; Da.9. 

14- 

-, on sinners, examples 

of: on individuals, Cain, Ge. 4. 11;— Ca¬ 
naan, 9.25; —Achan, Jos.7. 25; —Saul, 1 Sa. 
15.23; —Uzzah, 2 Sa. 6. 7;—Ahab, 1 Ki.22. 
38;—Gehazi, 2 Ki. 5. 27; — Jezebel, 9. 39; 
— Nebuchadnezzar, Da. 4. 31; — Ananias, 
&c., Ac.5.5,10;—Herod, 12. 23;—Elymas, 
13. 11 ;— -on nations or communities: the 
universal deluge, Ge. 6. 7;—the confusion 
of languages, 11.7; — the destruction of 
Sodom and Gomorrah, 19.24;—the plagues 
of Egypt, Ex. vii.-xiii.;—the drowning of 
Pharaoh and his hosts, 14.28;—the suffer¬ 
ings of Israel in the wilderness, Nu.21 6; 
25.9; —people of Ashdod, 1 Sa. 5.6; —Ama- 
lekites, 1 Sa. 15.3, &c. See Famine, Pes¬ 
tilence, Plague, &c. 

Judgment Hall, the hall in the palace of 
the Roman governor, where cases were 
tried and adjudicated upon, Jn.18. 28;— 
called the ‘ common hall,’ Mat.27.27;Mar. 
15.16. 

Juice, sap of grapes, Ca.8.2. 

Julia, ju'lT-a, a friend of Paul’s, to whom 
he sends his salutations, Ro. 16.15. 

Julius, juli-us, the centurion of Augustus’ 
band, to whose care Festus committed 
Paul, to be conveyed prisoner to Rome, 
Ac. 27.1;—showed much kindness to Paul, 
2;—saved him from the murderous design 
of the soldiers, 43. 

Jumping, leaping or skipping, Na.3.2. 
Junia, ju'ni-a, an early convert to Chris¬ 
tianity, of whom Paul speaks in honour¬ 
able terms, Ro. 16.7. 

Juniper, the Heb. word so rendered pro¬ 
bably denotes a species of broom: the 
Spanish broom. T his wood burns with a 
remarkably bright flame, and emits great 
heat, Ps. 120.4;—Elijah rested under shade 
of, 1 Ki.19.4,5. 

Jupiter, ju'pi-ter [helping father], perhaps 
derived from fa, Jao, or Jehovah; the 
supreme god of the heathens, whom they 
regarded as the chief governor of heaven 
and earth, and whom they represented as 
notorious for his wicked and lascivious in¬ 
trigues;—the inhabitants of Lystra called 
Barnabas Jupiter, Ac. 14.12;—his priests 
wished to offer sacrifice to Paul and Bar¬ 
nabas, 13,18. 

Jushabhesed, jti-shiib'he-sed [returner of 
kindness], one of the posterity of king 
David, 1 Ch.3.20. 

Just, upright or righteous, God is perfectly 
and essentially, De.32.4; Is. 45. 21; Zep. 3. 
5;—Christ is, Ac. 3. 14;—the Just One, 7. 
52; 1 Pe.3. 18;—good men are, in respect 
of honesty and equity in their transac¬ 
tions, Ge.6.9; Pr.3.33; 4.18; 10.7; Mat.1.19; 
Lu. 2.25. 

Justice, required of man, De. 16.20: Ps.82. 
3; Mat.7.12; Lu.6.31; Ro.13.7; Phi.4 8; Is. 
56.1; Eze.45.9; Mi.6.8. 

Justice of God, the infinite rectitude of 
his nature, by which he must render to 
every one his due. Ge. 18. 25; De. 32. 4; 2 


Ch.19.7; Job 8.3; Ps.145. 17; Je.9.24; 32.18; 
Da.9.14; Eze.18.25; Re.15.3; 19.1,2. 

Justification. I his word occurs only in 
Ro.4.25; 5.16,18. It denotes that relation 
to the law of God into which a sinner is 
brought by virtue of the righteousness of 
Christ being imputed to him. It is a judi¬ 
cial act of God proceeding upon this so¬ 
vereign act of imputation. It involves 
pardon and restoration to the divine fa¬ 
vour; is an individual and instantaneous 
act, admitting of no degrees, Jn.5.24; Ro. 
8.1;—not to be attained by the law, Ac. 
I 3 - 39 - Ro.3.20; 8.3; Ga. 2.16:3.11; He.7.19; 
—nor by any other performance, Job 9.2; 
25.4; Ps. 130.3; 143.2;—is given unto us by 
the grace of God, Ro.3.24; 4.4; 11.5; Ep. 
2.8; 2 Ti.1.9; Tit.3.5;—through the merits 
and blood of Christ, Ac.13.38; Ro.5.9,19; 
1 Co. 1. 30;—by the means of faith, Ro. 3. 
22; 4.16; Ga.2.16; 3. 11, 24; Ep.2.8; He.10. 
38; 11. 7;—it is an act of justice as well as 
of grace; the law being perfectly fulfilled, 
and divine justice satisfied, by Christ, Is. 
42.21; Ro. 3. 24-26; — is irreversible and 
unalterable, 8.30-39. 

-, effects or blessings of, are 

entire freedom from all penal evil in this 
life, and that which is to come, Ro. 8. 28; 
1 Co. 3.22;—peace with God, Ro. 5.1;—ac¬ 
cess to God through Christ, with filial 
confidence, Ep. 2. 18; 3. 12;—the certain 
attainment of eternal life, Ro.5.9; 8.30. 

- , evidences of, are deliverance 

from the dominion of sin, Ro. 6. 1-22;— 
supreme love to the Saviour, 1 Jn. 4. 19; — 
persevering reliance on his blood, Ga.2.16; 
Phi. 3. 8, 9;—devotedness to his service, 2 
Co. 5. 14, 15; Ga. 2. 20;—justice in all our 
dealings with our fellow-men, Mi.6.8; iTh. 

2.10. 

-, excellencies of this method 

of, are that it supports the honour of God’s 
perfections and government, Ps.85.io;Ro. 
3.26;—humbles the sinner, and glorifies the 
Saviour, 27; Re. 1.5,6;—places all the chil¬ 
dren of God on the same level, in regard 
to want of merit in themselves, and obli¬ 
gations to divine grace, Ro. 3. 30; 10.12; 
Col. 3. 11;—establishes the faith and hope 
of believers on a sure and everlasting 
foundation, Ro. 8.30-34. 

-, the seeming difference be¬ 
tween Paul’s account of, Ro. 3. 24,28; Ga. 
2.16; and that of James, Ja. 2. 24; arises 
from the following causes: Paul treats of 
the justification of our persons before God, 
Ro.3.26; but James of the justification of 
our faith before men, as professed believ¬ 
ers, Ja. 2. 18;—Paul speaks of those who 
are ‘without strength, ungodly and sin¬ 
ners,’ till the moment they are justified, 
Ro.4.5; 5. 6, 8,10; but James of them who 
are already righteous, and who give proof 
of it by their works, Ja.2.14,21,22;—in the 
justification mentioned by Paid, works 
have no share, Ro. 4. 6; 11.6; but in that 
by James, it is by good works alone that 
it can have existence, Ja.2.17,26. 

Justle, to clash, Na.2.4. 

Justus, jns'tus [righteous], (1) Another 
name for Joseph, surnamed Barsabas, Ac. 
1. 23.—(2) A pious man, in whose house 
Paul preached at Corinth, 18.7.—(3) Called 
also Jesus, a fellow-labourer of Paul’s, Col. 

4.11. 

Juttah, jut'tah [extended], a city of Judah; 
identical with Yutta, a large village about 
5 miles south of Hebron, Jos. 15.55. 


K. 


Kab. See Cab. 

Kabzeel, kab'zel [God gathers], a city of 
Judah, near the west shore of the Dead 
Sea, towards its southern extremity, Jos. 
15.21;— here Benaiah, the general of Solo¬ 
mon’s army, was born, 2 Sa.23.20;—called 
Jekabzeel, Ne. 11.25. 

Kadesh, ka'desh [a holy place], a place in 
the north-west of the desert of Paran, 
forming the south border of the land of the 
Hebrews, and the west of that of the Edom¬ 
ites, Nu.20.16; 34.4;—was called at an ear¬ 
lier period En-Mishpat [fountain of judg¬ 
ment], Ge.14. 7, and Kadesh-Barnea, Nu. 
32.8; 34.4; Jos. 10. 41;—here the Israelites 
long sojourned, De.1.46;- from it the spies 
were sent to explore the Promised band, 
Nu.13.26; 32.8;—here Miriam died, or, as 


some think, in another place of the same 
name, Nu. 20. 1;—here, at the waters of 
Meribah, Israel rebelled, and Moses in¬ 
curred the divine displeasure, Nu. 20. 10; 
De.32.51. 

Kadmiel, kad'nu-el [one before God], a re¬ 
turned captive, Ezr.3.40; Ne.7.43. 

Kadmonites, kad'mon-ites [people of the 
East], ancient inhabitants of Canaan, Ge. 
15.19. 

Kanah, ka'nah [of reeds], 11) A river on the 
south border of the western Manassites, 
Jos. 16.8; 17.9.—(2) A city of Asher, not far 
from Zidon, Jos. 19.28. 

Kareali, ka-re'ah [bald head], father of Jo- 
hanan, Je.40.16. 

Karkaa, kar-ka'ah [a floor or foundation], 
a city in the borders of Judah, Jos.15.3. 

Kedar, ke'dar [black, black-skinned], a son 
of Ishmael, and father of the Kedarenes, 
who resided in Arabia, Ge.25.13;—in this 
country David seems to have sojourned, 
Ps. 120.5:—descendants of, traded with the 
Tyrians, Eze.27.21;—to be conquered, Je. 
49.23;—to add to the glory of the church, 
Is. 60. 7;—the ‘children of,’ 21.17;—their 
tents, like those of all the other nomad 
tribes of Arabia, were black;—were rich 
in flocks and celebrated as warriors, 1 Ch. 
1.29; Ca.1.5; Is.42.11; 49.28; Je.2.10. 

Kedemah, ked'e-mah [ancient], the young¬ 
est son of Ishmael, Ge.25.15;—his posterity 
resided to the eastward of Gilead, and seem 
to have given name to the city of Kede- 
moth, near the river Arnon, De.2.26; Jos. 
13.18; 21.37. ^ 

Kedemoth, ked'e-moth [antiquities], a city 
of Reuben, near the river Arnon, Jos. 13. 
18; 21.37. 

Kedesh, ke'desh [sanctuary], a town in 
Upper Galilee, which belonged to the tribe 
of Naphtali, Jos. 19.37;—appointed one of 
the three cities of refuge on the west of 
Jordan, 20.7; 21.32. 

Keep, to hold fast, 2 Ti. 1. 14 ;—to watch 
over, Ps.127.1;—to save, Jn.17.15;—to per¬ 
form fully, Mat.19.17; 26.18. 

Keeper, one who keeps, Ge.4.2; 39.21; Ps. 
121.5; Ac. 16.27,36. 

Kehelathah, ke-hel'a-thah [assembly], an 
encampment of Israel, Nu.33.22. 

Keilah, kei'lah [fortress], a city of Judah, 
north-west of Hebron, Jos. 15. 44:—saved 
by David from the ravages of the Philis¬ 
tines, 1 Sa. 23. 1-5;—here Abiathar came 
to David, 6;—from it David and his men 
departed, being warned by God, 12.13;— 
rulers from, assisted Nehemiah in rebuild¬ 
ing Jerusalem, Ne. 3. 17, 18 ;—has been 
identified with Kila, a ruin situated on a 
cliff 8 miles from Eleutheropolis Beit Jib- 
rin). 

Kemuel, kem'u-el [assembly of God], (1) 
The third son of Nahor, and father of 
Aram, Ge.22.21.— 2 A prince of the tribe 
of Ephraim,one of those appointed to divide 
the land of Canaan, Nu.34.24. 

Kenath, ke'nath [possession], a city of Ba- 
shan in Argob, 1 Ch.2.23;—was taken by 
Nobah a Manassite, and called after his 
own name, Nu.32.42. Now A unawdt. 

Kenaz, kg'naz [hunting], the fourth son of 
Eliphaz, the son of Esau, and one of the 
dukes of Edom, Ge.36.15;—the name also 
of the father of Othniel and the brother of 
Caleb, Ju.1.13; 3.9. 

Kenites, ken'ites [smiths, or dwellers in 
a nest], an ancient people, who inha¬ 
bited a district lying to the westward of 
the Dead Sea, and extending their bor¬ 
ders far into the Arabian desert;—Jethro, 
a ‘ priest of Midian,’ the father-in-law of 
Moses, was one of them, Ju.1.16;—their 
land promised to the Hebrews, Ge. 15.19; 
—for the sake of Jethro, they were not cut 
off, but allowed to dwell in the tribe of 
Judah, 1 Sa. 15.6; Ju.1.16. 

Kenizzites, ken'niz-zites, one of the tribes 
of the ancient Canaanites, who seem to 
have dwelt in the mountains of Judah, Ge. 
i 5 -! 9 - 

Kerchiefs, used by the false prophets,were 
head-tiers, turbans, or vails bound to the 
head so as to cover the face, Eze. 13.18,21. 

Keriofh, ker'Y-oth [cities 1 , 1) A city of 

Judah, Jos. 15. 25, supposed to have been 
the birth-place of Judas Iscariot; (2 of 
Moab, Je.48.24;—called Kirioth, Am.2.2. 

Kernel, the substance within a shell, Nu. 
6.4. 

Keturah, ke-tu'rah [incensel, the wife of 
Abraham, Ge.25.1;— called also his concu ¬ 
bine , and by some thought to have been 
so, long before the death of Sarah, 1 Ch.i. 


(Ju—Ki) 615 

32;—her descendants, the KeturaYte Arabs, 

Ge.25.2-4; 1 Ch. 1.32. 

Key, literally, an instrument to open a 
lock, Ju. 3. 25 .- figuratively, an emblem 
of power and government, Is.22.22; Re.3. 
7; 9.1; 20.1;—the authoritative administra¬ 
tions of the gospel, in publishing its truths, 
dispensing its ordinances, and pointing out 
the characters both of the righteous and 
the wicked. Mat. 16.19; Jn.20.23. 

Keziz, ke'ziz [the end], Valley of, a place 
mentioned among the cities of Benjamin, 
Jos.18.21. 

Kibroth Hattaavah, kib'roth-hat-ta'a-vah 
[the graves of lust], the place where Israel 
loathed the manna, and lusted after other 
food; and where they were smitten with a 
great plague, Nu.11.4,34,35. 

Kick, figuratively, to rebel wantonly and 
stubbornly against God, 1 Sa.2.29; De.32. 
15 - 

Kidneys, the inward parts of some animals, 
Ex.29.13; Le.9.10. 

Kidron, or Cedron, ki'dron [turbid], a 
brook which ran through the valley of 
Jehoshaphat, on the east side of Jerusalem, 
between the city and the Mount of Olives; 
—David crossed it in his escape from Ab¬ 
salom, 2 Sa.15.23;—near by it, Asa, Heze- 
kiah, and Josiah burned the idols and 
abominations of their predecessors, 1 Ki. 
15.13; 2 Ki.23.4; 2 Ch.29.16;—Christ passed 
it in his way to Gethsemane, Jn. 18.1. 

Kin, a relation, Le.18.6; 20.19; 2Sa.19.42; 
Mar. 6.4. 

Kindness, love, good-will, Ac.28.2; 2 Co.6. 
6; F.p.2.7; Col.3.12. 

Kindred, relation, affinity, Ge. 12.1; Lu.i. 
61; Ac.4.6; 7.13. 

Kine, the old plural of corv, cows, Ge.32.15; 
41.2; De. 7.13 '—figuratively, proud,grovel¬ 
ling, and powerful rulers, Am.4.1; Eze. 39. 
18. 

King, the chief ruler of a tribe, city, or 
kingdom:—the first of whom we read was 
Nimrod, Ge. 10. 8-10;—at first the extent 
of the dominions of kings was often very 
limited, as appears from seventy of them 
being conquered by Adonibezek, Ju. 1.7;— 
thirty-two being subject to Benhadad, 1 
Ki. 20. 1;—thirty-one being conquered by 
Joshua, Jos.12.24;—Saul was the first in 
Israel, 1 Sa. 11. 15; — to him succeeded 
David, 2 Sa.5.1-3;—Solomon was his suc¬ 
cessor, 1 Ki. 1. 39;—after him the tribes 
were divided n C. 975) into the kingdom of 
Judah, and the kingdom of Israel, 12. 16-20. 
The kingdom of Judah, including the tribes 
of Judah and Benjamin, was governed by 
twenty kings; and the kingdom of Israel, 
including the other ten tribes, was govern¬ 
ed by nineteen kings. The following is a 
table of these kings, with the years of each 
in his reign, and the year before Christ 
when they died :— 


Kings of Judah. 



Reigned 

B.C. 

1. Rehoboam, . - - 

16 years, died 958 

2. Abijah or Abijam, - 

3 yy yy 

955 

3- Asa, -. 

4 1 .. 

914 

4. Jehoshaphat 'his son 



Jehoram being as- 



sociated with him 



about three years', - 

25 >> >> 

889 

5. Jehoram, - - - - 

4 yy yy 

885 

6. Ahaziah, - - - - 

1 ,, 

884 

7. Queen Athaliah, - - 

^ yy yy 

878 

8. Joash or Jehoash, 

4 ° yy yy 

839 

9. Amaziah, - - - - 

29 M M 

810 

10. Uzziah or Azariah, - 

5 2 yy yy 

758 

11. Jotham, - - - - - 

16 >> .» 

742 

12. Ahaz, - - - - - 

16 ,, ,, 

726 

13. Hezekiah, - - - - 

29 yy yy 

698 

14. Manasseh, - - - - 

55 ,, 

*43 

15. Arnon, - - - - - 

2 „ „ 

641 

16. Josiah, - - - - - 

3 1 >» »» 

610 

17. Jehoahaz, 3 months. 



18. Jehoiakim, - - - - 

11 » » 

599 

First captivity, 

B.C. 606. 


19. Jehoiachin or Jeconiah, 3 mths. ,, 

599 

Second captivi 

ty, 599 - 


20. Zedekiah or Matta- 



niah, - - - - - 

11 years, ,, 

588 

Final captivity , 588. 


Kings of Israel. 



Reigned 

B.C. 

t. Jeroboam I., - - - 

22 years, died 954 

2. Nadab, - 

2 »> i» 

953 

3. Baasha, - - - - - 

24 » ». 

930 

4. Elah, - 

2 if ft 

929 

5. Zimri, . 

7 days. 






















616 (Ki 

La) 



Reigned 

B.C. 

6 . Omri, - - - - 


918 

7. Ahab, - - - - 


897 

8. Amaziah, - - - 

- 2 ,, ,, 

896 

9. Jehoram, - - - 

- 12 ,, ,, 

884 

10. Jehu, - - - - 

- ->8 „ 

856 

11. Jehoahaz, - - - 

- 17 „ „ 

839 

12. Jehoash, - - - 

- 16 ,, ,, 

825 

13. Jeroboam II., - - 

- 41 » 

784 

Interregnum, - - 

- 11 >» 


2 Ki. 14.23, comp 

15.8. 


14. Zachariah, - - - 

- 6 mths. ,, 

773 

15. Shallum, - - - 

- 1 111th. ,, 

772 

16. Menahem, - - - 

- 10 years, ,, 

762 

17. Pekahiah, - - - 

- 2 ,, ,, 

759 

18. Pekah, - - - - 

‘ 20 )) » 

738 

Interregnum, - - 

- 9 ,» 


2 Ki. 15.30, comp. 

17-1- 


19. Hoshea, - - - 

- 9 » 

721 

Captivity to Assyria, 721. 



See each of these kings in their names.— 
After their return from Babylon, the Jews 
had no kings for about 400 years; but were 
ruled by deputy-governors under the Per¬ 
sians or Greeks. Subsequently to that 
period, Hircanus, Aristobulus, Janneus, 
and his sons Hircanus and Aristobulus, all 
high-priests, ruled with supreme power. 
After these governed Herod the Great, 
Archelaus, Herod Agrippa, and Agrippa 
his son, who all were tributary to the Ro¬ 
mans; and during the reign of the last of 
these Jerusalem was destroyed by litus, 

а. d. 70. 

Kingdom of God, or of Heaven, the 
church of Christ, on earth, or in celestial 
glory, or inclusive of both states; announced 
by Daniel, Da.2.44; 7.9,22;—by John the 
Baptist, and by Jesus, Mat.3.2; 4.17: 10.7; 
12.28; Mar. 1.15; Lu.10.9,11; 17.20;—a sub¬ 
ject for prayer, Mat.6.10; Lu.11.2;—to be 
sought for, Mat.6.33; Lu.12.31;—thequali- 
fications for it, Mat.7.21; Mar.9.37; Lu.9. 
62; 13.24; Jn.3.3; Ac.14.22; Ro.14.17; 1 Co. 

б. 9: 15.50; 2Th. 1.4,5. 

Kings, their duty, De.17.14; 2 Sa.23.3; Ps. 
2.10; Pr.14.35; 16.12; x7.7; 20.28; 25.2; 31. 
4;—the Israelites desire one, 1 Sa. 8. 5;— 
the Israelites forewarned of the conse¬ 
quences of having one, x Sa. 8.11, &c. ;— 
respect due to them, Pr.24.21; Ec.8.2; Ro. 
13.1; 1 Pe.2.13,14,17 ;—under the control 
or direstion of God, Ps.76.12; Pr.21.1;— 
the ceremony of making one, 2 Ki. 11.12; 
—precepts about them, Pr. 25. 1; — the 
misery of having a foolish and bad one, 
Pr.28.15,28; 29.12; Ec. 4. 13; 10.5,6,16;— 
their power, Ec. 8. 2,4; 10. 20.— Books of, 
contain the annals of the Jewish nation 
from the close of David’s reign to the de¬ 
struction of the kingdom of Judah and the 
desolation of Jerusalem, together with the 
subsequent liberation of Jehoiachin from 
his prison in Babylon, a period of about 
427 years. Probably they were compiled 
by Jeremiah or Ezra from previously exist¬ 
ing records which had been written by 
several of the prophets. 

King’s Dale, probably the plain of Re- 
phaim, or the valley of Jehoshaphat, Ge. 
14.17, comp. 2 Sa. 18.18. 

Kinsfolk, relations, 1 Ki.16.11; 2 Ki. 10.11; 

Job 19.14; Lu.2.44; 21.16. 

Kir [a wall], the country between the Black 
Sea and the Caspian, to which the Syrians, 
and part of the Hebrews, were carried cap¬ 
tive by the Assyrians, 2 Ki. 16.9;—predic¬ 
tion of Amos concerning, Am. 1.5; 9.7. 
Kir-Haresheth, kir-haFe-sheth (brick for¬ 
tress], a principal city of the Moabites, 
ravaged by Jehoram, 2 Ki.3.25;—long after 
ruined by the Assyrians, and by the Chal¬ 
deans, Is. 15. x; 16.7,11; Je.48 31;—called 
also Kir-Haresh, Is. 16.xi;—Kir-Haraseth, 
2 Ki.3.25; and Kir-Heres, Je.48 31,36. It 
stands on the southern frontier of Moab, 
about ten miles from the south-east corner 
of the Dead Sea. At Dibon, in this region, 
was discovered in i869the celebrated Moab¬ 
ite stone, a black basaltic block contain¬ 
ing a Phoenician inscription relative to the 
deeds of a Moabitish king in his war against 
Joram, king of Israel. See Mesha. 
Kirioth, kir'e-oth [cities], a city of Moab, 
which was ruined when that country was 
conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, Am.2.2;— 
called Kerioth, Je.48.24. 

Kirjathaim, kerjath-a'im [the two cities], 
also called Kiriathaim, (1) A city of the 
Reubenites, on the east of Jordan, and 
10 miles west of Medeba, Nu.32.37: Je.48. 
1,23; Jos. 13.19.—( 2 A city of Naphtali, 5 
miles north-west of the head of the Sea* of 


THE WORLD'S B 

Galilee, x Ch.6.76;—probably same as Kar- 
tan, Jos.21.32. 

Kirjath - Arba, ker' jath - ar ' bah [city of 
Arbaj.the ancient name of Hebron, the place 
where Sarah died, Ge.23.2; Jos. 14.15; 20.7. 
Kirjath-Huzoth, ker'jath-hu'zoth [a city of 
streets], the royal residence of Balak, Nu. 
22.39- 

Kirjath-Jearim, ker'jath-je'rim [the city 
of woods or forests], a town of Judah, on 
the confines of Benjamin, Jos. 15.9;—its in¬ 
habitants receive the ark from the Philis¬ 
tines, 1 Sa. 7. 1;—from it David removed 
the ark, 1 Ch. 13. 6;—called Kirjath-Arim, 
Ezr.2.25;— Baalah, Jos. 15.9,10;—Baale of 
Judah, 2 Sa.6.2;—Kirjath-Baal, Jos. 18.14. 
Now called Kuryet el-Enab, 8 miles west 
of Jerusalem. 

Kirjath-Sepher, ker'jath-se'fer [city of 
the book], sometimes called Debir, taken 
by Othniel, to whom Caleb gave his 
daughter in marriage as a reward for, Ju. 

1. n-13; — called Kirjath-Sannah [palm- 
city], Jos. 15.19. 

Kish [hard], (1) The son of Ner and father 
of Saul, 1 Sa.9.1.—(2) The son of Gibeon, 

1 Ch. 8. 30.— (3) The son of Mahli, 23. 21. 
— 4) The son of Abdi, 2 Ch.29.12. 

Kishon, kT'shon [tortuous, winding stream], 
an ‘ ancient river,’ a brook in the Holy 
Land, which rises in Mount Tabor, and 
flows nearly westward into the Mediter¬ 
ranean, near the northern base of Mount 
Carmel; the scene of the defeat of Sisera 
and of the destruction of the priests of 
Baal by Elijah, Ju.4.7,13; 5.21; 1 Ki. 18.40. 
Its modern name is Nahr Mukutta. 

Kiss, used as a token of affection to kin¬ 
dred, Ge. 27. 26; 31.28; 1 Ki.19.20;—an ex¬ 
pression of friendship, real or pretended, 1 
Sa. 20.41; 2 Sa. 20.9; Mat. 26.49;—of homage, 

1 Ki. 19.18; Ps.2.12. 

Kite, a species of falcon, somewhat larger 
than a tame pigeon, Le. 11.14; De. 14.13. 
Knead, to work dough with the fist, Ge. 

18.6; 1 Sa.28.24; 2 Sa.13.8; Je.7.18. 

Knee, to bow it to another, imports rever¬ 
ence and honour to him, Ge.41.43;—reli¬ 
gious worship, 1 Ki. 19.18; Is.45.23; Ro. 14. 
11; Phi.2.10. 

Kneeling, a becoming posture for prayer 
and supplication, Ps.22.29; 95. 6; 99.5; Ro. 
14.11; Ep.3.14; Phi. 2.10. 

-, examples of it: of Solomon at 

the dedication of the temple, 1 Ki.8.54; 2 
Ch. 6. 13;—of Ezra, Ezr. 9. 5;—of Daniel, 
Da. 6.10;—of Jesus, Lu.22.41;—of Stephen, 
Ac. 7. 60;—of Peter, 9. 40;—of Paid, 20.36; 
21.5. 

Knife, to cut with, Ge.22.6; Ju. 19.29; Pr. 
23.2; 30.14. 

Knit, to make close, Ju. 20.11; 1 Ch. 12.17; 
Ac. 10.11; Col. 2.2. 

Knock, to employ earnestness and impor¬ 
tunity, as Christ does with sinners, Re.3. 
20;—as we are required in prayer. Mat.7. 
7,8; Lu.11.9. 

Knowledge, in general, and especially that 
which is religious; evil of being without it, 
Pr. 19. 2; Is. 27. 11; 2 Th. 1. 8;—its great 
value, Pr.8.10,11; 2Ti.3.is;—bestowed on 
those who earnestly and diligently seek it, 
Pr.2.3-6; Ja. 1.5;—the fear of the Lord is 
the beginning of, Pr.1.7; 9.11; Ps.111.10; 
—despised by fools, Pr. 1.22;—valued and 
treasured up by the wise, 10.14; 15.14;— 
aggravates guilt, when men act contrary 
to it, Lu.12.47; Jn.15.22; R0.1.21; 2.21; Ja. 
4.17;—ought to be communicated, De.6.7; 
Ps.78.4; 119.13; Mat.5.14; 10.27; 1 Co. 12.7, 
&c.; 1 Pe.4.10. 

Knowledge of God, his underived, eternal, 
and perfect acquaintance with all things, 
past, present, and future, 1 Sa.2.3; Job 37. 
16; Ps.147.5; Da.2.22; Ac.15.18; He.4.13. 

-, our acquaintance, with 

his Scripture character and will, is either 
merely speculative. Tit. 1.16;—or spiritual 
and saving, Jn.17.3;—this includes a holy 
reverence for God, Je.10.7; Re.15.4;—love 
to him as supremely great and good, Ps. 
18.1; Zee.9.17;—humble confidence in his 
mercy and promise, Ps.9.10;—sincere, uni¬ 
versal, and persevering obedience to his 
will, ijn.2.3. 

, to increase in, we must 
depend on him from whom all light pro¬ 
ceeds, Ja. 1.6;—diligently study his re¬ 
vealed will, Pr.2.3-5; Ho.6.3;—cultivate a 
humble frame of mind, Ps. 25. 9;— watch 

against corrupt affections, Lu. 21. 34;_ 

meditate frequently on his love and grace, 
Ps. 104.34;—prefer this knowledge to every¬ 
thing else, Phi.3.8. 


BLE AUXILIARY 

Kohath, ko'hath [assembly], the second son 
of Levi, and father of the Kohatkites, Ge. 
46.11; Nu.4.18,34,37:—from him by Aaron, 
the son of Amram, sprung the Hebrew 
priests, Ex.6.18; 1 Ch.6.2,3. 

Kolaiah, kol-l'ah [the voice of the Lord], 
one who returned from the Babylonish cap¬ 
tivity, Ne. 11.7. 

Korah, ko'rah [ice], (1) The son of Esau by 
Aholibairiah, Ge. 36.14,18.—(2) I he son of 
Izhar, and great-grandson of Levi, Ex.6. 
21;—his rebellion against Moses and Aaron, 
Nu. 16. 1-3; —his awful punishment, in 
which 250 were swallowed up in the earth, 
32. 

Korahites, ko'rah-hites, sons of Korah, a 
family of Le vitas and singers, 1 Ch.9.19- 
31;—twelve psalms attributed to, Ps. xlii.- 
xlix. Ixxxiv. Ixxxv. lxxxvii. Ixxxviii. 

Kushaiah, kush-l'ah, the same who is 
called Kishi in 1 Ch. 6.44;—the father of 
Ethan, 1 Ch.15.17. 


L. 


Laadah, la'a-dah [order], one of the grand¬ 
sons of Judah, 1 Ch 4.21. 

Laadan, la'a-dan [put in order], a son of 
Ephraim, 1 Ch.7.26. 

Laban, la'ban [white, shining], (1) The son 
of Bethuel, the brother of Rebekah, and 
father of Leah and Rachel; kindly receives 
Abraham’s servant, Ge. 24. 29;—approves 
the proposal of giving Rebekah to be the 
wife of Isaac, 50.51;—his friendly reception 
of Jacob, 29.13;—agrees to give him Rachel 
to wife, as a reward for his service, 15-29; 
—deceives him by substituting Leah in her 
place, 23;—afterwards gives him Rachel 
also, 29;—induces Jacob to tarry with him 
by fixing his wages, 30. 27-34;—pursues 
after Jacob, and overtakes him, 31. 22, 23; 
—warned by God, in a dream, not to hurt 
Jacob, 24;—makes a covenant with Jacob, 
44;—parted peacefully from him, 55.—(2) 
One of the stations of the Israelites after 
crossing the Red Sea, De. 1.1. 

Labour, toil, the appointed lot of all men, 
Ge.3.19;—diligence in, approved and com¬ 
manded, Pr. 13.11; 16. 26; 28.19; Ec. 5.12; 
Ac. 20.35; Ep.4.28; 1 Th.2.9; 4.11; 2 Th. 3. 
10;—more for spiritual than worldly things, 
Jn.6.27. 

Lachish, la'kish [obstinate, tenacious], a 
city of Judah, south of Jerusalem, taken 
by Joshua, Jos. 10.31,32;—Amaziah fled to, 
from a conspiracy, 2 Ki. 14. 19;—fortified 
by Rehoboam, 2 Ch. 11. 9;—the king of 
Babylon fought against, Je. 34. 7; — in¬ 
habited after the return from Babylon, Ne. 

11.30. 

Lacking, wanting, or without, Le.2.13; 1 
Co. 16.17; 2 Co. 11.9; 1 Th.3.10. 

Ladder, Jacob’s, Ge.28.12. 

Laden, oppressed with a burden, as with 
taxes, 1 Ki. 12. 11;—with ceremonial ob¬ 
servances, Lu. 11. 46;—with sin, Is. 1. 4; 
Mat. 11.28. 

Lady, a female of distinction, Es.i.i8;2 Jn. 
1. 5;— figuratively, a powerful city, as 
Babylon, Is.47.5,7. 

Lahairoi, la-hT'roy [who liveth and seeth 
me], a well near which Isaac dwelt, Ge. 
24.62; 25.11; 16.14. 

Lahmam, lah'mam [place of fight], a place 
in the plains of Judah, Jos. 15.40;—Heb. 
Lahmas. 

Laish, la'ish [strong, a lion], (1) The father 
of Phalti, to whom Saul gave Michal, 
David’s wife, 1 Sa. 25. 44; 2 Sa. 3. 15.—(2) 
The original name of the city of Dan, Ju. 
18.14,29;—called Leshem, Jos. 19.47.—(3) 
A village of Benjamin near Jerusalem, Is. 

10.30. 

Lake, a confluence of waters, surrounded 
by land; such as that of Merom, Jos. 11.7; 
—Gennesaret, Lu. 5. 1; — Dead Sea, or 
Sodom, Jos.3.16;— figuratively, hell, Re. 
19.20; 20.10; 21.8. 

Lamb, one to be offered every morning, 
and another every evening, Ex. 29. 38,39; 
Nu.28.3;—two be offered in the morn¬ 

ing, and two in the evening of Sabbath, 
9, 11;—the paschal, a type of Christ, Ex. 
12.5,46; Le.g.3; 23.12; Jn.19.36; 1 Pe.1.19; 
—Christ so called, Jn. 1.29,36; Re.5.6; 13.8; 
—on Mount Zion, 14.1;—overcomes the 
seven kings, 17.10-14;—his wife, 21.9. 
Lantech, la'rnek [overthrower, wild man], 
(1) Descendant of Cain by Methusael, Ge. 


4 .18;—the first who practised polygamy, 
19;—his children, 20-22; his speech to his 
wives, 23,24.—(2) The son of Methuselah, 
and father of Noah, Ge.5.25;—his age and 
death, about five years before the flood, 
28-31. 

Lamentations of Jeremiah, one of the 
sacred books, written by that prophet, in 
which he pathetically bewails the destruc¬ 
tion of the city and temple of Jerusalem, 
the overthrow of the state, and the disper¬ 
sion of the people. The book consists of 
five lyric poems; comp, the ancient elegies, 

2 Sa. 1.17,18; 3.33; 2 Ch.35.25. 

Lame Persons, cured by Jesus, Mat.11.5; 
—by Peter, Ac. 3.2;—by Paul, 14.8. 

Lamp, figuratively , an open and visible 
profession of religion, Mat.25.1,3,4,7,8;—a 
son or successor, who preserves one’s name 
from being extinguished, 1 Ki. 15. 4; Ps. 
132. 17;—outward prosperity, Pr. 13.9; 20. 
20. 

Lamps, in the tabernacle, how lighted, Nu. 
8 .1. 

Lanceos, short spears, 1 Ki. 18. 28; Je. 50. 
42 - 

Land, to be redeemed, Le.25.23-28. 
Landmarks, not to be removed, De.19.14; 

27.17; Pr.22.28. 

Languages, confounded at Babel, about a 
century after the flood, Ge.11.1, &c.;—gift 
of, at the day of Pentecost, Ac. 2. 4;—con¬ 
ferred by the apostles, 8. 17;—on Corneli¬ 
us, 10. 46;—by Paul at Ephesus, 19. 6;— 
one among many gifts of the same Spirit, 

I CO. 12. to. 

Languish, to become weak or feeble, ap¬ 
plied to persons, Ps.41.3; Is.19.8; Ho.4.3; 
—to fields and plants, Is. 16. 8; Joel 1. iv,, 
12. 

Laodicea, la-od-i-ce'ah. There were six 
cities so called in Asia; that mentioned in 
Scripture was in Southern Phrygia, about 
40 miles east of Ephesus. It was ori¬ 
ginally called Diospolis, and afterwards 
Rhoas. Paul’s concern for the saints in, 
Col. 2. 1; 4. 13;—salutations to them, 15:— 
charge to read an epistle to them, and one 
from them, 16;—Christ’s message to the 
church there, Re. 3. 14. It was destroyed 
by an earthquake in the year a.d. 63, but 
was soon rebuilt. It became a Chris¬ 
tian city of eminence, the see of a bishop, 
and the meeting-place of councils. It was 
destroyed by the Mohammedans, and is 
now a scene of utter desolation. 

Lapidoth, lap'i-doth [torches], (1) The hus¬ 
band of Deborah the prophetess, Ju.4.4 — 
(2) The name of the place also where she 
dwelt, 5. 

Lapping, drinking from the hollow of the 
hand, as did the three hundred who fol¬ 
lowed Gideon, Ju.7.5-7. 

Lapwing, supposed to be the modern 
hoopoe ; unclean according to the law of 
Moses, Le. 11.19. 

Large, Assyria was extensive, Is.22.18; Ho. 
4.16; —great liberty and comfort. Ps. 18.19; 

318; 38.5. 

Lasciviousness, lewdness or lust, mani¬ 
fested either by words or actions, censured. 
Mar. 7. 21; Ro. 13.13; 2 Co. 12.21; Ga. 5.19; 
F.p.4.19; 5.3; Col.3.5; 1 Pe.4.3; Jude 4. 
Lasea, la-se'ah, a city of Crete, about the 
middle of the southern coast, 5 miles east 
of Fair Havens, and close to Cape Leonda, 
Ac.27.8. 

Lasharon, la-sha'ron [the plain], a city 
whose king Joshua vanquished, Jos. 12.18. 
Last Times or Days, their errors and de¬ 
generacy foretold, 1 Ti.4.1; 2TL3.1; 2 Pe. 

3 - 3 , 4 - 

Latchet, a string that fastens the shoes, Is. 

5.57; Mar.1.7; Lu.3.16. 

Latin, the language of the ancient Ro¬ 
mans, Lu. 23.38; J 11.19.20. 

Lattice, a window made in the form of net¬ 
work, with small cross bars of wood or iron, 
prior to the invention of glass, Ju. 5. 28; 
2 Ki. 1.2; Ca.2.9. 

Laud, to praise or extol, Ro.15.11. 
Laughter, immoderate, its folly, Pr.14. 13; 
Ec. 2. 2; 7. 3, 6; Ja. 4. 9;—sometimes inno¬ 
cent, Ec.3.4;—of Sarah, reproved, Ge. 18. 

L 3 - 

Launched, put from shore into the sea, Lu. 

8.22; Ac.21.1. 

Laurel, or Bay-tree, the prosperity of the 
wicked compared to, Ps.37.35. 

Laver, a vessel for washing, used in the 
service of the tabernacle, stood between 
the altar of burnt-offering and the entrance 
to the holy place. Ex.30.17; 38.8;—ten foi 
the temple. 1 Ki.7.38; 2 Ch.4.6. 

















THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


Lavish, indiscreetly liberal, Is.46.6. 

Law, sometimes denotes the whole revealed 
will of God, contained in his Word, Ps. 1. 
2; 19. 7; 40. 8; 94.12; 119.18,29,34,44,51,53, 
55, &c.; Is.8.20; 42.21; Jn.12.34; Ro.2.14, 
&c. 

-, sometimes means the Mosaical eco¬ 
nomy, as distinguished from the Christian, 
Jn.1.17; Mat.11.x3; 12.5; Ac. 13. 39; 18.13; 
28.23; Ro.6.14; He.7.19. 

-, sometimes the ceremonial observ¬ 
ances of the Jewish dispensation, Lu.2.27; 
Ac.15.5,24; Ep.2.15; He. 9. 22; 10.1;—this 
could not procure pardon and eternal life, 
He.10.1-4;—is abolished by Christ, Ac.15. 
24; Ga.3.24; 4.4; 5.1. 

-, sometimes the judicial or civil, for 

the distribution of justice; which, among 
the Jews, was incorporated with both the 
moral and the ceremonial, Jn.7.51; 18. 31; 
Ac.19.38; 23.3; 1 Co.6.t, 6,7; 1 Ti.1.9. 

-, frequently, in the New Testament, 

the five books of Moses, Lu. 24. 27,44; Ac. 

13. 15;—the moral law, or the Decalogue 
as delivered to Moses, Ex. 20. 3-17; Mat. 
v.-xvii.; Lu. 10.27; Ro. 7. 7;—it is perpetu¬ 
ally binding on all who have access to it, 
Mat.5.17,18;—holy, just, and good, R0.7. 
12;—spiritual, requiring the obedience of 
the heart, as well as of the life. Mat. 5. 28; 
Ro. 7.14;—noae can obey it perfectly, 3.9- 
12, 19, 23; Ga. 3. 22; Ja. 3. 2;—justification 
and eternal life cannot be obtained by it, 
Ro. 3. 20; Ga. 2. 16; — curse pronounced 
against all who break it, De. 27. 26; Ga. 3. 
10;—Christ has redeemed his people from 
this curse, 2Co.s.2i;Ga.3.13;—by it is the 
knowledge of sin, Ro. 3.20:7.7;—is a school 
master to bring sinners to Christ, Ga.3.24; 
—is a rule of life to all believers, Jn. 14.21; 
1 Co.7.19; 1 Jn.2.4; Re.22.x4. 

-, positive, that which is not founded in 

the nature of things, as is the moral, but 
which rests solely on the divine appoint¬ 
ment; the prohibition given to man in in¬ 
nocence, Ge. 2. 17;—the holy rite of bap¬ 
tism, Mat. 28. 19;—the ordinance of the 
Lord’s supper, Mat.26.26,27; Lu.22.19,20. 

-, of nature, the will of God relating to 

human actions, discoverable by the light 
of nature, and obligatory on all mankind, 
Ro. 1.19,20; 2.14,15. 

Lawful, things that are so not always ex¬ 
pedient, Mat.17.25; xCo.6.i2; 10.23. 
Lawgiver, God is the supreme, Is. 33. 22; 
Ja.4.12. 

Lawsuits among Christians ought, if pos¬ 
sible, to be avoided, by a reference to the 
judgment of their brethren, Mat.5.40; 1 Co. 
6 .X- 7 - . 

Lawyers, men who were conversant with 
the Jewish laws, and professed to explain 
them to the people; but who, on account 
of their binding heavier burdens on others 
than themselves, &c., were censured by 
Christ, Mat.5.20; 23.2,13, &c.; Mar.12.38; 
Lu 11.46. 

Lazarus, l&z'a-rus [help of God], (1) The 
brother of Martha and Mary, raised from 
the grave by Jesus, Jn.11.41;—sat at table 
with Christ, 12.2;—visited by many Jews, 
9.—(2) The name of the poor and afflicted 
man in the parable, Lu. 16.20, &c. 

Lead, a heavy metal, used in very an¬ 
cient tin.es, Ex. 15.10; Nu. 31. 21; Zee. 5.6- 
8;—poured into engraven characters to 
make them better seen (or perhaps the 
hammer of lead), Job 19. 24; the Egyp¬ 
tians sank as, Ex. 15.10^—the Jews, on ac¬ 
count of their heavy guilt, compared to ; 
Eze.22.18,20. 

Lead, to conduct and guide, as God does 
his people, De 4.27; 32.12; Ps.23.3; Is. 48. 
i 7 ;—by his Word, Ps.119.105; 2 Ti. 3. 16; 
—by his providence, Ps.37.23; Pr.16.9; 
by his Holy Spirit, Eze.36.27; Jn.16.13;— 
promises that he will thus lead his people, 
Is.40.11; 42. 16; 49.10; 57.18; Je. 31. 9; Ps. 
25.9; 32.8 ;—prayers for this blessing, Ps. 
5.8; 25.5,9: 31 - 3 ; 43 . 3 ; 6l ; 2 : I 39 - 24 ; 1 _ 

Leaf, of a tree, the life of man frail as, Is. 
64.6;—figuratively, an evidence of grace, 
Ps. 1.3;—prosperity. Is. 1.30; Je.17.8. 
League, a covenant or solemn agreement, 
Jos.9.6; Ju.2.2; 1 Sa.22.8; 2 Sa.5.3, &c. 
Leah, le'ah [wearied], the eldest daughter 
of Laban, Ge.29.16;—given treacherously 
fora wife to Jacob, 23:—favoured of the 
Lord, 31;—Dinah her daughter, 34.1;—her 
sons, 35.23;—buried in the same cave with 
Sarah, Abraham, &c., 49 - 3 1 - 
Leanness, thinness of flesh, Ge. 41. 3, 4:— 
figuratively, want of spiritual comfort and 
improvement, Ps.106.15; Is. 10.16; 24.16. 


Leaping, jumping, 2 Sa. 6. 16; Ca. 2.8; Ac. | 
3 - 8 . 

Learning, gaining knowledge; valued and 
sought after by the wise, Pr.i.5;9.9;—the 
Scriptures are designed to impart it to us, 
Ro.15.4. 

Leasing, falsehood or lies, Ps.4.2; 5.6. 
Leathern, made of leather, 2 Ki.1.8; Mat. 
3 - 4 - 

Leaven, ferment mixed with any body to 
make it light; and hence it is used to 
signify dough or bread thus prepared, Ex. 
12. 15; 13. 7; 34. 25 -—figuratively, what¬ 
ever produces a change in the mass with 
which it mixes, as the gospel does among 
men for the better, Mat. 13. 33; Lu. 13. 21; 
—erroneous doctrines and notorious sin¬ 
ners for the worse. Mat. 16. 6, 12; 1 Co. 5. 
6 - 8 . 

Lebanon, leb'a-non [whiteness],always with 
the article the in prose, as 1 Ki. 5. 6,9, 20; 
Eze.3.7. It is so called either because the 
whole range is composed of. whitish lime¬ 
stone rock, or more probably because snow 
covers its summits during most of the year. 
It consists of two distinct ranges, which 
run parallel for about 100 miles. The long 
narrow valley, from 5 to 8 miles in width, 
lying between is called Coele-Syria (Hol¬ 
low Syria), and the ‘valley of Lebanon,’ 
Jos. 2. 17. The eastern range is usually 
designated by Latin writers Antiliban- 
us, the southern peak of which is Hermon. 
Lebanon was famous for its cedars, Ps.29. 
*5; 92. 12; Is. 14. 8;—its fragrance, Ca.4.11; 
Ho. 14. 6;—the source of many streams, 
Ca.4.15;—the emblem of wealth, majesty, 
and glory, Ps.72.16; 133.3; Is. 35.2; 60.13. 
The average height of the western range, 
the Lebanon, is from 6000 to 8000 feet; 
that of the eastern range, the Anti-Leban¬ 
on, about 5000 feet; its loftiest peak, the 
Hermon, being 10,000 feet high. The 
four great rivers of Syria have their source 
in the Anti-Lebanon. The ruins of the 
whole district are very extensive, and full 
of interest. 

Lebbeus, leb-bS'us, orTHADDEUS, the same 
with Judas or Jude, the apostle. Mat. 10.3; 
Mar.3.18;—the brother of Jesus, Mar.6.3; 
Lu.6.16; Ac. 1.13. 

Lebonah, le-bc/nah [frankincense], a place 
between Shiloh and Bethel, now called 
the valley of Khan Leban, Ju.21.19. 
Lecah, le'kah [going], probably a town of 
Judah, 1 Ch.4.21. 

Ledges, small mouldings on the edge, 1 Ki. 
7-28,35,36. 

Leeks, plants similar to onions, Nu.11.5;— 
rendered ‘grass,’ 1 Ki. 18. 5;—‘herb,’Job 
8.12;—‘hay,’ Pr.27.25. 

Lees, the dregs of wine settled at the bottom; 
hence ‘wines on the lees’ signifies old and 
pure wine. Is. 25. 6;- -figuratively, men 
settled in a sinful course, 48.11; Zep.1.12. 
Legion, in the Roman army, was a body of 
infantry consisting of ten cohorts, or 6000 
men;—used to signify a vast multitude, 
Mar.5.9; Lu.8.30; Mat.26.53. 

Lehabim, le'ha-bim [flame], descendants of 
Ham, probably identical with the Lubim, 
or Libyans, Ge.io. 13; x Ch.1.11. 

Lemuel, lem'eu-el [of God], supposed by 
some to be Solomon; lessons from his 
mother to him, Pr.31.1, &c. 

Lending, to a poor brother, recommended, 
De.15.7; Ps.37. 26; 112. 5; Mat.5.42; Lu.6. 
35;—the house not to be entered to recover 
a thing lent, De.24.10. 

Lentiles, a kind of grain resembling fitches, 
or small pease, Ge.25.34; 2 Sa. 23.11. 
Leopard, a beast of prey, of the cat tribe; 
strong, swift, fierce, and voracious, Is.n. 
6; Je. 13.23; Hab. 1.8 figuratively, a per¬ 
secuting power, Da.7.6; Re. 13.2. 

Leprosy, an infectious and terrible dis¬ 
ease, common in Syria and in many 
warm countries, but sometimes found also 
in cold countries, as Norway, &c It 
first attacks the skin, but at last it af¬ 
fects the whole system. Patients often 
live many years, but are seldom, if ever, 
cured. To be judged by the priest, De. 
24.8; — laws concerning it, Le. 13.1, &c.; 
—how cleansed, 14.1, &c.;—in a garment, 
13 47; _in a house, 14.33;— how cleansed, 
48;—of Moses’ hand, Ex.4.6;—of Miriam, 
Nu. 12. 10;—of Naaman, 2 Ki. 5. 1;—of 
Gehazi, 27;—of Uzziah, 2 Ch.26.20;—cured 
by Jesus, Mat.8.2; Mar. 1.40; Lu.5.12; 17. 
12. 

Let, used to signify to hinder, Ex.5.4; Is. 
43.13: Ro.i. 13; 2Th.2.7. 

Letters, or epistles, sent from David to 


Joab, 2 Sa. 11. 14; from Jezebel to the 
people against Naboth, 1 Ki. 21.9;—from 
the King of Syria to the King of Israel, 2 
Ki.5.6;—from Jehu to the Samaritans, 10. 
1;—from Elisha to Jeroboam, 2Ch.21.12; 
—from Sennacherib to Hezekiah, 2 Ki.19. 
10,14; Is. 37.4,14;—from Bishlam, &c., to 
Artaxerxes, Ezr. 4. 7;—from Tatnai to 
Darius, 5.6;—from Sanballat to Nehemiah, 
Ne.6.5;—from Nehemiah to Sanballat, 6. 
8;—from Jeremiah to the captives at Baby¬ 
lon, Je. 29.1;—from the apostles to the 
church at Antioch, Ac. 15.23;—from Clau¬ 
dius Lysias to Felix, 23.25. 

Letushim, le-tu'shim [the hammered], 
great-grandson of Abraham by Keturah, 
Ge.25.3. 

Leummim, le-um'mim [peoples], great- 
grandson of Abraham, Ge.25.3. 

Levi, le'vi [joined], (1) The third son of 
Jacob and Leah, bom, Ge.29.34;—assisted 
Simeon in massacring the Shechemites, 34. 
25;—his sons, and his age, Ex. 6.16;—his 
descendants, 1 Ch. 6. 1-53.—(2) The tribe 
of, separated from the rest for the service 
of the sanctuary, De.10.8. 

Leviathan, le-vl'a-than, a terrible animal, 
described in Job xli.; but not identified by 
modern naturalists. The most probable 
supposition is that it is the crocodile, the 
well-known animal inhabiting the Nile and 
other eastern rivers, of great strength and 
swiftness in swimming, as well as of enor¬ 
mous voracity. It is mentioned Ps. 74.14; 
—figuratively, some formidable monarch. 
Is. 27.x. 

Levites, le'vites, descendants of Levi; ac¬ 
cepted instead of the first-born, N11.3.12, 
40;—numbered, 15; —again in the land of 
Moab, 26. 57;—the great families of: Ko- 
hathites, who had charge of the sacred 
vessels, 3. 31;—Gershonites, of the hang¬ 
ings and curtains of the tabernacle, 4.22- 
26;—and the Merarites, of the boards and 
pillars, 7.1-9;—their age in service, 4.3; 8. 
23;—consecrated, 8.5;—their inheritance, 
De.18.1;—their portion of meat, 3,4;—not 
to be deserted when poor, 12. 19;—forty- 
eight cities with fields and gardens given 
to them, Nu. 35.1; Jos.21.2, &c.;— six^ of 
these were Cities of Refuge;— genea¬ 
logies and offices of the Levites, 1 Ch. 9. 
14, &c.;—the services appointed them by 
David, 23.24;—their charge of the treasury, 
26. 20;—their charge in future time, Eze. 
44. 10;—were superannuated at 50 years 
of age, Nu.4.47; 8.25,26. 

Leviticus, le-vit'Y-kus, the third book of 
Moses, so called because it consists chiefly 
of laws relating to the Levitical priesthood; 
contains the history of the first month of 
the second year of the wanderings in the 
wilderness. 

Levy, a number of men raised from the 
general population, 1 Ki.5.13,14; 9.15;—to 
impose a tax, Nu.31.28; 1 Ki.9.21. 
Lewdness, or lustful licentiousness, con¬ 
demned, Ju. 20. 6; Eze. 22. 11;— figura¬ 
tively, idolatry with its impure rites, Je. 
11.15; 13.27; Eze. 16.43; 22.9; 23.27,29, &c. 
Liberality, or bounty, the alms given to 
the poor, 1 Co. 16.3; 2 Co. 8.2. 

Libertines, ‘freedmen,’ libertini, as they 
were called by the Romans, Ac.6.9. Those 
here referred to were probably Jews who 
had been taken prisoners in war and re¬ 
duced to slavery, and had afterwards been 
emancipated and permitted to return to 
their own country. 

Liberty, of conscience, is that freedom 
from restraint in our choice of, and judg¬ 
ment about, matters of religion, which 
every man has a right to exercise, Ro. 14. 
4; Ja.4.12. 

-, Christian and spiritual, consists 

in freedom from the yoke of the ceremonial 
law, Ro.6.14; Ep.2.15;—from the curse of 
the moral law, Ga. 3. 13;—from the guilt, 
power, and defilement of sin, R0.8.1; 6.14; 
1 Co. 6.11;—from the dominion of Satan, 
Col.1.13; 1 Jn.3.8;—from the corruption of 
the world, Ga.1.4;—from a spirit of bond¬ 
age, and in the enjoyment of freedom of 
access to God, Ro.8.15; Ep.2.18;—from the 
fear of death and the grave, Ho. 13.14: 1 
Co. 15. 55,56;—and from eternal punish¬ 
ment, iTh.1.10; 5.9. 

-, Christian, how to be used, 1 Co. 

7.22: Ga.5.1,13; 1 Pe.2.16. 

Libnah, lib'nah [whiteness], (1) A city in 
the southern part of the tribe of Judah, 
Jos. 15.42;—given to the priests, 21. X3: 
the inhabitants of, offended with Jehoram 
for his idolatry, revolted, aKi.8.22;—sus- 


(La—Li) 617 

tained a terrible siege from Sennacherib, 

Is. 37. 8; 2 Ki. 19. 35. 2) A place near 

Mount Sinai, where the wandering He¬ 
brews encamped, Nu. 33.20. 

Libni, iib'ni [whiteness], the son of Ger- 
shon, Ex.6.17. 

Libya, lib'e-a, Heb. Phut, a general name 
for Africa, but properly that part of it 
which lay on the south coast of the Medi¬ 
terranean, westward of Egypt; its inhabi¬ 
tants mentioned as a warlike race, Je.46.9; 
—its fall, with that of Egypt, foretold, Eze. 
30.5;—men from, at Jerusalem, on the day 
of Pentecost, Ac.2.10. 

Lice, a well-known insect, one of the 
plagues of Egypt, Ex.8.16-18; Ps. 105.31. 
Licence, or permission, Ac.21.40; 25.16. 

Lie. See Lying. 

Lieutenants, the deputy-governors of the 
Persian king, Ezr.8.36; Es.3.12. 

Life, natural, God its author and preserver, 
Ge.2.7; Ac. 17.28; Job 12. xo; Ps.36.6; 66.9: 
Da.5.23;—the value of it, Job 2.4; Ps.49.8; 
Mat.16.26; Mar.8.36; Lu.9.25;—short and 
uncertain, 1 Ch.29.15; Job 7.16; Ps. 39.5,6, 
9; 103.15; Is.40.6; Lu.12.20; Ja. 4.14; 1 Pe. 
1.24;—full of trouble and vanity, Job 5.7: 
14.1; Ec.1.2; 12.8. Figures illustrating its 
character: a pilgrimage, Ge.47.9;— a tale, 
Ps.90.9;— a post. Job 9.25;— a ship, 9.26; 
—an hand-breadth, Ps. 39. 5;— a dream, 
73.20; —a sleep, 90.5; —a shadow, Ec.6.12: 
— a vapour, Ja.4.14;— a flower, Job 14.2; 
— grass, Is. 40. 6; 1 Pe.1.24;— wind. Job 7. 
7;—how it should be spent, Lu. 1.74,75; 
Ro. 14.8; 1 Pe. 1.17; Ec.3.12. 

-, spiritual, consists in being quickened 

by the Spirit of God, Ep.2.1,5;—in living 
in the service of God, Ga. 2. 19,20;—is im¬ 
parted by Christ, Ja. 5. 21,25; 6.33,51-54; 

14. 6; — it is accompanied with spiritual¬ 
mindedness, Ro. 8. 6;—it is hidden and 
secure, Col. 3.3. 

-, eternal, through Christ, Jn. 3.15,36; 

4.14; 6.40; 10. 28; 17.2; 2 Ti.1.10; 1 Jn. 4.9; 
5. 11;—consists in never-ending freedom 
from death, Lu.20.36; Re.21.4;—in a body 
and soul resembling Christ, Phi. 3.21; 1 Co. 

15. 48,49,53; 2 Co. 3. 18; 1 Jn. 3. 2;—in the 
enjoyment of unspeakable bliss, 1 Pe. 1.4; 
Re. 7. 16,17:—and in the assurance that 
their happiness shall never end, 1 Th.4.17; 
Re. 3.12. 

-, long, promised as the reward of virtue, 

Ex.20.12; De.5.33; 6.2; Pr.3.2,16:9.11; 1 a. 
27;—not to be preferred to our duty, Mat. 
10.39; 16-25: Mar.8.35; Lu.9.24; 17.33; Jn. 
12.25. 

Light, created, Ge. 1.3;—brighter than the 
sun appearing to Paul, Ac.26.13;—Christ 
so called, Jn.1.9; 8.12; 9.5; 12.35,46. 
Lightning, consumes the sacrifices, Le.9.24; 

1 Ki. 18.38; 2Ch.7-1;—destroys the enemies 
of David, 2 Sa.22.15; Ps.18.14;—directed 
by God, Job 28.26: 37.3; 38.25; Ps. 144.6. 

Lign-aloes, line-al'oes, a species of odori¬ 
ferous tree, 8 or ro feet high, from both 
the flower and the wood of which a rich 
and costly perfume is obtained, Nu. 24.6; 
Ps.45.8. 

Ligure, a precious gem, said to resemble 
the carbuncle, Ex. 28.19; 39.12. 

Likeness. See Figure and Image. 

Likhi, lik'hi [learned], one of Manasseh’s 
posterity, 1 Ch.7.19. 

Lily, the lotus or water-lily, Ho. 14. 5:— 
used as food, Ca.4.5 ;—of the valleys, i.e. 
of the water-courses, Ca.2.16. In Ca.5 13 
allusion is probably made to the Persian 
lily. The ‘ lily of the field ’ was the scarlet 
martagon lily, Mat.6.28. 

Lime, the manufacture of, known to the 
ancients, Am.2.1;—the bones of the king 
of Edom burned to, Is. 33.12. 

Limit, bound, Eze.43.x2; Ps.78.41; He.4.7. 
Lineage, family, race, or progeny, Lu.2.4 
Linen, cloth made of the fibre of hemp or 
flax, Ex. 28.42; 1 Sa.2.18; Mat.27.59:—em¬ 
blematical of righteousness. Re. 15.6; 19. 
8,14. 

Lingered, hesitated, Ge.19.16; 43.10; 2 Pe. 

2.3. 

Lintel, the upper part of a door-frame, Ex. 

12.22; 1 Ki.6.31: Am.9.1; Zep.2.14. 

Linus, li'nus, a disciple mentioned by Paul, 

2 Ti.4.21. 

Lion, the noblest, strongest, and the fiercest 
of the beasts of prey. It is found only in 
torrid climates, and much less numerous 
now than formerly. Slain by Samson, Ju. 
! 4 5 iI 8:_by David, 1 Sa. 17.34;— killed a 
prophet, 1 Ki.13.24:-killed one who did 
not obey a prophet, 20. 36; - inhabited 
the banks of the Jordan, Je.49.19; 50 44 i 









THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


CIS (Li—Ma) 

—an emblem of the Israelites, Eze. 19.1, 
&c. 

Lips, unclean, ls.6.5:—burning, Pr.26.23;— 
covering of, a token of mourning, Eze. 24.22. 
Liquor, any strong drink, Ex. 22.29; Nu. 

6.3- 

Listeth, willeth, or thinketh fit, Mat. 17.12; 

Mar.9.13; Jn.3.8; Ja.3.4. 

Litters, a kind of close conveyance like the 
eastern palanquin, Is.66.20. 

Lively, full of life, Ex.1.19; Ps.38.19; Ac.7. 
38; 1 Pe.1.3; 2.5. 

Liver, one of the entrails, Ex.29.13; Le.3. 
4; Pr.7.23. 

Lizards, animals with a long body, and four 
legs; some of which live both on land and 
in water, Le.i 1.30. 

Lo-Ammi, lo-am'mi [not my people], sym¬ 
bolical name of a son of Hosea, Ho. 1.9. 
LoRuhamah. lo-ru-ha'mah [not obtaining 
mercy], symbolical name of a daughter of 
Hosea, Ho. 1.6. 

Loathe, or dislike, as God does all iniquity, 
Je.14.19; Zee. 11.8;—as a good man does 
himself, on account of sin, Eze.6.9; 20.43; 
36 - 3 i 

Loaves, of bread, twenty feed a great num¬ 
ber, 2 Ki.4.42;—five feed 5000, Mat. 14.15; 
—seven feed 4000, 15.32. 

Locks, the hair of the head, Nu.6.5; Ju.16. 
13; Is. 47. 2; Eze. 44. 20;—instruments for 
fastening doors, Ju.3.23,24; Ne.3.3,6, &c. 
Locust, a flying insect, most destructive to 
the fruits of the ground in the East. It is 
from 2 or 3 inches long, and of the thick¬ 
ness of a man’s thumb. Its head is shaped 
like that of a horse. The mouth is large, 
and furnished with teeth, which make a 
crackling sound like fire among stubble 
or the rattling of hail-stones. The plague 
of, Ex. 10.4; Ps.78.46; 105.34;—sometimes 
used for food, Mat. 3. 4 -figuratively, 
teachers of false doctrine. Re.9.3;—terrible 
judgments of, Joel x.i, &c.: 2.1, &c. 
Lodelmr, lo-de'bar [without pasture], a city 
in the tribe of Gad not far from Mahanaim; 
here Mephibosheth resided with Machir 
the Ammonite, 2 Sa.9.4,5. 

Lofty, high, proud, P5.131.1; Pr.30.13; Is. 
2.11,12; 57.7,15. 

Log [a basin], a liquid measure, one-twelfth 
of an hin, equal to the cubic contents of six 
hen-eggs, according to the Rabbinists,= 
21 6 cubic inches. 

Lois, lo'is, the grandmother of Timothy, 
distinguished for her faith, 2 Ti.1.5. 

Long suffering, bearing injuries or provo¬ 
cations for a long time; a characteristic of 
God, Ex.34.6,7; Nu.14.18; Ne.9.17; Ps.86. 
15; Ro. 9. 22; 1 Pe. 3.20; 2 Pe. 3. 9. Illus¬ 
trated, Ps.78.38; Is.48.9; Mat.23.37; 1 Ti. 
1.16. 

Lord, one who has rule and authority;—in 
the Hebrew Old Testament, the name Je¬ 
hovah ( see Jehovah) often occurs, and is 
commonly rendered Lord, and printed in 
capital letters (Lord), and applied equally 
to the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
Spirit, Ge. 2.4,5,7,81 Is.6.1, comp, with Jn. 
12.41: Je. 31. 31,34, comp, with He. 10.15, 
16;—in small characters (Lord or lord , it 
is applied not only to the supreme God, 
but to kings, Ge. so. 1,2 Sa. 19.19,20;—to 
princes and nobles, Ge. 42.10,30; to pro¬ 
phets, x Ki.18.7; 2 Ki.2.19;— to husbands, 
Ge.t8.12. 

Lord’s Day, observed, Ac. 20.7; 1 Co. 16.2; 

Re. 1.10. See Sabbath. 

Lord’s Supper, instituted, Mat. 26.26; Mar. 
r 4-22: Lu. 22.19; 1C0.11.23; called also 
the communion, to. 16;— the eucharist see 
Eucharist', Lu. 22.19; — the feast, 5.8; — 
the breaking of bread , Ac. 2.42; 20.7 —the 
cup of the Lord, and the Lord's table, 1 
Co. 10.21 ;—enjoined by Christ on all his 
friends, Lu. 22. 19; 1 Co. 11. 24;— guilt and 
danger of profaning it, 27,29;— self-exami¬ 
nation required to prevent its abuse, 28;— 
was observed statedly and frequently by 
the primitive church, Ac. 2.42: 20.7;— tem¬ 
pers of mind with which it should be ob¬ 
served, 1 Co.5.7,8;—ought to be followed 
with holiness of life, 2Tb 2.19; Tit.2.11-1^: 
1 Jn.2.6. 

Lot [a covering, vail], 1 The son of Haran, 
and nephew of Abraham, accompanies 
Abraham, Ge. 12. 5;—separates from him, 
and resides in Sodom, 13.10;—rescued from 
its destruction, 19.1, &c.;—his sons by his 
daughters, Ge. 19. 31:—vexed with the so¬ 
ciety of the wicked, 2 Pe. 2. 7;—his wife 

turned into a pillar of salt, Lu.j7.32._(2) 

A portion of anything, an inheritance, Jos. 
15.1; Ps.125.3; Is.17.14. 


Lots, casting of, disposed of by God, Pr. | 
16.33; cast f° r scape-goat, Le.16.8;— 
to divide the land of Canaan, Nu.26.55;— 
cast by Saul, 1 Sa. 14.40;—for the garments 
of Jesus, Mat. 27.35;—for the choice of an 
apostle, Ac. 1.26. 

Love ok God to his people, is from ever¬ 
lasting, Je.31.3; Ep. 1.4;—is sovereign, De. 
7.8; ro. 15 ; Ex. 33. 19; Ro. 9.15,21;—is al¬ 
together unmerited, Ro.5.8; De.7.7; Job 7. 
17;—purely disinterested, Job 22.2; 35.7,8; 1 
Jn.4.10;—discriminating, or distinguishing, 
2Th.2.i6: He.2.i6; Jude6;—incomparably 
condescending, Ps. 8.4; J ob 7.17;—unspeak¬ 
ably great, Jn.3.16; Ep.2.4;— fraught with 
the richest blessings,Ep. 1.3,4; l Jn.3.1,2;— 
unchangeable, Zep. 3.17;—eternal, Is. 54.10; 
Ro. 8.35-39;—discovered, in giving his Son, 
Jn.3.16; 1 Jn.4.9;—in Christ’s death, Ro. 
5.8; ijn. 4. 10;—in providential dealings, 
De. 7. 13-15; 23. 5; He. 12. 6;—in leading 
saints to love himself, 1 Jn.4.19;—in pre¬ 
serving them, Ps.37.28; 41.11; 127.2. 

- ok men to God, ought to be sincere, 

1 Sa.16.7;—supreme, De. 6. 5; 10.12;—con¬ 
stant, Jude 21;—progressive, Phi. "i. 9; - 
operative, exciting to honour and obey 
him, 1 Jn.2.5; 5.3; 2 Jn.6. 

-to God, commanded, De. 11.1; 

19.9; 30.16; Jos.22.5; 23.11;—its character, 
De.6.5; 10.12; 30.6; Mat. 22.37; Lu.10.27; 
—is produced in the heart by the Spirit, Ro. 
5.5; Ga. 5.22:2 Th. 3.5 ;—produces brotherly 
love, 1 Jn.3.17; 4.20,21; 5.1,2;—obedience, 

5. 3; 2 Jn. 6;—hatred of sin, Ps. 97.10;— 
ma 7 iifests itself in frequently thinking of 
him, Is.26.8,9;-—aspiring after conformity 
to his image, 2 Co.3.18; Ep.5.1;—thirsting 
after communion with him, Ps.42.1,2: 63. 

1;—studying in all things to please him, 1 
Jn. 5. 3;—grieving for dishonour done to 
him, and for the hiding of his face. Job 23. 

3; Ps.51.3,4;—delighting in his word,ordi¬ 
nances, and people, Ps.19.10; 27.4; 84.1,2; 

1 Jn.4.21: 5.1. 

-, brotherly, consisting in good-will to 

all men, especially the saints; and in a 
readiness to promote their best interests, 
Le.19.18; Mat. 22. 39; Jn.13.34; 15.12,17; 
Ro.12.9,10; 13.8; 1C0.13.1; Ga.5.6,13; 6. 
10; Col.3.14; 1 Th.3.12; 4.9; Ep.4.1,32; 5.2; 
Phi.2.1; 1 Ti.1.5; He. 13.1; Ja.2.8; iPe.i. 
22: 3.8; 4.8; 1 Jn.2.9; 3.10,23; 4.7,11,20; 2 
Jn_5j exemplified: Joseph, Ge. 45. 15;— 
Ruth, Ru.1.16,17;—Jonathan, iSa.20.17, 
41,42; centurion, Lu.7.5;—andothers, Ac. 
2.46; 16.15; Ro. 16.3,4; Phi.4.15; 2 Ti. 1.16- 
18. See Akkection and Charity. 

-, as it relates to the saints of 

God, consists in esteeming them because 
they profess and appear to be his children, 

1 Jn.5.1;—and is manifested in preferring 
their company, Ps. 119.63; Ac. 2.44; 4.32;— 
tenderly sympathizing with them amid 
their joys and sorrows, Ro. 12.15; 1 Co. 12 
26;—aiding them in bearing their burdens, 
Ga.6.2; 1 Th.5.14;—supplying their wants, 
Mat.25.35; ijn.3.17,18; - praying for them, 
Ep.6.18; Phi. 1.4;—reproving and admon¬ 
ishing them in the spirit of meekness, Le. 
19.17; Mat.18.15; He.10.25. 

-ok Christ, and of his religion, Mat. 

10.37; Jn.15 9; 2i.i5,&c.; 1C0.16.22; iPe. 
1.8;— to us, Jn. 15.13; Ro.8.35; Ep.5.2,25; 
—notices of its manifestations, Lu. 19.10; 
23.34; Ga.2.20; 1 Jn.3.16; Re.1.5; He.7.25; 
9.24; -the same in its properties with God’s 
love to his people {which see). 

-, the peculiar law of the gospel, Jn. 

J 3-34; 15-12,17; Ga.6.2; 1 Jn.3.23; 4.21. 

- ok our Country: in Nehemiah, 

Ne.2.3;—in David, Ps.25.22: 51.18; 122.6; 
124.1: 126.1; 137.5;—in Paul, R0.10.1. 

ok the World, dangerous, Mat. 6. 
24; 13 22; 19.22; iTi.6.9; 2Ti. 4 .io; Ja.i. 
27; 4.4: 1 Jn.2.15. 

Loving-kindness, tender regard, mercy, 
and favour of the Lord, Ps.26.3; 36.10; Je. 

9. 24; -certain features of it: good, Ps. 69. 
16: excelle 7 it, 36. 7; — 77 iarvellous, 17. 7; 
31.21: —7nultitudinous, Is.63.7;— evcrlast- 
in g> 54-8; better than life, Ps. 63.3;—its 
actings, 4011; 119.76,88; Je.31.3: Ho.2.19. 
Low Country, the western portion of Ju¬ 
dah, 2 Ch. 26.10;—called also the valley, 
Jos. 15.33 \—vale, 1 Ki.10.27;— loiv plams 

2 Ch.27.28. 

Lowering, or gloomy, cloudy, Mat. 16.3. 
Lower parts of the earth, the earth itself, 
Ep.4.9; -the valleys, or the Gentile world’ 
Is. 44. 23;—the womb of a mother, Ps.i 39 ! 

15 -the grave, or state of the dead, 63.9. 
Lowing, or making a bellowing noise like 
oxen, 1 Sa.6.12; 15.14; Job6.5. 


| Lowliness, meekness and humility, com¬ 
mended, Ep.4.2; Phi.2.3. See Humility 
and Meekness. 

Lubim, lii'bim [dwellers in a scorched land], 
people of Africa, 2 Ch.12.3; 16.8. 

Lucas, lu'kas, the same with Luke, Phile. 
24. 

Lucifer, lu'ci-fer [light-bringer, the morn¬ 
ing star], the title by which Isaiah de¬ 
scribes Nebuchadnezzar, Is. 14.12. 

Lucius, ltt'shi-us [of light], of Cyrene, a 
Greek colony in the north of Africa, Ac. 
13.1. 

Lucre, worldly gain, riches, 1 Sa.8.3; 1 Ti. 
3.3; Tit. 1.7,11; 1 Pe.5.2. 

Lud [strife, inhabitants of the desert], a 
people of Asia Minor descended from the 
son of Shem, Ge.10.22. 

Ludim, lii'dim, the descendants of Miz- 
raim, the second son of Ham, Ge. 10. 13; 
iCh.1.11;—called Lydians, Je.46.9; which 
is an inaccurate rendering for Ludi77i. 
Luhith, lu'hith [a floor made of boards], a 
place in Moab, Is. 15.5; Je.48.5. 

Luke, Lucas [light-giving], the evange¬ 
list, and constant companion and assistant 
of Paul;—mentioned by Paul, Col. 4. 14; 2 
Ti.4.11. 

Lukewarmness, or indifference in reli¬ 
gion, censured, 1 Ki. 18.21; Mat.8. 21; Lu. 
9.59; Ac.26.29; Re.3.15. 

Lunatics, persons affected with a species 
of madness, supposed to be influenced by 
the moon, cured. Mat. 4.24; 17.15, &c. 
Lurk, to lie concealed and in wait, Pr.1.11, 
18; Ps. 17.12. 

Lusts, or lewd desires, of the flesh to be re¬ 
pressed, Mat.5.29; 15.19; R0.8.13; 1 Co. 9. 
27; Ga.5.16,19; Col.3.5; 1 Pe.2.11. 

-, un7iat7iral, Ro.1.26; Ep.5.12; 1 Th. 

4 - 5 - 

Luz [an almond-tree], (1) The ancient name 
of Bethel, Ge.28.19.—( 2 ) A city in Arabia 
Petrea, about the south-east of the Dead 
Sea; built by a person who had resided at 
Bethel, Ju. 1.25,26. 

Lybia. See Libya. 

Lycaonia, ly-ka-6'nY-a, a province of Asia 
Minor, bounded by Cappadocia on the 
east, Galatia on the north, Phrygia and 
Pisidia on the west, and by Cilicia on the 
south. Its chief cities were Iconium, 
Derbe, and Lystra; — churches planted 
here by Paul and Barnabas, Ac. 14. 6;— 
the ‘speech of,’ Ac. 14.11; supposed to have 
been the ancient Assyrian. 

Lycia, ly'si-a, a province in the south-west 
of Asia Minor, bounded on the north by 
Phrygia, on the south by the Mediter¬ 
ranean, on the east by Pamphylia, and on 
the west by Caria. It anciently contained 
about twenty-three cities, the chief of 
which were Patara and Myra;—Paul came 
to Myra, Ac. 27. 5;—a few Greek Chris¬ 
tians are in this province, and the Maho¬ 
metans prevail. 

Lydda, lid'dah, the Greek form of Lod, 
called Diospolis [city of Jupiter], a few 
miles east of Joppa, on the road to Jerusa¬ 
lem;—Peter visited the saints here, Ac. 9. 
32;—here he cured Eneas, who had kept 
his bed eight years, 33,34;—its inhabitants 
generally turned to the Lord, 35;—it is 
now a poor village called Ludd. 

Lydia, (1) A maritime province in the west 
of Asia Minor. That mentioned in Eze. 30. 

5 was Lud, a place on the continent of 
Africa, comp. Is 66. 19; Eze. 27. 10.—(2) 
A woman, converted, Ac. 16. 14;—she and 
her household baptized, 15. 

Lying, uttering falsehold, knowing it to be 
false, forbidden, Le.19.11; Pr.24.28; Ep.4. 
25; Col. 3. 9;—hateful to God, Pr.6.16,17; 
12. 22;—threatened with severe punish¬ 
ment, Ps.5.6; Pr. 12.19; *9-5.91 Re.21.8,27; 

■—abominable in the sight of men, Ps. 101. 
7: 119.163; 120.2; Pr. 13. 5; 19.22;—charac¬ 
teristic of a wicked man, Ps.52.3; 58.3; Pr. 
* 4 - 5 > 2 5 : Is. 3°-9;—comes from the devil, 
Jn. 8. 44; Ac. 5. 3;—punishment of, Ps.5.6; 
120.3,4; Pr-i9. 5 ; Je.50.36; Re.2i. 8,27; 22. 

15- 

-, exa7nples of: Cain to God, Ge.4.9; 

—of Sarah, 18.15;—of Jacob to his father, 
27.18;—of the prophet in Bethel, 1 Ki. 13. 
18;—of Gehazi, 2 Ki. 5. 25;-of Ananias 
and Sapphira, Ac.5.1, &c. 

~, prevarication, quibbling, or double¬ 
dealing ;—examples censured: of Abraham, 
Ge. 12.11-13; 20.2,9;—of Isaac, 26.7.18;— 
of Rachel, 31-34,35;—of Saul, 1 Sa.15.13- 
28;—of Peter, Mat.26.72. 

Lysias, lis'Y-as, the chief captain of the 
Roman band at Jerusalem, rescues Paul, 


| Ac. 21. 31; 23. 23;—writes to Felix about 
him, 23.26;.—sends him to Cesarea, 33. 

Lystra, lis'tra, a city of Lycaonia, in Asia 
Minor, about 40 miles west of Iconium;— 
here Paul and Barnabas were taken for 
gods, Ac. 14.11;—the native place of Timo¬ 
thy, 16.1,2. 


M. 


Maacah, ma'a-kah [oppression], a small 
kingdom adjoining Argoband Bashan,2 Sa. 
10.6,8;—inhabited by the Maachathi, De. 
3.14, or Maachathites, Jos.12.5; 13.11-15. 
Maachah, ma'a-kah [oppression], (1) The 
son of Nahor, Ge. 22. 24;—supposed to be 
the father of the Maachathites, De. 3. 14; 
Jos.12.5.—( 2 ) Daughter of Talmai, king 
of Geshur, was the wife of David, and 
mother of Absalom and Tamar, 2 Sa. 3. 3. 
—(3) The mother or grandmother of Asa, 
king of Judah, 1 Ki.15.10.— (4) The father 
of Achish, king of Gath, 2. 39.—(5) The 
head of the tribe of Simeon in the days of 
David, 1Ch.27.16. 

Maaseiah, ma-a-sei'ah [work of Jehovah], 
(1) The son of Ahaz, assassinated, 2 Ch. 
27. 7.—(2) A porter of the temple, Ne. 12. 
41,42. 

Maaziah, ma-a-zi'ah [consolations of Jeho¬ 
vah], a chief of the families of the priests, 
1 Ch.24.18. 

Macedonia, mas-se-do'ni-a, a large country 
north-east of Greece, peopled by the de¬ 
scendants of Javan. In the time of the 
Romans the whole country between Taen- 
arus (Cape Matapan) and the valley of the 
Danube, was divided into three districts, 
viz. Illyricum, Achaia, and Macedonia 
(which included Thessaly, and formed 
with it one province). Its metropolis was 
^'hessalonica. It was a famous monarchy 
under Philip and his son Alexander the 
Great: to visit which Paul was directed 
by a vision, Ac. 16. 9;—Silas and Timothy 
preached in it, 18.5;—churches in, exem¬ 
plary in their contributions to the poor 
saints, Ro. 15.26; 2 Co.8.1-5. 

Machir, maTtir [sold], the son of Manas- 
seh, grandson of Joseph, and chief of the 
Machirites, Ge.50.23; Nu.32. 39;—to him, 
or rather his seed, Moses gave Gilead, 40. 
Machpelah, mak-pe'lah [portion, lot, double 
cave], the name of the burying-place of the 
patriarchs, which Abraham bought from 
Ephron the Hittite, for a burying-place 
for Sarah, Ge. 23.9,17 ;xix.;—himself buried 
there, 25.8,9;—also Isaac, Rebekah, and 
Jacob, 49. 29-32. Over this spot a large 
mosque has been built. In 1862 it was 
visited by the Prince of Wales and Dean 
Stanley. The cave itself, however, be¬ 
neath the mosque has never yet been en¬ 
tered by any traveller. 

Madai, mad'Y [middle land], the name of 
the third son of Japheth, and of the nation 
(the Medes) that sprang from him, Ge. 10. 
2; 2 Ki. 17.6. 

Madmannah, mad-man'nah [dunghill], a 
city of Judah, lying toward the coast of 
Edom southwai i, Jos.15.31; 1 Ch. 2. 49;— 
was invaded by the Assyrians, Is. 10. 31. 
It has been identified with El Miny&y , 
about 15 miles south-west of Gaza. 
Madness, insanity, rage, De. 28. 28; Lu. 6. 

11; 2 Pe.2.16. 

Magdala, m&g'da-lah [a tower or great¬ 
ness], a town on the west of the Sea of Ti¬ 
berias, either the same with Dal77ia7nttha > 
or near it, Mat. 15.39, compared with Mar. 
8.10. Now a small village called Mejdel , 
about 3 miles north of Tiberias, containing 
about twenty wretched hovels. 
Magdalene, mag'da-le'ne, a woman dispos¬ 
sessed of devils by Christ, Lu.8.2; Mat.27. 
56. Probably a native of Magdala. 

Magi, ma'gT, or wise men from the East, 
the priest class among the Persians, Je. 39. 
3, 13;—their journey to see Jesus, Mat. 
2.1, 81c. 

Magicians, diviners or fortune-tellers, sent 
for to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, Ge. 41. 
8;—oppose Moses, Ex.7.11,22; 8.7;—could 
not produce the lice, 18;—of Babylon sent 
for to find out and interpret the dream of 
Nebuchadnezzar, Da.2.2;—Jews forbidden 
to consult, Le.19.31; 20.6. • 

Magistrates, civil rulers, or rulers over 
particular cities; to be respected. Ex. 22. 
28; De.17.8, &c.; Ac.23.5;—heathen, to be 















THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


obeyed by Christians, Ro. 13. 1,3; Tit.3.1; 
1 Pe. 2. 13:—not a terror to the good, but 
to the evil, Ro. 13.4; 1 Pe.2.14. 

Magnifical, stately, very great, 1 Ch.22.5. 
Magnificence, worldly grandeur, its vanity, 
Ec. 2.4, &c.; Ac. 19.27. 

-, of Solomon, 1 Ki. 4. 21, &c.; 

10.1, &c.; 2Ch.i.i4, &c.; 9.9. 

Magnify, to make great, as God does his 
word, Ps. 138. 2;—his mercy, Ge. 19. 19;— 
Jesus did the law, Is. 42. 21;—God does 
men, Jos.3.7; 4.14; 1 Ch.29.25; 2 Ch.32.23; 
—men do God, by proclaiming his great¬ 
ness, Ps. 34.3; 69.30; 1,11.1.46. 

Magog, ma'gog, the second son of Japheth, 
and a tribe descended from him, Ge. 10. 2; 
1 Ch. 1.5. Generally understood of the 
Scythians. Scythia = the land of Magog, 
Eze.38.2. See Gog. 

Mahalaleel, ma-hal'a-lee! [praise of God], 
the son of Cainan, of the race of Seth, 
Ge.5.15. 

Mahalath, ma'ha-lath [smoothness], (1) 
The wife of Rehoboam, 2 Ch. 11. 18.—^2) 
The daughter of Ishmael, whom Esau 
married, Ge. 28. 9; — called Bashemath, 

36-3- 

Mahanaim, mfi-ha-na'im [camps], a town 
east of Jordan, on the north bank of the 
Jabbok, in the territory of Gad, to the site 
of which J acob gave this name, Ge. 32.1,2;— 
given to the Levites, Jos.21.38;—here Ish- 
bosheth fixed his residence during his short 
reign, 2Sa.2.8;—hither David retired from 
the fury of Absalom, 17.27. 

Mahazioth, ma-haz'i-oth [vision], a chief 
of the singers in the temple, 1 Ch.25.30. 
Maher-shalal-hash-baz, ma' her-shal' al- 
hash'baz [hastening to the spoil], a child 
so called, to signify a future event, Is. 8. 
t, &c. 

Mahlah, mah'lah [disease], one of the daugh¬ 
ters of Zelophehad, who, with her sisters, 
received her portion of the Land of Pro¬ 
mise, because their father died without 
male issue, Nu.26.33; 27.1; Jos.17.3; 1 Ch. 
7.18. 

Mahlon, mah'lon [sick], the son of Elime- 
lech and Naomi, who married Ruth, but 
died without children, Ru. 1.2,5. 

Maiden, a woman servant, Ex. 2. 5; R11. 2. 
8,22; Lu. 12.45. 

Mail, or coat of mail, a piece of armour for 
the protection of the body in war, 1 Sa. 17*. 5. 
Maimed, persons who either wanted mem¬ 
bers of their body or had lost the use of 
them;—cured, Mat. 15.30,31. 

Maintain, to uphold, to plead, 1 Ki. 8. 45; 
Ps. 140.12; Tit.3.8. 

Majesty, the infinite greatness of God, 1 
Ch.29.11; Job 37.22; Ps.93.1; 104.1; 145. 5; 
—the royal pomp of earthly kings, Es. 1.4; 
Da.4.30,36; 5.18,19. 

Makkedah, mak-ke'dah or mak'ke-dah 
[place of shepherds], a city of the tribe of 
J udah, t 2 miles south-west from J erusalem, 
Jos. 10.10,17,21,29; 15.41. 

Malachi, mal'a-kT [angel of Jehovah], the 
last in order of the Old Testament pro¬ 
phets, was contemporary with Nehemiah; 
prophesied about 430 b.c. After hitn no 
prophet arose in Israel til! the time of John 
the Baptist, of whose appearing he fore¬ 
told, Mai.4.5,6;—referred to by our Lord, 
Mat. 11.10:17.10-12. Of the personal his¬ 
tory of the prophet nothing is known. 
Malchiah, mal-kT'ah [Jehovah’s king], the 
keeper of the prison at Jerusalem, into the 
miry dungeon of which Jeremiah was cast, 
]e. 38. 1-6;—several other persons of this 
name, 1 Ch.6.40; 9.12; Ezr.10.25; Ne.3.11, 

M- . . 

Malchiel, mal'ki-el [God’s king, i.e. ap¬ 
pointed by God], a grandson of Asher, 

1 Ch.7.31. 

Malchiram, mal-ki'ram, a son of Jeconiah, 

1 O1.3.18 

Malchishua, mal-ki'-shu'ah [king of help], 
the third son of Saul, who perished in 
battle with his father and two brothers, 

1 Sa. 31.2; 1 Ch. 10.2. 

Malchom, mal'kom, or Milc'om, an idol of 
the Ammonites, said to be the same with 
Moloch, 1 Ki.11.33. See Moloch. 
Malchus, mal'kus, a servant of Caiaphas, 
whose ear Peter cut off, but who was 
healed by Christ, Jn. 18.10. All the evan¬ 
gelists record the event, but the names of 
Peter and Malchus are only mentioned by 
John. 

Malefactors, evil-doers, offenders against 
the law, criminals; two crucified with 
Christ, Lu.23.32,33,39;— Christ arraigned 
as one, Jn. 18.30. 


Males, all who were able to travel rerjuired J 
to attend at the tabernacle or temple thrice 
a year, namely, at the passover,pentecost, 
and /east of tabernacles, Ex.23.17; 34. 23; 
De. 16.16. 

Malice, deep-rooted ill-will or violent ha¬ 
tred, forbidden, Ge. 34.7,25; 37.5,18; Pr. 17. 
5; 24.17; 26.24; Mar. 6. 17; 1 Co.5.8; 14.20; 
Ep.4.31; Col.3. 8; Tit. 3. 3; 1 Pe. 2. 1, 16;— 
may work its own ruin, Ps.7.15,16; 9.15; 
35.8; Pr.5.22; 26.27; Es.7.10;—punishment 
of. Am.1.11,12; Ob.10-15. 

-, of Cain to Abel, Ge. 4. 8;—of Esau 

to Jacob, 27. 41;—of Saul to David, 1 Sa. 
19. 10;—of Joab to Abner, 2 Sa. 3. 27;—of 
Hainan to Mordecai, Es. 3. 6;—of the pre¬ 
sidents, Da.6.4;—of Herodias, Mar. 6. 19; 
—of the scribes and Pharisees to Jesus, 
Mar. 11. 18, &c. In Ja. 1. 21 the word is 
rendered ‘naughtiness.’ 

Maliciousness, the same as malice, Ro. 1. 
29; 1 Pe.2.16. 

Malignity, a temper of mind obstinately 
bad, and delighting in what is evil, Ro. 1. 
29 - 

Mallows, a plant, supposed to be of the 
bramble kind, with leaves like the lettuce; 
used for food. Job 30.4. 

Malluch, mal'luk [reigning], one who signed 
the covenant with Nehemiah, Ne. 10.4. 

Mammon, a Syriac word signifying riches, 
Lu. 16.9,11;—personified, Mat.6.24; Lu. 16. 
i3- 

Mamre, mam're [fruitfulness], (1) The 
brother of Aner and Eschol, was an Amor- 
ite, and the friend of Abraham, Ge.14.13.— 
(2) The country where he dwelt, called by 
his name, 13.18; 23. 17;—was one of Abra¬ 
ham’s favourite places of residence, 18. 

1,10,14, The cave of Machpelah, now 
covered by the great Haram in Hebron, 
lay ‘before Mamre,’ Ge.23.17,19; 25.9. 

Man, his primeval dignity, Ge. 1.26,27; 2.7; 
Ps.8.5; Ec.7.29;—his fall, Ge.3.17; 6.5; 8. 
21; Ps. 14.3; Je. 17.9;—universal corruption 
of his nature. Job 14. 4; Ps. 51. 5; Jn. 3. 6; 
Ro.3.23; Ga.5.17; Ep. 2. 1, &c.;—his mor¬ 
tality, Job 7.10; 14.5,7,10,12; Ec. 12.7; Ro. 

5. 12; 1 Co. 15. 22;—what is best for him in 
this world, Ec.2.24; 3.12,22; 5.18; 7.1-3, 5, 
8; 9. 7;—the great business of his life, 12. 
13; Am.4.12; Lu.10.27; Mar. 8. 36; 2 Pe. 1. 
10. 

-, his frailties, Ps. 39. 5,11; 62.9; 78. 39; 

103.14: 144.4; 146.3; Ro.7.18; 1 Pe.1.24. 

-, his dignity restored by Christ, 1 Co. 

15. 49; Ep. 5. 25,27; Phi. 3. 21; Col.3.4,10; 
He.2.10; 2 Pe.1.4; 1 Jn.3.2. 

Manaen, ma-na'en [comforter], one of the 
five prophets at Antioch, an early be¬ 
liever and acquaintance of Herod, Ac. 

13-1- 

Manahethites, ma-nah'eth-ites [rest], of 
the posterity of Judah, 1 Ch.2.52,54. 

Manasseh, ma-nas'seh [forgetfulness], (1) 
The eldest son of Joseph, Ge. 41.51;— 
blessed by his grandfather Jacob, 48.8-14; 
—his inheritance, Jos. 13.29; 17.1;—his de¬ 
scendants, iCh. 7. 14;—the chief men of 
the half tribe, 5. 23;—conquered by Pul, 
king of Assyria, 26.— 2! Fourteenth king 
of Judah, succeeds his father Hezekiah, 

2 Ki.21.1; 2 Ch.33.1;— he was very wicked 
and idolatrous, 2-9;—shed much innocent 
blood, 2 Ki. 21. 16; 24. 4;—was carried to 
Babylon, 2 Ch. 33. 11;—prayed, was con¬ 
verted and restored, 13;—dies, aged sixty- 
eight years (b.c. 664 }, 20; 2 Ki.21.18. 

Mandrakes, found by Reuben in the field— 
uncertain whether they were some kind of 
pleasant flowers, or citron apples, or a 
plant usually so called—supposed to re¬ 
move barrenness, and therefore earnestly 
sought by Rachel, Ge. 30.14-16; Ca.7.13. 

Maneh [part,portion], a mina= ,,’^th part of 
a talent = 100 shekels, or 50 ounces avoir¬ 
dupois weight, 1 Ki. 10. 17; 2 Ch. 9. 16;— 
divided into three parts, Eze.45.12. 

Manger, the wooden trough in which horses 
are fed; served for the cradle of Christ, 
Lu.2.7,12,16. 

Manifest, to make apparent, or clearly 
visible, as God was in the flesh, 1 Ti.3.16; 
—as Christ did his glory, by his miracles, 
Jn. 2. 11;—as he will make the counsels of 
men’s hearts, 1 Co. 4.5. 

Manifold, many in number, great and 
various, as are the mercies of God, Ne. 9. 
19,27;—his works, Ps. 104.24;—his wisdom, 
Ep. 3.10;—our sins, Am.5.12. 

Manna [what is it?], the food with which 
God miraculously fed the Israelites in the 
wilderness for forty years, and sustained 
almost three millions of men, women, and 


! children!—described, Ex.16.14,15;—regu¬ 
lations respecting the gathering and pre¬ 
paring of it, 16-21;—a double quantity to 
be gathered on the sixth day, as none fell 
on Sabbath, 22-30;—an omer of it pre¬ 
served, 16. 32; — ceased while encamped 
at Gilgal, after the first passover in Ca¬ 
naan, Jos.5.10,12;—hidden, promised, Re. 
2.17. 

Manner, custom, deportment, Ge. 25.23; 1 
C 0 .!5.33; He.10.25. 

Manoah, ma-no'ah [rest], the father of 
Samson, was of the tribe of Dan, Ju.13.2; 
—entreated the Lord that the angel who 
appeared to his wife might come again to 
instruct them, 8;—his prayer answered, 
and his interview with the angel, 9-21;— 
his fears quelled by his wife, 22,23. 

Mansions, fixed dwellings, the abodes of 
the blessed, Jn.14.2. 

Man-slaughter, killing a person without 
malice, as in a sudden quarrel, or by acci¬ 
dent;—the law respecting it, Ex.21.18; Nu. 
35.22; De.19.4; Jos.20.i. 

Man-stealing, laws against it. Ex. 21. 16; 
De.24.7. 

Mantle, a cloak, Ju.4.18; 1 Sa.28.14; 1 Ki. 
19.13,19. 

Maon, ma'on [a dwelling-place], a city of 
Judah; here Nabal dwelt, and near which 
David hid himself, Jos. 15.55; 1 Sa. 23.24; 
25.2;—identified with Main, about 7 miles 
south-east of Hebron. 

Mar, to disfigure, Le. 19. 27;—to spoil or 
render useless, 2 Ki.3.19; Je. 13. 7; Mar.2. 
22. 

Marah, ma'rah [bitterness], a place on the 
east side of the western gulf of the Red 
Sea, so named from its bitter waters. Ex. 

15-23- 

Maralah, mar'a-lah [trembling], a city in 
the tribe of Zebtilun, Jos. 19.11;—identified 
with M'alul, about 4 miles south-west of 
Nazareth. 

Maranatha, mar-an-a'thah, two Aramaic 
or Syriac words, meaning the Lordconieth, 
1C0.16.22. See Anathema. 

Marble, a species of limestone, of various 
colours, which takes a fine polish, provided 
by David for building the temple, 1 Ch. 
29.2;—pillars and pavement of, in Ahasu- 
erus’ palace, Es.1.6. 

Marches, of the Israelites in the wilderness, 
from one encampment to another. See 
Journeys. 

Mareshah, ma-re'shah [place at the top], a 
city in the tribe of Judah, Jos. 15.44;—forti¬ 
fied by Rehoboam, 2 Ch. 11. 8; — native 
place of Eliezer the prophet, 20.37;—near 
to it Asa routed the Ethiopians, 14.9. 

Mariners, seamen or sailors; the inhabitants 
of Zidon were, Eze.27.8,9,27,29;—those in 
the ship with Jonah, Jonah 1.5. 

Marishes, or marshes, miry places, Eze. 
47-11. 

Mark, John surnamed Mark, Ac. 12.12;— 
was the nephew probably of Barnabas, Col. 
4.10. His mother was that Mary in whose 
house the disciples frequently met, and 
where Peter found them praying, Ac. 12.12- 
16;—accompanies Paul and Barnabas to 
Antioch, 12. 25; — his conduct disapprov¬ 
ed of by Paul, and left by him on his second 
progress, 15. 37;—accompanied Barnabas, 
39. Gospel of, describes the actions rather 
than the discourses of Christ;—was pro¬ 
bably written at Rome and for the Romans. 

Markets, the places of selling meat, &c.. 
Mat. 11.16; 23.7; Lu. 11.43; 20.46. 

Marriage, its institution, Ge. 2.21;—to be 
contracted between one man and one 
woman, Le.18.18; Mai. 2.14,15; Mat. 19. 5, 
9: Ro.7.2,3; 1 Co.7.2,12,14;—is honourable, 
He. 13.4;—indissoluble. Mat. 19.6; 1 Co. 6. 
16; Ep.5.31;—unlawful ones, Le.18.1, &c.; 
—with strangers forbidden to the Jews, 
Ezr.10.1; Ne.13.23;—lawful for all Chris¬ 
tians, 1 Co.7.38; 1 Ti.5.14; He.13.4;—when 
prudent, 1 Ti. 5.14; 1 Co. 7. 2,9;—not pru¬ 
dent in time of persecution,! Co.7.1,7,26;— 
between persons of different religions cen¬ 
sured, Ge.34.14; De.7.3; Jos.23.12; 2 Ki.8. 
18; 2 Co.6.14;—none in heaven, Mat.22.30; 
Mar. 12.25; Lu.20.35;—attended with feast¬ 
ing, Ge. 29. 22; Mat. 22. 3; Jn. 2. 1;—the 
happiness of a suitable one, Pr.12.4; 18.22; 
19.14; 31.10, &c. ;—the misery of an un¬ 
suitable one, 12.4; 19.13; 21.9,19; 25.24; 27. 
15;—duties of, see Husbands and Wives. 

Marrow, the fat contained in the hollow of 
bones, Job 21.24;—the secret dispositions, 
thoughts, and designs of the soul, He.4.12; 
—the rich blessings of grace, Ps. 63. 5; Is. 
25.6. 


(Ma—Ma) 619 

Mars Hill, Ac.17.19 See Areopagus. 
Mart, a place of public traffic, Is.23.3. 
Martha, mar'tha [stirring up, bitter, pro¬ 
voking, a ladyj, the sister of Lazarus, too 
much occupied , at the entertainment of 
Jesus, Lu. 10. 38;—her behaviour at the 
death of her brother, Jn.11. 1,20; —Jesus 
sups at her house, 12.2. 

Martyrdom, suffering death for attach¬ 
ment to Christ and his gospel; the obliga¬ 
tion of submitting to it, rather than re¬ 
nounce Christ, Mat. 10. 28, 37; 16.24; Mar. 
8.34; L11.14.26; Ac.5.40; 9.16; 20.24; 21-13: 
1 Co. 4. 12; Phi. i. 29; 1 Ti. 4. 10; 1 Pe. 4.19; 
Re. 12.1 1;—will be amply rewarded, Mat. 
5. 10; R0.8.17; 2 Ti. 1. 12; 2. 12; 1 Pe. 4.13; 
Re.2.10; 6.11; 7.14. 

-, of Abel, Ge.4.8, with 1 J11.3. 

12;—of Urijah, Je.26.20-23;—the Baptist, 
Mar. 6. 27;—of Stephen, Ac. 7. 57;—of the 
apostle James, 12.2;—of the ancients, He. 
11.13,36;—of Antipas, Re.2.13. 

-, sufferings approaching to it, 

of the apostles, Ac. 5. 40;—of Paul, 13. 50; 
14.19: 16.23; 2C0.6.4; 11.23, &c. 

Marvel, to wonder, Ge.43.33; Ec.5.8; Mat. 
8.10,27, &c. 

Marvellous, wonderful, Job 5.9; Ps. 17. 7; 

Jn.9.30. 

Mary, Heb. Miriam [exalted], i) The 
mother of Jesus, a descendant of the royal 
house of David, Mat. 1. 6-16;—addressed 
by the angel Gabriel, and conceives by the 
almighty agency of the Holy Ghost, Lu. 
1.26-35;—her song, 46-55; — married to 
Joseph, who had previously espoused her. 
Mat.1.18,19;—brings forth the Saviour in 
Bethlehem, Lu.2.1-7;—she, with her hus¬ 
band, brought the infant to Jerusalem, to 
present him to the Lord, 21-24;—she ac¬ 
companied her husband every year to the 
passover, 41;—took Jesus with her when 
he was twelve years old, 42;—attended 
him to a marriage, J11.2.1;—inquires for 
Jesus when he was teaching, Mat. 12.46; 
Mar.3.31; Lu.8.19;—at his crucifixion, and 
committed to the care of John, Jn. 19.25; 
—with the other disciples after the resur¬ 
rection of Jesus, Ac.1.14.— 2 Magdalene, 
dispossessed of seven devils, Lu.8.2;—wit¬ 
nessed Christ’s crucifixion afar off, Mat.27. 
56;—attended his burial, 60,61;—brought 
spices to embalm his body, Mar. 16.1;—the 
first to see Jesus after his resurrection, 
Mat. 28.1, 9; Mar. 16. 1, 9; Jn. 20.14;—she 
was not the ‘ woman in the city which was 
a sinner,’ mentioned in Lu. 7. 37, and the 
idea that she was of unchaste character 
has no foundation.— 3 The sister of 
Lazarus, attends the discourse of Jesus 
while her sister was busy in preparing to 
entertain him, Lu. 10. 39;—pours precious 
ointment on him at the supper in Bethany, 
Mat. 26. 7; Mar. 14. 3; Jn.11.1,2: 12.3.—(4) 
The wife of Cleophas, the mother of James 
and Joses, and supposed to be the sister of 
the Virgin Mary;—stood by the cross, 
Mar. 15.40; Jn.19.25. — (5) The mother of 
John Mark , Ac. 12.12. 

Mash, or Meshech, me'shek [drawn out], 
the fourth son of Aram, and grandson of 
Shem, Ge.10.23; 1 Ch.1.17. 

Masons, those who work and build in stone, 
eminently distinguished in their art in the 
time of David and Solomon, 2 Sa. 5. 11; 2 
Ki.12.12; 1 Ch.22.2; 2 Ch.24.12. 

Masters, their duty to instruct their ser¬ 
vants as well as their children, Ge. 18. 19; 
Jos.24.15; Ac. 10.2;—should select those of 
upright moral character, Ps. 101.6,7;—not 
to permit them to labour on the Sabbath, 
Ex.20.10;—to use them with tenderness, 
Le.25.43; 46.53; De.24.14; Job 31.13; Mat. 
8.5; Lu.7.2; Col.4.1; Ep.6.9;—to pay them 
duly, Le.19.12; De.24.15; Je.22.13: Mai.3. 
5; Ja. 5. 4;—good masters, Abraham, Ge. 
18. 19; — Joshua, Jos. 24. 15; — centurion, 
Lu.7.2,3. 

Matri, ma'tri [son of Jehovah], one of Saul’s 
progenitors, 1 Sa. 10.21. 

Matrix, the womb. Ex.13.12,15; 34.19; Nu. 
3.12; 18.15. 

Mattan, mat'tan [gift], a priest of Baal, 
killed before the altar of his false god, 2 
Ki. it.18; 2 Ch.23.17. 

Matthan, mat'than[gifi], thesonof Eleazar, 
father of Jacob, and grandfather of Joseph 
the husband of Mary, Mat. 1.15,16. 
Matthew, miUh'thO [God’s gift', a native 
of Galilee, called also Levi, Mar.2.14:—a 
tax-gatherer under the Romans; called to 
attend Jesus, Mat 9.9; Mar.2.14: I.u.5.27; 
— makes a feast, and introduces many publi¬ 
cans and sinners to Christ, Mat. 9. 10;— • 












620 (Ma—Mi) 

numbered with the apostles, 10.31 Mar. 3. I 
18; Lu.6.15; Ac. 1.13. Gospel of, probably 
written about A.D. 61, was principally in¬ 
tended for Palestine; its design was to 
prove to the Jews that Jesus was the 
Christ. 

Matthias, mat-thl'as [given of the Lordl, 
chosen in the place of Judas Iscariot, Ac. 
1.26. 

Mattock, an instrument made of wood, in 
common use in Egypt, Is.7.25; in 1 Ch. 
13.20 the word so rendered means a plough¬ 
share, in 2 Ch.34.6 it properly means dis¬ 
trict. 

Maul, a hammer, Pr.25.18. 

Mazzaroth, probably means the twelve 
signs of the zodiac, Job 38.32. 

Meadow, a flat grassy surface, generally 
flanked by rivers or lakes, Ge.41.2,18; in 
Job8.it the word is rendered ‘flag.’ 
Measure, (1) To compute its quantity, Ex. 
26. 2; Mat. 7. 2; Ga. 1. 13. —'2 ; Heb. sedh, 
the third part of an ephah, Ge.18.6; 1 Sa. 
25.18; 2 Ki.7.1,16;—the Greek equivalent 
occurs, Mat. 13.33; Lu.13.21. 
Meat-offering, rules concerning it, Le.2.1; 
6.14; Nu.15.1. 

Meats, clean and unclean, Le.11.1; De.14. 
3, &c.to Christians, Ac. 15.29; Ro.14.2, 
6,14,20; 1 Co. 8. 8,10; 10.25; Col.2.16; 1 Ti. 
4 - 3 - 

Mebunnai, me-bun'nai [ building], one of 
David’s mighty men, 2 Sa.23.27. 

Medad, mfi'dad [love], one of the seventy 
elders chosen by Moses, Nu. 11.26,27. 
Medan, me'dan [strife], the third son of 
Abraham by Keturah, Ge.25.2. 

Meddle, to provoke, interpose, De.2.5,19; 
2 Ki.14.10; Pr.20.19. 

Meddling, with strife, danger of, Pr.26.17. 
Medeba, med'e-bah [waters of quiet], a city 
of the tribe of Reuben, situated about 4 
miles south-east of Heshbon, Jos. 13.16;— 
afterwards it was taken by the Moabites, 
Is.15.2- 

Medes, meeds, the inhabitants of Media, 
destined to conquer Babylon, 2 Ki. 17.6; 
Da 5.28,31; Is.21.2. 

Media, me'di'-a [the middle land], the 
country of the Medes, bounded on the 
north by part of the Caspian Sea; on the 
south by Persia, Susiana, and Assyria; on 
the east by Parthia and Hyrcania; and on 
the west by Armenia Major;—it was partly 
into this country that Shalmaneser carried 
the ten tribes captive, 2 Ki.17.6; 18. n; Is. 
13. 17, 18; 21. 2, 3; Je. 25. 25. The Medes 
and Persians, who were both branches of 
the great Aryan family of nations, were 
united under Cyrus into one monarchy, 
b.c. 558, Es.i.3,14,18,19: Da.6.8,12. It is 
now included under the dominion of the 
Shah of Persia. 

Mediator, (1) A messenger or internuntius, 
as Moses, Ga.3.19.— 2 An efficient peace¬ 
maker who reconciles parties at variance, 
1 Sa.2.25; Job 9.33;—Christ the only one 
between God and man, 1 Ti. 2.5; He.8.6; 
9.15; 12.24. 

Medicine, what tends to remove or prevent 
diseases either of body or soul, Pr. 17.22; 
Je. 30. 13; 46. 11;—leaves of certain trees 
to become such, Eze.47.12; Re.22.2. 
Meditation, fixed and deep thought on reli¬ 
gious subjects, the duty and benefit of it, 
Ge. 24.63; Ps.1.2; 4.4; 77.12; 107.43; 119.15, 
78,97,148: 143.5; Pr.4 26. 

Mediterranean Sea. This name is not 
found in Scripture, but the sea is frequent¬ 
ly referred to. It is spoken of as the ‘great 
sea,’ Nu.34.6,7: Jos. 1.4; Eze.47.10,15,20; 
—‘sea of the Philistines,’ Ex.23.31;—‘sea 
of Joppa,’ Ezr. 3.7‘ the sea,’ Jos. 15.4,46; 
—‘hinder sea,’ Zee. 14. 8;—‘utmost sea,’ 
De. 11.24. 

Meekness, a mild and winning sweetness 
of temper, not easily ruffled by ill-treat¬ 
ment,or provoked to resentment; is mani- 
f sted , by studying not to give just ground 
of offence to others, Ac.24.16; 1 Co.10.32; 
—by calmness under provocations, Lu.21. 
19; Tit. 1. 7;—by a forgiving and pacific 
disposition, Mat.5.44: Ro. 12.18; 2Ti.2.22; 
—by docility in receiving, and promptitude 
in obeying the word of God, Ja. 1.21,22;— 
by resignation to the will of God under 
trials, 1 Sa.3.18; Ps.39.9; Job 1.21:—is pro¬ 
duced by the Holy Spirit, Ga.5.22,23. 

--, excellency and advantages of: 

it is observing what God has required, 
Mat.11.29; Ga.6.1; Ep.4.1,2; iTi.6.n; 2 
Ti. 2. 25;—a noble victory over corrupt 
nature, Pr.16.32; 19. n;—is a characteristic 
©f true wisdom, Ja.3.17;—an ornament to 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


our nature, 1 Pe.3.4;—productive of much 
happiness both to its possessor, and those 
about him, Is.29.19: Mat. 11.29;—has many 
promises annexed to it, Ps.22.26; 25.9; 37. 

11; 147.6; 149.4: P r - 3 - 34 ; Is.29.19; 57 ' x 5 > 
66.2; Mat.5.5; n.29; Col.3.12; Ja.3.13. 
Meekness, to obtain, and to cultivate it, 
we ought to consider that it is enjoined by 
God, Zep.2.3; Col.3.12; 1 Ti.6.11;—attend¬ 
ed with many advantages ( see above to 
guard against the contrary temper of mind, 
Ep.4.31; Col. 3.8,13,14;—earnestly to pray 
for it, Zep.2.3; Mat. 7. 7;—and often to 
meditate on the examples of it in good 
men, but especially in Christ. See next 
article. 

_, examples: of Abraham to Lot, 

Ge. 13.8;—of Moses, Nu. 12.3;—of Micaiah 
to the prophet Zedekiah, 1 Ki. 22. 24; of 
Jeremiah, Je. 26. 14;—of Jesus, Is. 53- 7 > 
Mat.11.29; Jn.18.19, &c. 

Megiddo, me-gid’do [place of troops], an an¬ 
cient royal Canaanitish city at the north¬ 
east base of Mount Carmel, Jos.17.11; Ju. 
j. 27;—near to it Jabin’s army was routed 
by Deborah and Barak, Ju. 5. 19;—here, 
too, Pharaoh-Necho defeated and mortally 
wounded good king Josiah, 2 Ki.23.29,30. 
The plain on the southern border of which 
it stood is called the ‘valley of Megiddo,’ 
1 Ch.35.22;—Megiddon, Zec.12.11. 
Mehetabel, me-het'a-bel [blessed of God], 
wife of Hadad, a king of Edom, 1 Ch. 1.50. 
Mehujael, me-hu'ja-el [smitten of God], a 
grandson of Enoch, Ge.4.18. 

Mehuman, me-hu'man [faithful, eunuch], 
an officer of Ahasuerus, Es.1.10. 
Mejarkon, me-jar'kon [the waters of yel¬ 
lowness], a city of Dan, near the brook 
called the Waters of Jarkon, Jos. 19.46. 
Mekonah, mek'o-nah [a place or base of a 
pillar], a city of Judah, Ne. 11.28. 

Melchi, mel'ki [my king], an ancestor of 
Joseph, Lu. 3.28. 

Melchiah, mel-kl'ah [Jehovah’s king], son 
of Pashur the priest, Ne.11.12; Je.38.1. 
Melchizedec, mel-kiz'ze-dek [king of right¬ 
eousness], King of Salem, and priest of the 
most high God, blesses Abraham, Ge. 14. 
18;—a type of Jesus, He. 5. 6; 7. 1, 15;— 
Abraham said to have paid tithes to him, 
7.2. 

Melech, me'lek [a king], a descendant of 
king Saul, iCh.8.35. 

Melita, me-li'tah, now called Malta , -an 
island in the Mediterranean Sea, 20 miles 
long and 12 broad;—on the coast of which 
Paul was shipwrecked, Ac. 28.1, &c. Since 
1814 it has been a British dependency. Its 
population is about 120,000, for the most 
part Roman Catholics excessively ignorant. 
Melody, sweet musical sounds, Am.5.23;— 
of the heart ought to accompany the voice, 
in praise to God, Ep.5.19. 

Melons, herbaceous, climbing plants of the 
gourd tribe, which produce a fruit the 
richest and most highly flavoured of all 
the fleshy fruits;—the Israelites lusted 
after those of Egypt, Nu.11.5. ‘ 

Melted, made or become liquid, Ex.16.21; 
Ju.5.5;—applied to the heart as denoting 
loss of courage, Jos. 5.1;—from distress, Ps. 
22.14. 

Members, parts of the body, Ps. 139. 16; 

Mat.5.29; Ja.3.6. 

Memorial, that which hands down or pre¬ 
serves the memory of a person or event; 
as, the names of God, Ex. 3.15;—the day 
of the passover, 12. 14;—the record of a 
victory, 17.14, &c. 

Memory, the power of retaining or recol¬ 
lecting things past, 1 Co. 15.2;—memorial, 
name, report, Pr.10.7; Is. 26.14. 

Memphis, mem'fis (Heb. Moph, Ho. 9. 6), 
a large ard celebrated city of Egypt, situ¬ 
ated on the west side of the river Nile, 
about 20 miles south of Cairo, and on the 
south-west of which stand the renown¬ 
ed pyramids. It was the capital of the 
Pharaohs, who reigned in Lower Egypt in 
the time of the patriarchs who sojourned 
there. It is said to have had a circum¬ 
ference of about 19 miles. But its glory 
has long ago departed. Under the name 
of Noph it is prophesied of, Je.46.19; Is. 19. 
13; Eze.30.16. Its site is now marked by 
the insignificant village of Mitraheny. 
Menahem, mSn'a-hem [comforter], the son 
of Gadi, cut off Shallum, and seized the 
crown of Israel, 2 Ki. 15. 14;—laid waste 
Tiphsah for refusing to acknowledge him 
king; purchased, at 1000 talents of silver, 
the friendship of the King of Assyria, 19; 
—reigned ten years, and dies, 17.21,22. 


Menstruous, monthly flux, or what is de- 1 
filed by it, Is.30.22; La.1.17; Eze.18.6. 

Meonothai, me-on'o-thl, a son of Othniel, 

1 Ch.4.14. 

Mephaath, mef'a-ath [splendour], a city 
of Reuben, east of Nebo, and 6 miles south¬ 
west of Medeba, Jos 13.18; 21.37. 

Mephibosheth, me-fib'o-sheth [utterance, 
or fame of Baal], (1) A son of king Saul by 
Rizpah, 2 Sa.21.8,9.—(2) The son of Jona¬ 
than, received by David, 2Sa.9>6;—falsely 
accused by Ziba, 16.1;—excuses himself, 
19.24. 

Merab, mS'rab [increase, growth], the elder 
of the two daughters of Saul, who pro¬ 
mised her in marriage to David, but gave 
her to another, 1 Sa. 14.49; 18.17,19. 

Meraioth, me- rl'oth [rebellions], (1) A 
son of Ahitub, Ne.11.11; 12.15.—(2) A son 
of Zerahiah, 1 Ch.6.6. 

Merari, mer'a-ri [bitter], the third son of 
Levi, 1 Ch.6.1,16; Ge.46.11. 

Merathaim, mer-a-tha'im [the land of 
double captivity], a poetical name for Chal¬ 
dea, Je.50.21; Eze.23.23. 

Merchandise, trade, commerce, De.21.14; 
Mat.22.5; 2 Pe.2.3; Re. 18.11. 

Merchants, those of Midian, and other 
parts of Arabia, were the most ancient, 
Ge.37.28;—those of Nineveh and Jerusa¬ 
lem, numerous and wealthy, Na.3.16; Eze. 
17.4. 

Mercurius, mer-ku'ri-us, or Mercury, one 
of the fabulous heathen gods, Ac. 14. 12; 
—the god of merchandise. 

Mercy, clemency, affectionate pity, Ge.24. 
27; Pr.14.21; Je.6.23; Ho.4.1. 

-of God, his compassion to the 

miserable, Ex. 20.6; 34.6; 2 Sa. 24.14; Ps. 
57.10; 86.5; 100.5; 103.8; 119.64; Is.1.18; 1 
Pe.1.3;—it is tender, Ps.25.6; 40.11; 79.8; 
103.4;— rich, Ep. 2.4;— abundant, 1 Pe. 1.3; 
—free. Ex.33.19; Ro.9.18; Tit.3.5 -—mani¬ 
fold, Ne.9.27; La.3.32;— -filling the earth, 
Ps. 119. 64; 145. 9;— everlasting, Ps. 100.5; 
103.17; 138. 8. Character of parties to¬ 
wards whom it is exercised, 1 Ki.8.23; Ps. 
103.17; Pr.28.13; 15.49.13:54.7: 55 - 7 .: Je-3- 
12; Joel 2.13. 

-, the duty of man, Pr.3.3; Zee.7.9; 

Lu.6.36; 10.30, &c.; Ro 12.8; Col.3.12; Ja. 
3.17;—the reward of it, Ps. 37.26; ii2.4,&c.; 
Pr.3.3,4; 11.17; 16.6; 21.21; Is.58.6; Mat. 
5.7; Lu.6.35; Ja.2.13. 

Mercy - seat, or Propitiatory, the covering 
or lid of the ark of the covenant, or holy 
chest, which contained the tables of the 
law, and over which the cherubim were 
placed, and the Shekinah resided; and 
from which God mercifully spake to his 
people. Ex.25.17,20,22; 26.34; 37.6; Le.16. 
13; 1 Ch.28.11. The holy of holies called 
‘the place (more correctly ‘the house’) of 
the mercy-seat,’ 1 Ch.28.11. 

Meribah, me-ri'bah [chiding], (1) A place 
where the people of Israel murmured, on 
the west gulf of the Red Sea, Ex. 17.1-7. 
(2) Another fountain having a similar his¬ 
tory in the desert of Zin near Kadesh, Nu. 
20.13,34; 27.14; De.32.51; Ps.95.8. 

Meribbaal, me-rib'ba-al [contender against 
Baal], son of Jonathan; also called Mephi¬ 
bosheth, 1 Ch.8.34. 

Merodach, me-ro'dak, an idol of the Baby¬ 
lonians, probably the planet Mars, Je.50.2. 

Merodach-Baladan, or Berodach-Bala- 
dan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, 
sent to congratulate Hezekiah on his re¬ 
covery, 2 Ki.20.12; Is. 39.1. 

Merom, me'rom [heights], a marshy lake 
through which Jordan flows. It lies near 
Mount Hermon;—near it Jabin and other 
kings met to fight Joshua, Jos. 11. 5. It is 
now called El-Huleh. 

Meronothite, me-ron'o-thite, (1) A native 
of some place called Meroneth, 1 Ch.27.30. 
—(2) A repairer of the walls of Jerusalem, 
Ne.3.7. 

Meroz, me'roz [secret], a city or place near 
the brook Kishon, whose inhabitants re¬ 
fused to assist their brethren in their con¬ 
test with Sisera, Ju.5.23, 

Mesha,me'shah [retreat], (1) The King of the 
Moabites, tributary to the King of Israel, 

2 Ki.3.4;—revolted, 5;—overcome in war, 
and in rage sacrificed his eldest son, 24-27. 
The ‘ Moabite stone,’ discovered in 1868 
amid the ruins of Dhib&n (the ancient 
Dibon), in the heart of the old country of 
Moab, contained an inscription which was 
found to be a record of the exploits of 
Mesha, in singular harmony with the Bibli¬ 
cal records of that period. This stone, of 
black basalt, was erected B.c. 896, in the 


second year of the reign of Ahaziah king 
of Israel, the very year of Elijah’s transla¬ 
tion. During all these ages it had stood un¬ 
changed till the period of its discovery. It 
was afterwards broken into fragments by 
the Bedouins, but impressions of the in¬ 
scription had been previously obtained, so 
that with the aid of what is found on the 
fragments it may be regarded as complete. 
It is the only extant specimen of Moabite 
literature.—(2) A place in the possession 
of the Jokhanites in south-eastern Arabia, 
Ge. 10.30. 

Meshach, me'shak [ram], the sun-god of 
the Chaldeans, the name given to Mishael, 
one of the Hebrew youths who were Daniel’s 
companions. Da. 1.7. 

Meshech, me'shek [drawing out, posses¬ 
sion], the sixth son of Japheth, Ge. 10.2; 
Ps. 120.5. 

Meshelemiah, mesh-el-e-ml'ah [whom Je¬ 
hovah treats as a friend], the father of 
Zechariah, one of the porters of the taber¬ 
nacle of the congregation, 1 Ch.9 21;—call¬ 
ed Shelemiah, 26.14:—Shallum, 9.18. 
Meshullam, me-shulTam [friend, i.e. of 
Godl, one who returned from the Baby¬ 
lonish captivity, Ne. 3.4,30; 10.20. There 
are about twenty different persons of this 
name mentioned in Scripture. 
Mesopotamia, mes-o-po-ta'mi-a [middle of 
rivers], Heb. Aram-nakaraim [Aram of 
the two rivers], a province situated be¬ 
tween the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, 
called by the Hebrews Padan-aram, Ge. 
28.2. This region, Syria or Aram, ‘be¬ 
tween the two rivers,’ is nearly 700 miles 
long, and from 50 to 250 broad. Here 
Abraham, Nahor, Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, 
Rachel, and all the children of Jacob, save 
Benjamin, were bom, Ge.11.31; xxix.xxx.; 
Ne. 9.7; Ac. 7.2;—from it came Balaam to 
curse Israel, De.23.4;—persons from it were 
present at Jerusalem on the day of Pente¬ 
cost, Ac.2.9. It is now under Persian rule. 
Mess, a share of meat at table, Ge.43.34. 
Message, an errand,—an awful one to Eg- 
lon, Ju.3.20;—the revelation of God’s will 
so called, 1 Jn.1.5. 

Messenger, 1 Sa. 11.7; 2 Ch.36.2;—the spies 
so called, Jos.6.17;—minister of the gospel, 

2 Co. 8. 23;—Christ the Messenger of the 
Covenant, Mai. 3.1. 

Messiah [anointed], a Hebrew word of the 
same import with Christ in Greek;—pro¬ 
phecies relating to him, and the glories of 
his reign, Is.2.2; 9.6, &c.; ii.i,&c. ; xii.; 32. 
i,&c.; Je.23.5; 33.15; Eze.34.23; Da.2.44; 
7.27; Am.9.11; Mi.4.1; 5.2,&c.; Zec.3.8; 6. 
12; 9.9; Mai.3.1;—to be cut off, Da.9.26; 
—mourning for him, Zee. 12.10;—expected 
by the Jews at the time of our Saviour, 
Mar.15.43; Lu.2.38; Jn.4.25; 10.24; 11.27. 
See Prophecies, Christ, Jesus'. 

Mete, measure, Ex. 16.18; Ps.60.6: 108.7; 

Mat.7.2; Mar.4.24; Lu.6.38. 

Metheg- Ammah, me'theg-Am'mah [the 
bridle of Ammah, i.e. of the mother city], 
was either Gath, or some other city near 
it;—it was taken from the Philistines by 
David, 2 Sa.8.1. 

Methuselah, me-thu'se-lah [man of arms], 
the son of Enoch, Ge.5.21;—father of La- 
mech, 25;—died at the age of 969 years, 
and was the oldest of whom we read, 27;— 
was contemporary with Adam 243 years, 
and with Noah 600 years;—the flood com¬ 
menced that very year in which he died, 
a.m. 1656. 

Meunim, me-eu'nim [dwelling-places], one 
of the order of Nethinims, Ne.7.52. 
Miamin, mi-a'min [the right hand], a re¬ 
turned captive, Ezr. 10.25; Ne.12.5. 

Micah, ml'kah [who is as Jehovah?], (1) 
One of the minor prophets, who began to 
utter his predictions about 750 years before 
Christ, Mi. 1.1;—he continued prophesying 
about fifty years, from the commencement 
of the reign of Jotham to the close of that 
of Hezekiah, Je. 26.18.—(2' An Ephraimite, 
the son of a rich and superstitious widow, 
Ju.i7-i,&c.;—robbed of his gods by the 
Danites, 28.18. 

Micaiah, ml-kai'ah [who is as Jehovah?], 

(1) A prophet of the Lord in the days of 
Ahab, who hated him for his faithfulness, 
1 Ki. 22.8;—foretells the death of Ahab, and 
the defeat of Israel, 17-28.—(2) The mother 
of Abijah, 2 Ch. 13.2;—the son of Gema- 
riah, who informed the princes of Judah 
that Baruch had read to the people Jere¬ 
miah’s prophecies, Je. 34.11. 

Michael, nu'ka-el [who is like God?), an 
archangel, or the chief of the angelic prin* 











THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


Mi— Mi 


621 


his contention with 
fights against the 


ces, Da. 10.13; 12.1; 
the devil, Jude 9; 
dragon, Re. 12.7. 

Michal, mi'kal l who is as God?], the young¬ 
est daughter of Saul, married to David, 1 
Sa. 18. 20;—saves his life by a stratagem, 

19. 12:—given to Phalti, 25. 44;—brought 
back to David, 2 Sa. 3 13;—despises him 
for dancing before the ark, 6 16,20. 
Michmash, mik'mash [something hidden], 
a city of Benjamin, near to which Jonathan 
and his armour-bearer began a noted de¬ 
feat of the Philistines, 1 Sa. 13.5; 14.1, &c.; 

—it was rebuilt after the captivity, Ne.n. 

31. The insignificant modern village of 
Mukhmas , about 7 miles north of Jerusa 
lem, occupies its site. 

Michmethah, mik'me-thah [hiding-place], 
a town on the north border of Ephraim, 
Jos.166; 17.7. 

Middlemost, in the midst, Eze.42.5. 

Midian, mid'i-an [strife], the fourth son of 
Abraham by Keturah, Ge. 25.2;—he was 
the father of the Midianites, 37. 28;—he 
gave name to the land of Midian (Madian, 
Ac.7.29), into which Moses fled, and where 
Jethro, his father-in-law, resided, Ex. 2.15, 
16; 18.1;—‘curtains of,’ Hab.3.7. 
Midianites, descendants of Midian, settled 
on the borders of Moab and Edom, Ge. 36. 
35; —to a company of, Joseph was sold, 27. 
25;—joined with Moab in inciting Balaam 
to curse Israel, Nu.22.4-7;—to be vexed 
for enticing the Israelites to the worship 
of Baal-peor, 25. 17; — defeated, 31. 1;— 
offering after the victory over them, 48: — 
oppress the Israelites, J11.6.1;—conquered 
by Gideon, 7.16: 8.17,28. 

Midnight, Ex.11.4; 12.29; Mat.25.6. 
Midwives, their laudable behaviour in 
Egypt, Ex. 1.15;—God’^ kindness to them, 
20,21. 

Migdal El, mig'diil-el [the tower of God], 
one of the ‘ fenced cities’ of Naphtali, Jos. 
19.38. 

Migdal Gad, mig'dfcl-gad [tower of Gad], 
a town of Judah in the plain of Philistia, 
about 2 miles east of Ascalon, Jos. 15.37. 
Migdol, mig'dol fa tower], (1, A place on 
the west coast of the Red Sea, near to 
which the Hebrews encamped before thej 
passed through it, Ex. 14.2; Nu.33.7,8.— 

(2 A city in the north-east border of 1 ,ower 
Egypt, where a colony of Jews settled 
after the destruction of Jerusalem, Je.44. 
1: 46.14. 

Mightily, powerfully, De.6.3;Ac.i8.28:19. 
20; Col. 1.29. 

Mighty Men, Heb. Gibborim, David’s body¬ 
guard, composed originally of the 600 men 
who joined him in his exile. They were 
formed into three divisions of 200 each, 
and thirty bands of twenty each. The 
captains of the twenties formed the thirty, 
and of the two hundreds ‘the three;’ and 
the captain of the whole guard was called 
‘the captain of the mighty men, a post 
held by Abishai the son of Zeruiah, 2 Sa. 
23.8-39; 1 Ch. 11. ii- 47 - 
Milcah, mil'kah [a queen], (1' Daughter of 
Haran and Nahor’s wife, (re. it.29; 22.20. 
—(2) One of Zelophehad’s daughters, Nu. 
26.33. 

Milcom, mil'kom. See Molech.^ 

Mildew, a destructive dew, which spots 
and corrodes plants, De. 28. 22; Am. 4. 9; 
Hag. 2.17. 

Mile, the Roman mile = a thousand paces, 
or 1618 yards, thus 142 yards less than our 

mile. Mat. 5.41. . . 

Miletum, mi- 16 'tum, a place where Paul left 
Trophimus sick, 2 Ti. 4. 20;—probably the 
same as Miletus. _ . . 

Miletus, mi-le'tus, a seaport city in Asia 
Minor, and about 40 miles south of Ephe¬ 
sus;— Paul’s arrival at, and address to the 
elders of Ephesus, Ac. 20. 15-17- on ‘ 
ginally stood on the coast; but now, by 
reason of the silting up of the Meander, it 
is 10 miles inland. The ruins of the city 
bear the name of Melas among the 1 inks. 
Milk, the land of Canaan flowed with, or 
was rich in pasture, Jos .$. 6 —figuratively, 
the elementary or most simple parts of in¬ 
struction, x Co.3.2; He. 5.12; that which 
is sincere , is pure and unadulterated truth, 

1 Pe.2.2. . 

Millennium, the thousand years during 
which Christ shall reign gloriously in lus 
church, Re.20.1-8. 

Millet, a coarse grain given to cattle, but 
seldom used by men, except in times of 
great scarcity, Eze.4.9. 

Million, ten hundred thousand, Ge.24.60. 


Millo, mil'lo [fulness], (1) A noted person, 
whose family assisted the Shechemites in 
making Abimelech king, Ju. 9. 6.—(2) A 
place where king Joash was murdered, 

2 Ki.12.20.—(3) The name of a part of the 
citadel of Jerusalem, probably the ram¬ 
part, 2 Sa.5.9; 1 Ch.11.8; 1 Ki.9.15,24; 11. 
27. In the Heb. the definite article is 
always prefixed to it—‘ the Millo.’ 

Mills, Millstones, were anciently small, 
about the size of a common grindstone, 
and easily turned by the hand; and in 
which corn was ground by women and 
slaves, De.24.6; Ju. 16.21; Is. 47.2; Je. 25. 
10; Mat.24.41. 

Mincing, walking with proud and affected 
gait, Is.3.16. 

Mind, a carnal, or fleshly and unrenewed, 
Ro. 8.6, 7; Col. 2. 18;—a spiritual, or re¬ 
newed and heavenly, Ro.8.6;—a double, 
or deceitful and inconstant, Ja.1.8;—a re¬ 
probate, one given up of God, Ro. 1.28. 
Mingled, mixed, Ex.9.24; Mat.27.34; Mar 
15.23; Re.8.7. 

Miniamin, min-ni'a-min [right hand], one 
of the high-priests, Ne.12.17,41. 

Minister, (1) A servant; Christ so called, 
Ro.15.8; He.8.2.—(2 Angels, Ps.104.4.— 
(3) Those who preach the gospel, and dis¬ 
pense the ordinances of baptism and the 
Lord’s supper, 1 Co.3.5.— 4) Magistrates, 
Ro. 13.4,6. 

Ministers, of the gospel of Christ, are 
styled pastors, Ep. 4. 11;— teachers, 1 Co. 
12. 28;— labourers, Mat. 9. 38; 1 Co. 3. 9;— 
workers, 2 Co.6.1;— stewards, 1C0.4. 1,2; 
1 Pe.4.10;— watchmen, Is.52.8;Ep.6.i8;— 
bishops or overseers, 1 Ti. 3. 1; Tit. 1. 7;— 
rulers, 1 Ti. 5. 17;— preachers, 2. 7; 2 Ti.i. 
11 ;—elders or presbyters. Tit. 1.5; 1 Pe. 5. 
1; — servants, 2TL2.24; 2 Pe.1.1;— angels, 
signifying messengers or persons sent, Re. 
2.1,8,12,18; 3.1,7,14. 

the qualifications which they 


ought to possess, 1 Ti.3.1-8; Tit. 1. 6-9;— 
holy and pure, Le.21.6; Is.52.11; i'li.3.9; 
—patient, 2 Co.6 4; 2 Ti.2.24;—humble, Ac. 
20.19;—disinterested, 2C0.12.14; iTh.2.6; 
—affectionate, Phi. 1.7; iTh.2.8,11. 

-, in what light to be considered, 


1 Co. 4.1:2 Co. 5. 20; 6.1to have a regu¬ 
lar call from Christ and his church, Jn.io. 
1; Ac. 1.15-26; 14.23; 26.16; 1 Ti. 4.14; Pit. 
1.5; He.5.4. 

, their duty: diligent in study¬ 


ing, preaching, &c., Ro. 12. 7; 1 Co. 9. 16 
Phi. 1.20: Col.4.4; 1 Ti.4.6,13; 5.17; 2 Pe.i. 
12;—strive to edify, Je.3.15; Jn.21.15-17 
Ac. 20. 28; 2 Co. 12. 19; 1 Pe. 5. 2;—preach 
with boldness, Is. 58.1; Eze.2.6; Mat. 10. 
27,28; Ac.4.19,31; S- 2 9 : Ep.6.19;—without 
reserve, Ac.5.20; 20. 20, 27; Ro. 15.19;—in 
purity, 2 Co.2.17; 4.2; 2 1 i.2.15; I it.1.9; 
much in prayer, Ac.6.4; Ep. 1.15-20; 3.14- 
19;—reprove, if necessary, iTh.2.2: 1 Ti. 
5.20: 2 Ti.4.2; Tit. 1. 13; 2.15;—guard men 
from sin 1 Co.4.2; 1 Th.2.11; 1 li.4.6;He. 
13.17; —set good examples, Mat.23.3: Ro. 
2.21; 2 Co.6.4; 1 Th.2.10; 2 Th.3.7; 1 Ti. 6. 
11; Tit.2. 7 ; 1 Pe. 5.3;—peaceable and pa¬ 
tient, 1 Co. 9. 19; 2 Co.6.3; 1 ri.3.3; 2 Ti.2. 
24; Tit. 1.7;—not worldly-minded, 1 Co. 10 
33; iTi.3.3; 2 Ti.2.4; Tit. 1. 7; 1 Pe. 5. 2;— 
how to behave to those who oppose them, 
Mat. 10.14; Lu.9.5; 10.11; Ac. 18.6; Ga.6.1; 

_, ought to be treated with re¬ 
spect, Mat. 10.40; Lu.10.16; Jn. 13.20; 1 Co. 
16.10,16; Phi.2.29; 1 1 h. 4. 8; 5. 12; 1 1 1. 5 - 
17; He. 13. 7,17;—entitled to a mainten¬ 
ance, Mat.10.10; Lu.10.7; 1 Co.9. 7; Ga.6. 
6; 1 Th.2.6; 2 Th.3.9; 1 Ti.5.18; 2Ti.2.6;- 
to be much prayed for, Ep.6.18,19; Col. 
4- 3 ; 1 Th.5.25; 2TI1.3.1. 

Ministration, (1) The period of continu¬ 
ance in office, L11.1.23.—2 Distribution 
of alms, Ac.6.1: 2 Co. 9 .i 3 .-( 3 ) ‘Ministra¬ 
tion of death;’ ‘of the Spirit,’ 2 Co.3.7,8. 
Minni, minhii [division], supposed to be a 
contraction for Armenia, Je.51.27. 
Minnith, min'nith [allotment], a town of the 
Ammonites, a few miles east of Heshbon, 
|u. 11. 33;— famed for its fine wheat, Eze. 

2 7 - T 7 - , . . ... 

Minstrel, a musician or piper, 2 Ki. 3. 15, 

Mat.9.23. 

Mint, a well-known garden herb, of which 
the Pharisees paid tithes, though not re¬ 
quired by the law, Mat.23.23. The law 
required tithes only of the produce of the 
field, De.14.22. 

Miracles, wonderful effects, above human 
or natural power, performed in attestation 
of divine truth, and therefore the proper 


evidence of a divine mission, Ex.4.2; Jos. 
2.10; 5.1; 1 Ki. 18.24; Jn.5.36; 10.25; Ac. 16. 

25; — the reality of those wrought by 
Christ, and by prophets and apostles, 
proved by their number and variety, — 
their being performed publicly, and not in 
a corner;—before enemies as well as friends; 
—instantaneously, and not by slow de¬ 
grees;— independent of all second causes; 
—were such as all men could examine 
and judge of; and all served an impor¬ 
tant end, worthy of a divine author, viz. 
to establish divine truth. For the illus¬ 
tration of these, see the following articles. 

Miracles, wrought by Moses and Aaron; 
their rod became a serpent, and swallowed 
the rods of the magicians, Ex.7.10,12;— 
turned the waters of the Nile into blood, 
20;—covered the land of Egypt with frogs, 

8. 6:—caused the dust of the land to be¬ 
come lice, 17;—brought grievous swarms 
of flies, 24;—a murrain, or death of cattle, 

9. 3;—boils and blains on man and beast, 
10;—grievous thunder, lightning, and hail, 
23;—locusts over the land, 10.12;—palpa¬ 
ble and awful darkness, 21;—divided the 
Red Sea, 14. 21;—sweetened the bitter 
waters of Marah, 15. 25;—brought water 
for all the congregation out of the rock at 
Rephidim, 17. 6;—obtained victory for Is¬ 
rael over Amalek, by holding up Moses’ 
hand, with the rod of God, 9-13, Sec. 

in feeding the Israelites by 
manna. See Manna. 

-, by Joshua; when Jordan over¬ 
flowed its banks, it parted, and allowed 
the Israelites to pass over dry, Jos. 3. 14- 
17;—the walls of Jericho fell down flat, 
when he taught the Israelites to shout, 6. 
8-21;—at his word the sun and moon stood 
still, 10.12. 

-, wrought by Elijah; caused the 

widow of Zarephath’s barrel of meal not 
to waste, 1 Ki. 17.14-16;—raised to life the 
widow’s son, 21-23:—obtained fire from 
heaven to consume the sacrifice, 18.30-38: 
—obtained rain, after a long drought of 
three years and a half, 41-45: — twice 
brought fire from heaven, which con¬ 
sumed each time a captain and fifty men 
of Ahaziah, 2 Ki. 1.10,12;—divided Jordan, 
2 . 8 . 

-, wrought by Elisha; divided Jor¬ 
dan, 2 Ki.2.14;—healed the waters at Jeri¬ 
cho, 21. 22;—obtained a large supply of 
water, 3. 16—20;—multiplied the widow’s 
oil, 4.3-6;—raised to life the son of the 
Shunammite, 32-35;—prevented the fatal 
effects of poison, 40,41:—fed a hundred 
men with a few loaves, 42—44;—cured Naa- 
man’s leprosy, 5. 10, 14;—inflicted the 
leprosy on Gehazi, for his sin, 27;—caused 
iron to swim, 6.6;- smote the army of the 
king of Syria with blindness, 18; — man 
revived by touching Elisha’s bones, 2 Ki. 
13.21. 

--, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach,and 
Abed-nego, were cast into a burning fiery 
furnace, but unhurt, Da. 3.19-26;—Daniel 
cast into a den of lions, was preserved, 6. 
10-24. 

-, Jonah fled from God’s com¬ 


mand; was cast into the sea, and was pre¬ 
served three days and three nights; and 
was restored, and obliged to perform his 
commission, Jonah 1.1-10; 2.1-4. 

-, performed by Christ ;—turned 


water into wine, J11.2.7;—healed a noble 
man’s son at Capernaum, 4. 50;—passed 
unseen through the multitude, I.u. 4. 30; 

_gives a miraculous draught of fishes, 

3 4;—cured a demoniac, Mar. 1.25. Lu. 4 - 
33;—healed Peter’s wife’s mother, Mat.8. 
15: Mar. 1.29; Lu.4.38—cured multitudes, 
Mat. 4. 24; Mar. 1. 34;—cleansed a leper. 
Mat. 8. 3; Mar.1.40; Lu. 5.12:—healed the 
paralytic letdown in a bed, Mat.9.6; Mar. 
2.3; Lu.5.18;—the impotent man at Beth- 
esda, Jn.5.5-9;—the withered hand, on the 
Sabbath, Mat. 12.10; Mar. 3 1; Lu.6.6;— 
cured a great number, Mar.3.To; Lu.6.17; 
—the centurion’s servant, Mat.8.5; L11.7.1; 
-raised to life the widow’s son at Nain, 
Lu.7.7-15;—healed a demoniac, Mat.9.32; 
Lu.11.14;—stilled the tempest, Mat.8.24; 
Mar. 4. 37: Lu. 8.23;—cast out a legion of 
devils, Mat. 8. 28: Mar. 5. 2; Lu. 8. 26:— 
healed a woman of a bloody issue, Mat.9. 
20; Mar.5.25; Lu.8.43;— raised the daugh¬ 
ter of Jairus, Mat.9.18; Mar.5.22: Lu.8.41: 
gave sight to two blind men, Mat.9.27: 
cured a dumb demoniac, 32; I at. 11 ■ 14: 
gave power to the apostles to heal, Mat. 
,0.1; Mar.3-15; 6.7; Lu.9.1;—healed many. 


Mat. 14. 14; Lu.9.11;—fed five thousand 
with five loaves and two fishes, Mat. 14.17; 
Mar.6.35; Lu.9.12; Jn.6.5;—walked on the 
sea, Mat. 14. 26; Mar. 6. 48;—healed the 
daughter of the Syro-Phenician woman. 
Mat. 15.22; Mar.7.24;—one who was deaf 
and dumb, Mar. 7. 32;—healed multitudes. 
Mat 15.30;—fed four thousand with seven 
loaves and a few fishes, 34; Mar. 8. 5; — 
cured a bhnd man, Mar.8.22;—a deaf and 
dumb demoniac, Mat. 17. 14; Mar.9.14; L11. 

9. 37;—causes a fish to bring the tribute 
money, Mat.17.27;—gives sight to a man 
born blind, J11.9. 6,7:—healed a woman 
who had been diseased eighteen years, 

Lu. 13.11;—cured the dropsy on the Sab¬ 
bath, 14.2;—cleansed ten lepers, 17.12;— 
raised Lazarus from the grave, Jn. 11.44; 

—cured blind Bartimeus, Mat.20.34; Mar. 
10.52; Lu. 18.42;—withered the barren fig- 
tree, Mat.21.19: Mar. 11.13:—restored the 
ear of Malchus, Lu.22.51;—caused a mira¬ 
culous draught of fishes after his resurrec¬ 
tion, Jn.21.6. 

Miracles, wrought by the Apostles in the 
name of Christ;—Peter healed a lame man, 
Ac.3.6;—many signs and wonders wrought 
by the apostles, 5. 2:—the Holy Ghost 
communicated by Peter and John, 8.14-17; 

—Eneas made whole, 9. 34:— -Dorcas re¬ 
stored to life, 40; — Paul heals a cripple 
at Lystra, 14.8-10;—casteth out a spirit of 
divination from a damsel, 16.16;—the Holy 
Ghost given by the imposition of hands, 
19.6;—restored Eutychus to life, 20.10-12; 

—healed the father of Publius, and many 
others, 28.8,9. 

-, pretensions to them in proof of 

idolatry not to be regarded, De.13.1;— 
delusive ones foretold, Mat.24.24; 2 1 h 2. 

9 Re.13.13; 16.14; 19.20. 

Miriam, mir'i-am [bitterness], the same 
name as Mary in the N. I., the sister of 
Moses and Aaron, leads the song after the 
passage through the Red Sea, Ex. 15.20; 
her punishment for complaining of Moses, 
Nu. 12.14;—her death at Kadesh-barnea 
in the first month of the fortieth year after 
the exodus, 20.1. 

Mirth, unseasonable, reproved, Pr. 14. 13; 
25.20; Ec.2.2; 7.2;—sometimes allowable, 
3.4. See Joy. 

Miscarrying, abortive, H0.9.14. 

Mischief, hurt or injury, falls upon the 
contrivers of it, Ps. 7. 14: 9-15• 5 2 - *• 57-6; 
64.8; Pr.4.r6; 26.27: F.c.10.8: Is.33.1. 

_ t or violence, complained of and 

censured, Ps. 140.1, See .; Pr. 10.23; 14. 17; 
21.10. 

Miserable, unhappy, Job 16.2: 1 Co. 15.19; 
Re.3.17. 

Mishael, mi-sha'el [entreaty], 1 One of 
the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Moses, Ex. 
6.22.—(2) One of Daniel’s companions. Da. 

I. 6;—(3) One that stood by Ezra, Ne.8.4. 
Misrephoth - Maim, mis' re - foth - ma' im 

[burnings of water], a place on the sea- 
coast, a few miles north of Sidon; to this 
place Joshua pursued the Canaanites who 
had arrayed themselves against him, Jos. 

II. 8 . 

Mist, a moist and dusky vapour, Ge.2.6; 
blindness, Ac. 13.11;—inextricable gloom, 

2 Pe.2.17. 

Mite Gr. lepton), a small copper coin equal 
in value to about » s th of a penny. Mar 12. 
42; Lu.12.59: 21.2. 

Mithredath, mith're-dath, 1 An officer of 
Cyrus, Ezr.1.8. In Ezr. 7.21, and Da. 3. 
23, this word is rendered ‘treasurer. — A 
One who opposed the rebuilding of the 
walls of Jerusalem, Ezr.4.7. 

Mitre, a kind of turban or crown for the 
high-priest, Ex.28.36; 39- 3 °- 
Mitylene, mit-i-lS’ne, the chief city <>f the 
island of Lesbos, in the zEgean Sea;— 
through it Paul passed in his way from 
Corinth to Judea, Ac.20.14. 1 he modern 

town is called Ahtylen. 

Mixed, joined. Ex.12.38; Ne.13.3; Ho.7.1, 
He.42. 

Mixtures, in seed and cattle to be avoided, 
De.2r.9, Sec. 

Mizpeh, miz'peh [a watch-tower], 1 A 
city of the tribe of Judah, situated in 
the plain of Philistia, Jos. 15- 3 ®- 3 A 

city of Benjamin, Jos. 18. 26: here Saul 
was elected king, 1 Sa. 10.17-21;—Gedahah 
was assassinated, a Ki. 25. 23,25; Jc 40 6- 
, 5 . _ (3) On Mount Gilead, named by 
1 "aban, Ge. 31.23,25,48, 52: here Jcphlhah 
resided, Ju. 11. n 4 Mizpeh of Moab, 
where the king lived to whom David com¬ 
mitted the care of his parents, 1 Sa.aa.3.— 





















THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


622 (Mi—Na) 

(5) The land of Mizpeh, Jos. 11.3.— 6' I he | 
valley of Mizpeh, Jos. 11.3,8. lhis is pro¬ 
bably the country of Coele-Syria. 

Mizraim, miz-ra'im [distress, straitness], 

1 The son of Ham, Ge.10.6,13.—(2 The 
name by which Egypt is generally desig¬ 
nated in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is a 
word in the dual number signifying the 
two Misr, i.e. the Upper and the Lower 
Misr, the name by which Egypt is still 
spoken of by the Arabs. In Is.n.ii the 
name denotes Lower Egypt as distin¬ 
guished from Pathros or Upper Egypt. 
Mxiason, nfi'son, an aged disciple of Christ, 
a native of Cyprus, Ac.21.16. 

Moab, mo'ab [of the father], (1) The son of 
Lot by his eldest daughter, and the father 
of the Moabites, Ge. 19.37.—(2 An ancient 
kingdom, eastward of the Dead Sea, and 
south-east of Judea, the inhabitants of 
which are called Moabites. See Moabites. 
Moabites, mo'ab-ites, not to be received 
into the congregation of Israel, De.23.3;— 
conquered by David, 2 Sa.8.2;—rebel after 
the death of Ahab, 2 Ki.i.t;—defeated, 3. 
24;—the king sacrifices his son, 27;—their 
desolation foretold, Is. 15.1, &c.; 16.1; Je. 
48.1; Eze. 25.8; Am. 2.1; Zep. 2.8;—to be re¬ 
stored, Je.48.47. 

Mob, at Thessalonica, raised against Paul 
by the Jews, Ac.17.5;—at Ephesus, 19.25- 
41;—metaphorically represented, Ps.65.7. 
Mocking, at others censured, Job 13.9; Ps. 
35.16; Pr. 17. 5; 30. 17;—of Ishmael at the 
birth of Isaac, Ge.21.9;—of young men 
at Elisha, 2 Ki. 2. 23;—of Sanballat and 
Tobiah, Ne. 2. 19; 4. 1-3;—of Herod and 
his men of war at Christ, Lu.23.11;—of the 
Roman soldiers, 36;—of the Jews at the 
apostles, Ac. 2. 13;—of the Athenians at 
Paul’s preaching, 17.32. 

Moderation, calmness of mind, temper¬ 
ance, equanimity, enjoined, 1 Co. 7.29,31; 
Phi 4.5. 

Modesty, humble and chaste deportment, 
enjoined, Ep.5.3,4; 1 Ti.2.9. 

Moisture, sap, wetness, Ps.32.4; Lu.8.6. 
Moladah. mol'a-dah [birth, lineage], a city 
in the extreme south of Judah, afterwards 
given to Simeon, Jos. 15.26; 19.2; 1 Ch.4.28. 
Mole, Is. 2. 20, a well-known animal that 
burrows in the earth. The word so ren¬ 
dered in Le. 11. 30 means properly the 
chameleon;—that rendered ‘weasel’ in 29 
is properly the mole. 

Molech, mo'lek [king], the national god of 
the Ammonites. It was made hollow and 
a fire was kindled within it, and when the 
arms were red-hot the victims were cast 
into them and immediately consumed. 
Children not to be sacrificed to him, Le. 
18.21; 20.2;—some of them were, 2Ki.i6. 
3; 21.3,6; Je. 32. 35; Eze. 20. 31;—called 
Milcom, 1 Ki.11.5:—Moloch, Ac.7.43. 
Mollified, softened, Is. 1.6. 

Molten, melted, Ex 32.4; 1 Ki.7.16; Job 28. 
2; Mi. 1.4. 

Moment, the shortest space of time, Ps.30. 
5; Lu.4.5; 1 Co. 15.52. 

Money, traded with anciently by weight , 
not coined;—Abraham weighed 400 shekels 
of silver as the price of his burying-place, 
Ge. 23. 15, 16;—Joseph was sold for 20 
shekels of silver, 37. 28;—coined, used in 
the time of Christ, Mat.22.19,20. 

■-, usefulness of, Ec. 7. 1.2; 10. 19;— 

danger from the love of it, 1 Ti.6.10. 
Money-changers, persons who, at a certain 
rate of profit, gave smaller pieces of money 
for greater, or greater for smaller, to accom¬ 
modate those who came to the temple;— 
twice driven by Christ out of the courts of 
the temple, Mat.21.12; Jn.2.14,15. 
Monsters, things unnatural, La.4.3. 

Month, the time of a moon’s revolution. 
See Year. 

Monuments, tombs, or idol-temples, by 
sleeping in which idolaters expected dreams 
or visions from their gods, Is.65.4. 

Moon, a secondary planet, always attendant 
on our earth. Her diameter is 2175 miles, 
and 240,000 miles distant from us. She 
has no light, except w hat she reflects from 
the sun. Her appointment and use, Ge. 1. 
14; Ps.104.19;—stood still, J0s.10.12;—an 
object of idolatrous worship, De.17.3; Job 
31.26; Je.44. 17;—called ‘the lesser light,’ 
Ge. 1.16;—the church compared to, Ca. 6. 
10. 

Moral Duties, exhortation to them, R0.12. 
1, &c.; Ep.4.1; 5.1, &c.; Phi. 4. 8; Col. 3.1; 

1 Th.4.1; 5. 4: Tit. 3.8; He.13.1, &c.; j P e . 
1.15; 2 Pe. 1.5;—comprised in a small com¬ 
pass, Mi.6.8; Mat.7.12; 22.37; Ga.5.14. 


Morasthite, mo-ras'thite, an inhabitant of 
Morasheth, Je.26.18:- Micah the prophet 
said to be one, Mi.1.1. 

Mordecai, moffde-ky [a votary of Mero- 
dach], the son of Jair, of the family of 
Saul, and one of the chiefs of the tribe of 
Benjamin; was carried to Babylon along 
with Jehoiachin, king of Judah; — the 
guardian of Esther, Es. 2.5;—discovers a 
treason, 21;—rewarded for it, 6. 6;—his 
mourning on account of a decree against 
the Jews, 4.1;—advanced, 8.1,15; 10.3;— 
returned to Jerusalem, Ezr.2.2; Ne.7.7. 

Moreh, mo'reh [high oak], (1) An oak, or 
grove of oaks near Shechem, the first halt¬ 
ing-place of Abram after his entrance into 
Canaan, Ge. 12.6;—again mentioned on the 
entrance of the Israelites into Canaan, De. 
11.30. -(2) A hill in the plain of Jezreel, 
Ju.7.1,12. 

Moriah, mo-rl'ah [the appearance of Jeho¬ 
vah], a mountain within the walls of the 
east part of Jerusalem; — here Abra¬ 
ham intentionally offered Isaac, Ge. 22.2; 
—here Solomon built the temple, 2 Ch.3.1. 
The great mosque is now on its summit. 

Morning, eyelids of, or first appearance of 
light, Job 41.18 ;—wings of, rapid spread 
of the sunbeams, Ps. 139.9. 

Morsel, a small piece of bread, Ge. rS-5; Ps. 
147.17; Pr.17.1; He.12.16. 

Mortal, liable to death, as the body of man 
is, Job 4.17; Ro.6.12; 8.11; 1 Co.15.53. 

Mortar, cement to connect stones in build¬ 
ing, Ge.11.3; Le.14.42;—also a vessel for 
braying in with a pestle, Nu.11.8; Pr.27.22. 

Mortgaged Land, consigned to a creditor to 
be his, if not redeemed within a limited 
time, Ne.5.3. 

Mortification, or putting to death the body 
of sin; how to be exercised, Ec.7.2; Mar.8. 
34; 1 Co.9.25; Ga.6.14; Col.3.5. 

Mosera, mo-ser'ah [learning, discipline, a 
bond], the place where Aaron died and was 
buried, De. 10.6;—also called Moseroth, as 
one of the places where Israel encamped, 
Nu.33.30. 

Moses, mo'zez [drawn out of the water], the 
brother of Aaron, and the illustrious J ewfish 
lawgiver see Aaron ;—born, Ex.2.2;—the 
son of Amram, 1 Ch.6.3;—saved by Pha- 
raoh’sdaughter,Ex.2.5;—kills an Egyptian, 
12;—goes to Midian, 15; — marries Zip- 
porah, 21;—his sons, 22;—God appears to 
him in the bush, 3.2;—in Midian, 4.19;— 
returns to Egypt, 20;—circumcises his son, 
25;—meets Aaron, 27;—his age at the time, 
7.7;—his rod becomes a serpent before 
Pharaoh, 10; — his song after passing 
through the Red Sea, 15.1, &c.;—goes up 
to Mount Sinai, 24.1;—builds an altar, 4; 
—continues forty days without food, 18;— 
desires to see the glory of God, 33.18;— 
shown it, 34.5;—passes a second time forty 
days without food, 28;—his face shines, 
29;—complains of his charge, Nu.n.io;— 
smites the rock at Meribah, 20.7;—his ad¬ 
dress to the Israelites before his death, and 
recapitulation of their history, De. 1.1, 8 zc .; 
— his warning concerning their future dis¬ 
obedience, 31.29;—his song on the same sub¬ 
ject, xxxii. ;—blesses the tribes, xxxiii;—not 
permitted to go over Jordan, 3.26;—views 
the land of Canaan from Mount Nebo, 34. 
1;—dies, 5;—his age, 7;—and character, 
10;—his prayer, Ps.xc.;—his law's to be re¬ 
membered, Mai. 4. 4;—the Israelites said 
to be baptized to him, 1 C0.10.1;—his faith 
celebrated, He.ix.23-28. 

Mote, a speck, or minute particle of dust. 
Mat.7.3,4,5; Lu.6.41,42. 

Moth, a very small and frail insect, Ps.39. 

11; Mat. 6.19;—emblem of men’s weakness, 
Job 4.19;—devastations of, Ps.50.9. 

Mother. This name among the Hebrew's 
denotes also a grandmother, x Ki. 15.10;— 
a distant female ancestor, Ge. 3. 20. See 
Parents. 

Mountains. Palestine is very mountain¬ 
ous. The expression ‘mountains of Is¬ 
rael,’ Eze. 36. 1, denotes the entire coun¬ 
try. The most celebrated were Carmel, 
near the Mediterranean, Jos. 19.26;—Ebal, 
in Samaria, 8.30;—En-gedi, near the Dead 
Sea, 15.62;—Gaash, in Ephraim, 24. 30;— 
Gilboa, south of the valley of Jezreel, 2 
Sa. 1. 2x;—Gilead, beyond Jordan, Ge.31. 
21 ;—Gerizim, in Samaria, ju. 9. 7 ;—Her- 
mon, beyond Jordan, Jos. 11. 3;—Hor, in 
Idumea* Nu.20.25;—Horeb, near to Sinai, 
De. 1.2;—Lebanon,or Libanus,which sepa¬ 
rates Canaan on the north from Syria, 3. 
25; Moriah, on which the temple was 
built, 2 Ch.3.1;—Nebo, pan of the moun¬ 


tains of Abarim, Nu.32.3;—Olives, on the 
east of Jerusalem, Mat. 21. 1;—Paran, in 
Arabia, Ge. 14.6; De.i.i;—Pisgah, in the 
country of Moab, Nu.21.20;—Seir, in Idu¬ 
mea, Ge. 14.6;—Sinai, in Arabia, Ex. 19. 2; 
De.33.2;—Sion, or Zion, in Jerusalem, 2 
Sa.5.7; 2 Ki.19.2x;—Tabor, in Lower Gali¬ 
lee, to the north of the great plain, Ju.4.6; 
-— figuratively , a difficulty is a ‘great 
mountain,’ Zee.4.7, or comp. Ps.30.7; 36.6; 
46.3:97.5; 125.2; Is.54.10; Je.3.23;—Mes¬ 
siah’s kingdom compared to a mountain, 
Is.2.2; 11.9; Da.2.35. 

Mourning, grief, for the dead not to be at¬ 
tended wdth disfiguring the body, De. 14.1; 

. —accompanied with plaintive music. Mat. 
9. 23;—preferable to laughter, Ec. 7. 2;— 
threatened to the Israelites, Am.8.10; Mi. 
1.16; Zec.12.11;—over mystical Babylon, 
Re. 18.19. 

-— for Sin the evidence of re¬ 
pentance, Ps.38.6; 51.2; Mat. 5.4; 1 Co. 5.2; 

Ja.4-9- 

-for Jacob, Ge. 50.3;—for Aaron, 

Nu. 20.29;—for Moses, De.34.8;—of David 
for his child, 2 Sa. 12. 16;—of the king of 
Israel for the famine in Samaria, 2 Ki.6.30; 
—of David for Saul and Jonathan, 2 Sa.i. 
11;—for Abner, 3.31;—for Absalom, 18.33, 
&c.;—for his friend, Ps.35.13;—of the Is¬ 
raelites after the destruction of Jerusalem, 
La. 2. xo;—of Darius on the condemnation 
of Daniel, Da. 6.18. 

Movable, capable of being moved, Pr.5.6. 

Mower, a cutter of hay or corn, Ps. 129. 7; 
Am.7.1. 

Mowings (King’s). The best or earliest of 
the pasture was assigned to the king for 
his war-horses, Am. 7.1. 

Mufflers, vails or masks with which women 
cover their face, all except the eyes. Is. 
3 - 19 - 

Mulberry trees, trees w hich, as the name 
imports, produce berries full of cooling and 
pleasant juice, 283.5.23,24. They abound 
in Syria;—their leaves are the appropriate 
food of the silk-worm;—called ‘sycamine- 
tree,’ Lu.17.6. 

Mules, the mongrel produce of the horse 
and ass, very sure-footed, and hardy for 
travelling;—David and his sons rode on 
them, 2 Sa. 13.29;—Solomon rode on one at 
his coronation, 1 Ki. 1. 33, 38;-—Ahab had 
vast numbers of them, 1 Ki.18.5;—breeding 
of, forbidden, Le. 19.19. 

Multiply, to increase in number, Ge. 1.22; 
Ex. 1.10; 2 C0.9.10. 

Multitude, a great number, not to be fol¬ 
lowed to do evil, Ex. 23.2; Mat.7.13. 

Munition, a fort or fortification, Is. 29.7; 33. 
16; Na.2.1. 

Murder, killing any person wilfully and 
unlawfully; forbidden, Ex.20.13; De.5.17; 
—punishable with death, Ge.9.6;—laws re¬ 
lating to it, Nu. 35.30; Le.24.17. 

-, uncertain, how expiated, De.21.1. 

-———— of Abel by Cain, Ge. 4. 8;- -of the 
sons of Gideon, Ju. 9. 5,24;—of Abner by 
Joab, 2 Sa.3.27;—of Amasa by Joab, 20.8; 
—of Baasha by Zimri, 1 Ki.16.9:—of Na¬ 
both by Ahab, 21.8;—Zechariah by Joash, 
2 Ch.24.21;— of Zechariah king of Israel by 
Shallum, 2 Ki. 15.10;—of Amon by his ser¬ 
vants, 21.23. 

Murmuring, or unreasonable complaining, 
censured, 1 Co.io.xo; Phi.2.14; Jude 16. 

-of the Israelites at Moses in 

Egypt, Ex.5.20; 14.11;—at Marah, 15.23; 
—at Sin for want of bread, 16.2;—for water, 
17.2;—at Taberah, Nu.n.i;—at the report 
of the spies, 14.1;—after the death of Ko- 
rah,&c., 16.41;—loathing manna,&c.,21.5. 

Murrain [death], a plague among cattle, 
Ex.9.3. 

Muse, to think closely, or to consider, Ps. 
M 3 - 5 ; 

Mushi, mu'shi [the One withdrawn], a son 
of Merari, 1 Ch.6.19; 23.23; 24.26. 

Musical Instruments, invented by Jubal, 
son of Larnech, Ge.4.21;—used at the con¬ 
veyance of the ark, 1 Ch.15.28;—regulated 
for the national worship by David, 16.42; 
2 Ch.29.25;—to be used in praising God, 
Ps. 33. 2; 81.2; 92.3; 108. 2; 150. 3;—their 
effect on Saul, 1 Sa. x6. 14, 23;—many of 
them mentioned as used in Babylon, at the 
worship of the golden image, Da. 3.5,10, 

Musicians, men skilled in harmony, Re. 

18.22. 

Mustard, a well-known plant, which grew 
in Canaan to the height of a tree, Mat. 13. 
31. 

Muster, to array, or to put an army into 


rank and order, 2 Ki.25.19; Is. 13.4; Je.52r. 

25 - 

Mutter, to grumble, Is.8.19; 59.3. 

Mutual, relating to both parties, Ro. 1.12. 

Muzzle, to put anything in or on the mouth 
of a beast, to restrain it from eating, De. 
25.4; x Co.9.9; 1 Ti.5.18. 

Myra, my'rah, a city of Lycia, near the 
Mediterranean Sea, and 40 miles east of 
Patara;—here Paul embarked for Rome, 
Ac.27.5;—now called Deinbra. 

Myrrh, a gum or resin taken from the Cyst us 
creticus, a thorny tree 8 or 9 feet high, 
which abounds in Arabia. It was an in¬ 
gredient in the holy ointment, Ex. 30.23;— 
used in embalming the dead, Jn. 19.39;—as- 
a perfume, Es. 2. 12; Ps. 45. 8; Pr. 7. 17;— 
wine mingled with, Mar.15.23, comp. Mat. 
2 7 - 34 - 

Myrtle, a beautiful and fragrant tree, ever 
green, and w'hich produces rosy flowers, 
Ne.8.15; Is.41.19; 55.13; Zee.1.8,10,11. 

Mysia, mis'i-a, the north-west province of 
Asia Minor, on the Egean Sea ;—Paul 
passed through and embarked at Troas on 
his first voyage to Europe, Ac. 14.7,8. 

Mystery, that which was hid, or known 
obscurely or darkly before, but is now 
clearly revealed; as the gospel or new 
economy, Ep. 3.3,4,9; 6.19; Col. 1.26; 2.2; 
—the doctrines of the gospel, Mar. 4.11; 
Ro. 16. 25;—some spiritual truth, couched 
or hidden under external representation or 
similitude, Re. 1. 20; 17. 7;—truths, which, 
after they are revealed, have something in. 
them dark and unfathomable, 1 Ti.3.16;— 
‘mystery of iniquity,’ 2 Th.2.7. 


N. 


Naamah, na'a-mah [pleasant], (1) Daugh¬ 
ter of Lamech, and sister of Tubal-Cain, 
Ge.4.22.—(2) An Ammonitess, the wife of 
Solomon, and mother of Rehoboam, 1 Ki. 
14.21.—(3) A town in the plain of Judah, 
Jos.15.41. 

Naaman, nu'a-man [pleasantness], a dis¬ 
tinguished general in the army of the King 
of Syria, 2 Ki. 5. 1;—directed by a little 
maid to apply to Elisha for the cure of his 
leprosy, 2,3;—slights the means prescribed 
by the prophet, x 1;— prompted by his ser¬ 
vants, he uses it, and is cured, 14;—his 
grateful acknowledgments to the prophet, 
15;—resolves to serve only the God of Is¬ 
rael, 17,18. 

Naamathite, na'a-ma-thite, one of Job’s 
three friends, Zophar, who lived at Naa- 
mah, Job 2.11; xi.i; 20.1. 

Naashon, na-ash'en, Aaron’s brother-in- 
law-, Ex.6.23; Nu.7.17;—also called Nah- 
shon, Ru.4.20; or Naasson, Lu.3.32. 

Nabal, na'bal [a fool], a rich man of Maon, 
in the tribe of Judah;—his ungrateful be¬ 
haviour to David, x Sa. 25. 2;—his death, 
3 8 - 

Naboth, na'both [fruits], an Israelite of the 
city of Jezreel; had a vineyard near the 
palace of Ahab, which he coveted, 1 Ki. 
21. 1, 2;—refuses to part wfith it, 3;—mur¬ 
dered by the contrivance of Jezebel, 21.1, 
&c. 

Nachon, na'chon [prepared], the threshing- 
floor by w v hich Uzzahdied, 2 Sa.6.6;—called 
also Chidon, iCh.13.9; and after the death 
of Uzzah w-as called Perez-Uzzah. 

Nadab, nu/dab [gift], (1) (and Abihu, sons of 
Aaron), slain for offering strange fire, Le. 
xo. 1, &c.—(2) King 0/ Israel, succeeds 
his father Jeroboam, 1 Ki. 14.20;—dies, 15. 
27. 

Nahallal, na-hal'al [pasture], a city of the 
tribe of Zebulun, Jos. 19.15;—given to the 
Levites, 21.35. 

Nahash, na'hash [serpent], (1) A king of 
the Ammonites, threatens the inhabitants- 
of Jabesh-gilead, 1 Sa. 11. 1;—defeated by- 
Saul, 11.— ,2) Another name for Jesse, or, 
as some suppose, the w'ife of Jesse, ami 
mother of David, 2 Sa. 17.25; comp. 1 Ch. 
2.13,15,16. 

Nahor, nfi/hor [snorting], son of Terah, 
and brother of Abraham, Ge. 11.26;—mar¬ 
ried Milcah, 29;—his descendants, 22.20. 

Nahum, nii'hum [comforter], one of the 
minor prophets, who uttered his predic¬ 
tions against Nineveh in the reign ol He- 
zekiah (b.c. 713), which were fulfilled in 
the destruction of that city about a cen¬ 
tury after Nahum. He is called the ‘ El« 


















THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


(Na—Ni) t )Zo 


koshite,’ but his persoual history is quite | 
unknown, Na.i.i. 

Nails, large spikes or pegs, were commonly 
fixed in the walls of the houses, in ancient 
times, for hanging clothes, &c., on, Ezr.9. 

8; Is.22.23,25. 

Nain, na'in [beauty], a town in Galilee, 
about 2 miles south of Mount Tabor, me¬ 
morable as the place where Christ restored 
to life the son of a widow, Lu. 7. 11-15;— 
the place exists under the name of Nein. 
Naioth, ny'oth [habitations], a part of the 
town of Ramah, or a place near it, where 
Samuel and David dwelt, 1 Sa. 19. 18, 19, 

22. 

Naked, altogether unclothed, Ge.2.25;—the 
duty and reward of clothing them who are, 
Mat. 25. 34-36;—guilt and punishment of 
slighting them, 41-43;—without a cloak or 
mantle, and with nothing more than a shirt, 
Is.20.3; Mi. 1.8; Jn. 21.7 ( see Clothes); — 
figuratively , those who are destitute of an 
interest in the righteousness of Christ, and 
of personal holiness, Re. 3.17,18. 

Name, reputation or character; the value 
ofagood one, Pr.15.30; 22.1; Ec.7.1;—how 
to be obtained, Ps. 112.6; Pr. 10.7. 

-OF God, to be reverenced, Ex. 20. 7; 

Le. 19.12; Ps. 111.9; Mat.6.9. 

- of Jesus, to be reverenced, Phi.2. 

10;—prayer to be made in it, Jn.14.13; 16. 
23; Ro. 1. 8; Ep.5.20; Col.3.17; He. 13.15; 

1 Pe.2.5. 

Names or Titles given to Jesus illustrat¬ 
ing his character and office. See Christ. 

-given for particular reasons: in the 

case of Noah, Ge. 5. 29:—of Abraham, 17. 

5;—of Sarah, 15;—of Isaac, 19; 21.6;—of 
the sons of Jacob, 29.33, &c.;—of John 
the Baptist, Lu.1.7,13;—of Jesus, Mat. x. 
21. 

Naomi, na-6'rm [beautiful, agreeable], the 
wife of Elimelech, and the mother-in-law 
of Ruth, Ru. 1.2-5;—returns from the land 
of Moab to Bethlehem, 6-22;—sends Ruth 
to glean, 2. 2;—instructs her how to act 
towards Boaz, 3.x, &c. 

Naphtali, naf'tha-li [my wrestling], the 
sixth son of Jacob, Ge. 30.8; 35.25;—his 
sons, 46.24;—prophetic blessing given him 
by his father, 49. 21;—to his descendants 
by Moses, De. 33. 23;—inheritance of his 
tribe, Jos.19.32:—his descendants, 1 Ch.7. 
13. After the captivity Naphtali became 
the most densely populated district in Pa¬ 
lestine, and was the principal scene of our 
Lord’s public labours. In the N.T. it is 
called Nephthalim , Mat.4.13; 2.1-12. 
Napkin, a cloth to wipe the hand, &c., Lu. 
19.20; Jn. 11.44; 20.7. 

Narcissus, nar-cis'sus, a person of note at 
Rome, the Christians in whose family are 
kindly saluted by Paul, Ro.16.11. 

Narrow, or of small breadth, the way to 
heaven is, Mat. 7.14. 

Nathan, na'than [given], a prophet of the 
Lord; commends David for his intention 
to build a temple, 2 Sa.7.3—reproves him 
for his adultery with Bathsheba, 12.1;— 
prevents Adonijah from being made king, 
x Ki. 1. 11-27;—sent by David to anoint 
Solomon, 32, &c.;—wrote the history of 
David, 1 Ch.29.29. 

Nathanael, na-th&n'a-el [the gift of Cod], 
one of the twelve disciples of Christ, much 
commended by him, and supposed to be 
the same with Bartholomew; attends Je¬ 
sus, Jn. 1. 45-50;—saw Christ after his re¬ 
surrection, 21.2. 

Nations, all shall worship the Lord, Ps.86. 
9;—the gospel to be preached to all, Mat. 
24.14; Mar. 13.10; Lu.24.47;— that oppress 
the Jews to be destroyed, Je.25.12;—re¬ 
presented as angry before the great day 
of wrath, Re.n. 18;—dispersion of, Ge.x. 
Native Country, country in which a per¬ 
son is born, Je. 22.10. . . 

Nativity, the birth of a person, or the origin 
of a nation, Eze. 16. 3,4;—place of birth, 
Ge.11.28; Ru.2.11; Je.46.16. 

Natural, produced by nature, Ro.1.26,27, 
1C0.2.14; X 5 - 44 - , .. , . , 

Nature, the ordinary course of things which 
God has fixed, Ro. 1. 26, 27;—the light of 
reason, 2.14;—common sense, or the gene¬ 
ral consent of nations, 1 Co. 11. 14:-sub¬ 
stance or essential parts. He. 2. 16;—birth 
or natural descent, Ga.2.15; Ep- 2 - 3 - 
Naughty, useless, corrupt, or bad, Pr.6.12; 

Navel, the*middle of the body, Job 40.16; 
Pr.3.8; Eze. 16.4. 

Navy, a fleet of ships, 1 Ki.9.26,27; 10.11, 

22. 


Nazarene, naz-a-reen', an inhabitant of 
Nazareth so called, Mat. 2. 23;—a name 
given by way of contempt to the followers 
of Christ, because he was of Nazareth, 
Ac.24.5. 

Nazareth, naz'a-reth [separated,sanctified], 
a small obscure city of mixed race, in the 
tribe of Zebulun, in Lower Galilee, about 
70 miles north of Jerusalem, 6 west of 
Mount Tabor, and 24 south-east of Acco 
or Acre. It is not mentioned in the O. T. 

It was noted for the wickedness of its in¬ 
habitants, Mar.1.9; Lu.4-29;Jn.i.46;—here 
Christ dwelt from his childhood till he 
commenced his public ministry, Lu. 2. 51; 

4. 16;—here he preached, and an attempt 
was made to put him to death, 16-30.- 
After this he made Capernaum his chief 
place of residence, ‘his own city,’ Lu.4.16 
-31; Mat.4.13-16. It still exists under the 
name of en-Nasirah, having about 400 
inhabitants. 

Nazarites, naz'a-rites, persons devoted to 
the service of God, or bound by a vow, 
either for a specified time or for life;— 
rules concerning them, Nu. 6. 2, &c.;— 
‘charges’ for the sacrifices at the com¬ 
pletion of the vow, Ac. 21.24. 

Neapolis, ne-ap'po-lis [new city], a seaport 
city on the east of Macedonia, a few miles 
south of Philippi, which Paul visited, Ac. 
16. ir. The site is occupied by the Turk¬ 
ish village of Kavalla, with about 6000 
inhabitants, nine-tenths of whom are Ma- 
hommedans, the rest Greeks. 

Neariah, ne-a-rl'ah [servant of Jehovah], 
one of the posterity of David, 1 Ch. 3.22,23. 
Nebaioth, ne-by'oth [heights], the chief 
and oldest of the Ishmaelite tribes, de¬ 
scended from the eldest son of Ishmael, 
Ge.25.13; 1 Ch.1.29. 

Nebat, ne'bat [beholder], of the tribe of 
Ephraim, and r ace of Joshua, was the 
father of Jeroboam, the first king of the 
ten tribes who revolted from the house of 
David, 1 Ki. 11.26. 

Nebo, ne'bo [the head], (1) A city of the 
Reubenites, east of Jordan, in the vicinity 
of Heshbon,Nu.32.3,38; 33.47;—its fall pre¬ 
dicted as a city of Moab, Je.48.1, 22.—{2) 

A city in the land of Judah, about 12 miles 
west of Jerusalem, Ezr.2.29; 10.43; Ne.7. 
33. —(3) A mountain beyond Jordan, where 
Moses died, forming part of the range of 
Abarim, De. 32. 49; 31. 1.— (4) An idol of 
the Chaldeans, supposed to be the planet 
Mercury, Is.46.1. 

Nebuchadnezzar, neb-u-kad-nez'zar [trea¬ 
sure of Nebo], generally called Nebuchad¬ 
rezzar in Jeremiah, also in Eze.30.18;—the 
great king of Babylon, the son and suc¬ 
cessor of Nabopolassar; —carries Jehoia- 
kim captive, 2 Ch. 36.6;—and Jehoiachin, 
io;—foretold to conquer the neighbouring 
nations, Je. 27.1;—uses divination in march¬ 
ing to Jerusalem, Eze.21.19;—takes Jeru¬ 
salem, and burns it and the temple, 2 Ch. 
36.19;—his dream of the great image, Da. 

2.1, &c.;—requires all men to worship his 
golden image, 3.1, &c.;—his dream of the 
great tree, 4.5;—interpreted by Daniel, 19; 
—his praise of the true God, 2.47; 3.28; 4. 
37;—his arrogance, 4.30;—his insanity, 33; 
—restoration, 35;—dies after a reign of 
forty-three years, probably about 561 b.c. 

Nebuzar-Adan, neb-u-zar'a-dan [chief of 
the executioners], general of the armies of 
Nebuchadnezzar; besieged Jerusalem, 2 
Ki.25.8;—destroyed that city, and took the 
people captive, 9-20; Je. 39.1-14;—liberated 
the prophet Jeremiah, 40.1-6. 

Necessary, things that are most so, Job 23. 
12; Pr. 4.7; Ec.12.13; Mat.6.33; Lu.10.42; 
12.31; Jn.6.27. 

-- ,for temporal life, Ge.28.20; Pr. 

30.8; 1 Ti.6.8. 

Necessity, excuses legal injunctions, Mat. 

12.1, &c.; Mar.2.23; Lu.13.15. 

Necho, ne'ko, king of Egypt (b.c. 610), 2 
Ch. 35.20;—defeated by Nebuchadnezzar, 
2 Ki.24.7; Je.46.2. 

Necromancy, pretending to foretell future 
events by questioning the dead, De.18.11. 
See Divination. 

Nedabiah, ned-a-bl'ah [whom Jehovah im¬ 
pels], one of David’s posterity, 1 Ch.3.18. 
Needful, necessary, Lu. 10. 42; Ac. 15. 5; 
Phi.1.24; Ja. 2.16. 

Needle, an instrument for sewing, Mat 19. 

24- . , 

Neesing, sneezing, expresses the manner 
in which the leviathan breathes and throws 
forth water, Job 41.18;—a symptom of re¬ 
turning life, 2 Ki.4.35. 


Neginoth, neg'i-noth [stringed instrument!, | 
title of Ps.iv. 

Neglect, no attention, Mat. 18.17; 1 Ti.4.14; 
He.2.3. 

Negligent, careless, 2 Ch.29.11:2 Pe. 1.12. 
Nehemiah, ne-he-ml'ah [whom Jehovah j 
comforts], the inspired author of the book 
which bears his name;—laments the state 
of Jerusalem, Ne.1.1, &c.;—his prayer, 5; 

—thirteen years after the return of Ezra to 
the land of Israel is sent (about 444 b.c. 
by Ahasuerus to Jerusalem, 2.x;—arrives 
there, 9:—urges the Jews to build, 17;— 
rebukes the usurers, 5.6;—finishes the wall, 

6. 15. The Book of, is a continuation of 
that of Ezra;—it brings to a close the his¬ 
tory of the Old Testament. After the time 
of Nehemiah Judea became subject to the 
governor of Syria. 

Nehiloth, ne-he'loth [perforated], an instru¬ 
ment of music, title of Ps.v. 

Nehushtan, ne-hush'tan [a piece of brass], 
the name given by Hezekiah to the brazen 
serpent made by Moses, 2 Ki.18.4. 

Neigh, to cry as a horse, Je.5.8; 8.16; 13. 

27 - 

Neighbour, to be loved as one’s self, Le.19. 

18; Mat.22.39; Mar.12.33; Ja.2.8. 

Nemuel, nem-eu'el [day of God], son of 
Simeon, 1 Ch.4.24;—also called Jemuel, 
Ge.46.10; Ex.6.15. 

Nephews, the sons of a brother or sister, 
used to signify grandchildren, Ju. 12.14; 
Job 18.19; Is.14.22; in 1 Ti.5.4 means de¬ 
scendants. The word is derived from 
nepos, and in old English means grandson. 
Nephishesim, ne-fish'e-sim [expansions], 
one in the order of the Nethinims, Ne.7. 
52. 

Nephtoah, nef-to'ah [open, or an opening], 
a well in the tribe of Benjamin, Jos. 18.15. 
Nereus, nS're-us, one noticed by Paul, Ro. 
16.15. 

Nergal, nSrigal [man-devourer], an idol of 
the Cuthites, a tribe of the Chaldeans or 
Persians, 2 Ki. 17.30, 

Nero, ne'ro, one of the most wicked and 
infamous of the Roman emperors, from 
whose household some were converted to 
the Lord, Phi. 4.22. 

Nest, for birds, high habitation, Nu.24.2x1 
De.22.6; Job 29.18; Hab.2.9. 

Net, an instrument for catching fishes, birds, 
wild beasts, &c.. Job 18.8; 19.6; Ps.9.15; 
T0.9; Mat.4.18; 13.47. 

Nethaniah, neth-a-nl'ah [given of Jeho¬ 
vah], (1) One of the royal race of Judah, 
Is. 40.8,14; 41.6,11.—(2) One of the four 
sons of Asaph, 1 Ch. 25.2.—(3) A Levite, 
17.8.—(4! The father of Jehudi, Je. 36.14. 
Nether, the lower, Ex.19.17; De.24.6; Jos. 

15.19; Eze.31.14,16,18. 

Nethermost, the lowest, 1 Ki.6.6. 
Nethinims [dedicated persons], the heredi¬ 
tary temple servants—at first a portion of 
the conquered Gibeonites given as sacred 
servants to the priests, 1 Ki.9.20-22;—not 
called by this name till after the captivity, 
Ne.3.26; 7.46,60,73; 10.28;—Ezra brought 
220 of them with him out of captivity, Ezr. 
8.17-20;—their service, 1 Ch.9.2; Ezr.2.43, 
58. 

Netophah, ne-toffah [dropping], a village 
and district of the same name, lying be¬ 
tween Bethlehem and Anathoth, 1 Ch. 9. 
16; Ezr.2.22; Ne.7.26; Je.40.8. 

Nettles, common stinging herbs, Job 30.7; 
—the presence of, betokens neglect, hence 
the allusions in Pr.24.31; Is.34.13; Ho.9.6. 
Nevertheless, notwithstanding that, Mat. 

14.9; Ro.5.14; Ep.5.33. 

New Creature, every one who is in Christ 
is, 2 Co.5.17; Ga.6.15; Ep.2.10. This neu<- 
uess described as a spiritual resurrection, 
Ro. 6. 4-6; Ep. 2. 1, 5; Col. 2.12; 3.1. See 
Regeneration. 

New Heart and Spirit, promised, Eze.n. 
19: 36.26,27. 

New Heavens and Earth, promised, Is.65. 

17; 66.22; Re.21.1; 2 Pe.3.13. 

New Jerusalem, the glorious state of the 
church during the millennium. Re. 3. 12; 

21.2. 

New Moons, offerings on them, Nu.28.11. 
Nibhaz, nib'haz [barker], the idol-god of 
the Avites, who was worshipped in the 
likeness of a dog, 2 Ki. 17.31. 

Nicanor, ni-ka'nor fa conqueror], one of the 
seven first deacons of the church at Jeru¬ 
salem, honourably mentioned, Ac.6.3-6. 
Nicodemus, nik-o-de'nius, a Pharisee and 
ruler among the Jews; his conversation 
with Jesus, Jn.3.1: pleads in his favour, 
7.50;—comes to embalm him, 19.39. 


Nicolaitans, nik-o-la'i-tans, an early sect 
of heretics, a class of Gnostics noted for 
their wickedness, Re. 2.6,15. 

Nicolas, nik'o-las [conquering the people], 
a proselyte of Antioch and one of the 
deacons of the church in Jerusalem, Ac. 
6.5. 

Nicopolis, ni-kop'o-lis [a city of victory], 
the name of several ancient cities. That 
to which Paul refers was probably in 
Epirus. It was founded by Augustus to 
commemorate the battle of Actium, Tit. 
3.12. 

Night, used for a season of adversity. Is. 

21.12;—a time of ignorance, Ro.13.12;— 
death, Jn.9.4. 

Night-hawk, probably the night-owl, an 
unclean bird according to the law, De.14. 

15; Le.11.16. 

Night-watches, the periods into which the 
night was divided, for changing the watch¬ 
men or sentinels, Ps.63.6; 119.148. There 
were four night-watches: (1) From junset 
to the third hour of the night, Mar. 11.11; 
Jn. 20. 19. (2) From the third hour of 

night to midnight. (3) Cock-crowing, to 
the third hour after midnight (4) To the 
twelfth hour of the night, called also morn¬ 
ing, Jn. 18.28. 

Nile, a celebrated river of Egypt, which 
flows from south to north. The great pro¬ 
blem of its source has not yet been con¬ 
clusively settled. The great lake Nyanza 
in Africa near the equator is supposed to 
be its main source. It begins to swell at 
the middle of June, attains its greatest 
height in September, and subsides to its 
usual level about the end of October, and, 
on the northern part of Egypt, it spreads 
about 20 miles on each side. When the 
waters subside the inhabitants sow their 
seed, which settles into the mud, and 
without further trouble produces a rich 
crop. It is called Sihor Ithe black river], 
Jos.13.3; Je.2.x8;—and the River of Egypt, 
Heb. Na/iar Mitzraim, Ge.15.18. 

Nimrah, nim'rah [limpid, pure], a place 
2 miles east of the Jordan, on the road 
from Jericho to es-Salt; also called Beth- 
Nimrah and Nimrim, Nu.32.3,36. 

Nimrim, nim'rim [limpid, pure], 1 the waters 
of,’ same as Nimrah, Is. 15. 6; Je. 48. 34, 
comp. Nu.32.3,36. 

Nimrod, nim'rod [rebel], the son of Cush, 
and founder of the Babylonian empire;— 
his exploits, Ge.10.8-10. 

Nineveh, nin'e-veh [habitation of Ninusl, 
the ancient capital of Assyria, usually calW 
ed Ninus by the Greeks and Romans, after 
the name of its founder, who, according to 
Assyrian mythology, was the son of Nim¬ 
rod. The marginal reading of Ge. 10.11 is 
to be preferred. It is said to have been 60 
miles in circumference, and in the time of 
Jonah, its population, reckoning children 
the fifth part, must have been 600,000. It 
outstripped even Babylon itself in its dimen¬ 
sions. Diodorus Siculus affirms that its 
walls were 60 miles in compass, 100 feet in 
height, and so thick that three chariots 
abreast could be driven along their top; 
and they were defended by 1500 towers, 
each 200 feet high. In the year 601 before 
Christ, it was completely destroyed by fire; 
and soon after the time of Christ not a trace 
of it could be found. Jonah preaches there, 
Jonah 3.3; —spared on repentance, io.xi;— 
threatened with destruction, Na. i. ii. iii. 
The last notice of it in Scripture is in Zep. 
2.13-15, about 630 B.C. It was for a long 
time well nigh forgotten Shapeless mounds 
opposite Mosul were all that tradition could 
point to as remaining of it. By recent ex¬ 
cavations on the site, commenced in 1842 
by M. Botta, French consul at Mosul, and 
in 1845 by Layard and others, many re¬ 
markable sculptured monuments have been 
discovered, which, from their structure and 
inscriptions, illustrate certain notable fea¬ 
tures of that ancient city, and confirm 
notices of it in the histories of ancient 
authors. 

Nisan, nl'san [month of flowers or new 
day], the first month of the Jewish ecclesi¬ 
astical year, Ne.2.1. It began about the 
time of the vernal equinox, as the civil year 
like that of the Egyptians began about the 
time of the autumnal equinox. See AniB. 
Nisroch, nis'rok [great eagle], an idol ot 
the Assyrians, 2 Ki.19.37; Is. 37.38. 

Nitre, Pr.25.20; Je.2.22, not saltpetre, but 
natron or soda, a natural mineral alkali, 
an incrustation found at the bottom ol 
various lakes in Egypt after the summer 























(YJ4 (No—Om) 

heat has evaporated the water. It is used 
for washing. 

No [pi ace, portion], a once populous city of 
Egypt, generally thought to be Thebes or 
Diospolis, Je. 46. 25; Eze. 30.14,15,16. In 
Na.3.8 it is called ‘populous No,’ in the 
Heb. No-A moH, i.e. No of Amon, meaning 
the place, or possessions, or chief seat of the 
Egyptian god Amon. It originally stood 
on both sides of the river Nile, about 
500 miles from its mouth. In the time of 
its splendour it extended on both sides as 
far as the mountains; it had 100 gates; and 
on an emergency could send into the field 
by each of these gates 20,000 fighting men 
and 200 chariots. About 81 B.C., after a 
siege of three years, it was finally destroyed 
by Ptolemy X. Extensive ruins still mark 
its site. * It is impossible to wander among 
these scenes and behold these hoary yet 
magnificent ruins without emotions of aston¬ 
ishment and deep solemnity. Everything 
around testifies of vastness and of utter 
desolation.—All is gloomy, awful, grand. 
—The walls of all the temples are covered 
with hieroglyphics. Many of these afford 
happy illustrations of Egyptian history.’— 
Robinson, 

Noah, no'ah [rest], the tenth in descent from 
Adam through Seth. He was the son of 
the second Lantech the son of Methuselah, 
and was born forty-six years after the death 
of Adam, and fourteen after that of Seth. 
He was contemporary with Enos for six¬ 
teen years, and with Terah the father of 
Abraham 128 years. Born, Ge.5.28;—his 
character, 6.9;—forewarned to build the 
ark, 13,14, &c.;—saved from the deluge, 
8. 1 ;—offered sacrifice to God, 20;—his 
intoxication, 9. 21;—died 350 years after 
the flood, aged 950 years, 20; — his de¬ 
scendants, 10. r;—mentioned together with 
Job and Samuel as singularly righteous, 
Eze. 14.14;—his faith celebrated, He. 11.7; 
—called a preacher of righteousness, 2 Pe. 
2.5. 

Nob [a high place], a small town built on a 
conical rocky tell about 2 miles north of 
J erusalem;— David fled to, 1 Sa. 21.1;—here 
Doeg, by Saul’s orders, murdered eighty- 
five priests with their families, 22.18,19;— 
here the Benjamites resided after the cap¬ 
tivity, Ne. 11.32. 

Nobles, persons of high birth and station, 
Ex.24.11; Ju.5.13;—not many such effect¬ 
ually called, 1 Co. 1.26. 

Noil [banishment], a land so called from 
Cain’s having fled to it, Ge.4.16. 

Noisome, offensive, disgusting, noxious, Ps. 

91.3; Eze.14.21; Re.16.2. 

Noph, noff, a city of Egypt, the ancient 
Memphis, capital of the country in the time 
of the patriarchs, Is. 19. 13; Je. 2. 16. See 
Memphis. 

North, used relatively to the situation of 
any country' in regard to Judea, Je.6.1;— 
denotes Media and Assyria, 4.12. 

N strils, cavities of the nose, Ge.2.7; 7.22; 
Job 4.9; 27.3; Is.2.22. 

Notable,' very remarkable, distinguished, 
Da. 8.5,8; Mat.27.16; Ac.2.20; 4.16. 
Nourish, to feed or maintain, Ge. 47.12; 2 
Sa. i2. 3;—to instruct and build up in faith 
and comfort, 1 Ti.4.6. 

Novice, one newly converted, and who is 
unexperienced and unskilful, iTi.3.6. 
Numbering of the people by David, 1 Ch. 
21.1; 2 Sa.24.1. In this business Joab was 
occupied nine months and twenty days, 
2 Sa. 24.3,9. 

Numbers (The Book of), contains an ac¬ 
count of the two numberings of the people 
—at the commencement of their journey- 
ings, when there were in all 625,850 includ¬ 
ing the Levites, and at the close, when they 
were about to enter Canaan (xxvi.), when 
there were in all 625,030, being a decrease 
of only about 1000 though half a million had 
perished in the wilderness;—the great les¬ 
son of this book, He. 3. 19; 4.1. The in¬ 
spired character of this important section 
of the Pentateuch has been called into 
question, and after beating round the 
whole compass of conjectures, bibiical criti¬ 
cism arrives at length at the old truth, that 
this book also comes from the hand of 
M oses. 

Nurse, a woman who suckles a child, Ex. 
2 - 7 - jfiguratively , good kings and queens, 
ls.49.23;—faithful ministers of the gospel, 

1 Th.2.7. 

Nurture, education, instruction, Ep.6.4. 
Nuts, various fruits of them, Ge.43.11; Ca. 

6 .11. 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


Nymphas. nim'fas [bridegroom], a Chris¬ 
tian in Laodicea, noted for the piety of his 
household, Col.4.15. 


O. 


Oak. The word frequently so rendered 
alah denotes the terebinth or tuj-pentine- 
tree, which abounds in Syria and Palestine. 
From its size and foliage as well as its age, 
it formed an important landmark, Jos. 24. 
26; Ju. 6.11; 2 Sa. 18. 9; 1 Ch. 10.12. The 
word plains denotes groves of oaks in Ge. 
12.6; 13.18; 14.13; 18.1; Ju.9.6; where, as 
also in Ge.35.8; Jos.19.32; Zec.11.2, the 
common oak is meant, and is the render¬ 
ing of a different Hebrew word ( allon );— 
of Bashan celebrated, used in ship-build¬ 
ing, Eze. 27.6;—emblem of greatness and 
distinction. Is.2.13; Zec.11.2. 

Oars, instruments to row boats with, Is. 33. 
21; Eze.27.6,29. 

Oaths, or solemn vows by appeal to God, 
to be strictly' performed, Nu.30.2; Ps.15.4; 
Mat. 5.33;—false ones condemned, Le.6.3; 
19. 12; Je. 7. 9; Eze. 17. 15; Zee. 5. 4; 8.17; 
Mai. 3.5. 

-, light ones, not to betaken, Ex. 20. 

7; Le.19.12; Zec.5.3; Mat. 5. 34; 23.16; Ja. 
5-12. 

-, taken by lifting up the hand to God, 

Ge. 14. 22;—putting the hand under the 
thigh, 24. 2; 47. 29;—by the name of God, 
De.6.13. 

-, examples of God: to Abraham, Ge. 

22. 16; He. 6.13;—against Amalek, Ex. 17. 
16;—against Moses, De.4.21;—against the 
house of Eli, x Sa. 3. 14;—to David, 2 Sa. 
3.9; Ps. 89. 35; tio. 4;—against the Israel¬ 
ites, Nu. 14. 28-35; De. 1. 34; Ps. 95.11;— 
against the Assyrians, Is. 14. 24;—for the 
restoration of Israel, 54. 9; 62. 8;—against 
the Jews going to Egypt, Je.44.26. 

-, imposed on Abraham’s servant, Ge. 

24.3;—on Joseph by Jacob, 47. 31; 50.5;— 
on the Israelites by Joseph, 50.25. 

-, required in case of a pledge, Ex.22. 

11;—of a wife suspected of adultery, Nu. 
5. 21;—of the spies of Rahab, Jos. 2. 12;— 
mentioned in the pray'er of Solomon, 1 Ki. 
8. 31;—in favour of Joash by the high- 
priest, 2 Ki. 11. 4;—of the priests and Le¬ 
vites by Ezra, Ezr. 10. 5;—by Nehemiah, 
Ne.5.12;—of the people, 10. 29;—of Jesus 
by' the high-priest, Mat.26.63. 

-, taken voluntarily: by Isaac and 

Abimelech, Ge.21.31:—by' Jacob to Laban, 
31. 53;—by Moses, Jos. 14. 9;—by David 
and Jonathan, 1 Sa.20.42;—by' Saul to the 
witch of Endor, 28.10;—by David, Ps.132. 
2;—(or rather appeals) by Paul, Ro. 1. 9; 
2 Co.i.18,23; 11-31; Ga.1.20; 1 Th.2.5,10. 

-, rash ones: by Esau to Jacob, Ge. 

2 5-33;—by the Israelites to the Gibeonites, 
Jos.9.19;—by Jephthah, Ju.11.30;—(or ad¬ 
juration) by' the high-priest to Jesus, Mat. 
26.63;—by r the Israelites in Mizpeh, J11.21'. 
1;—by Saul, 1 Sa. 14.24,39,44;—by Herod 
to the daughter of Herodias, Mat. 14.7,9. 
ObadiaJh, ob-a-dl'ah [servant of the Lord], 
twelve persons of this name are men¬ 
tioned. The most noted are: (1) The 
prophet who wrote that book which bears 
his name.—(2) The governor of Ahab’s 
house, who concealed and fed 100 pro¬ 
phets whom Jezebel sought to destroy, 

1 Ki. 18.3,4;—meets Elijah, 7.—(3) A vali¬ 
ant man who came to join David’s army 
in the wilderness, 1 Ch. 12.9.—(4) Another 
whom Jehoshaphat sent into the cities of 
Judah to instruct the people, 2 Ch.17.7.— 
(5) One of the principal men in the days 
of Nehemiah, Ne. 10.5. 

Obed, o'bed [a servant], (1) The son of 
Boaz and Ruth, was the father of Jesse, 
and grandfather of David, Ru. 4. 17.—(2) 
One of David’s valiant men, 1 Ch. 11.47. 
Obed-edom, o / bed-e / dom [a servant of 
Edom], a Levite of the time of David, re¬ 
ceives the ark, and his prosperity in con¬ 
sequence of it, 2 Sa.6.10; 1 Ch.13.14. 
Obedience to the revealed will of God, is 
expressly commanded, De.13.4; 27.10; 30. 
2,8; Je.7.23; 26.13; Mat.7.21;—it ought to 
be universal, 2'Co. 7. 1; Ja. 2. 10,11;— sin- 
cere, Ps.51.6:1 I i. 1.5;— chee7ful, 1 Co.9.17; 

2 Co.9.7;—the fruit of love, 2 Co.5.14; 1 Jn.’ 
5 - 3 '—diligent, He.6.11,12; 2Pe.1.5;— uni- 
form, Ps.106.3; 119-44.117; Ac. 2.42;— un¬ 
de oiating, De. 5. 32, 33; 28. 14;— persever- 


| ing, Ro.2.7; Ga.6.9;— from respect 

authority of God, and with an eye to his 
glory, 1 Co. 10.31;—to be performed in de¬ 
pendence on the assistance of the Holy 
Spirit, Ps.71.16; 1 Pe.1.2;—and with reli¬ 
ance on the blood of Christ for its accept¬ 
ance with God, Ep.1.6. Exemplified by 
Noah, Ge. 6. 22;—Abraham, 12.1-4; 22. 3, 
I2; _Caleb and Joshua, Nu. 32. 12;—Asa, 
1 Ki. 15.11;—Joseph, Mat. 1.24;—wise men, 
2.12;—Paul, Ac.26.19. 

Obedience, advantages of: it adorns and 
commends the gospel, Mat. 5. 16;—is an 
evidence of a gracious state, 7.21 ;Ja. 1.22- 
25;—rejoices the hearts of God’s people, 
Ac. 11.23:3 Jn.3;—silences gainsayers, Tit. 
2.8; 1 Pe. 2. 15;—is accompanied with pre¬ 
sent peace, Ps.25.12,13; 119.165;—is glori¬ 
fying to God, Jn.15.8; Phi. 1.11;—is en¬ 
couraged by many promises, Ex. 19.5; 23. 
22; Le.26.3-12; De. 26.16-19; 30.16; 32.46, 
47; Is. 1.19, Je.7.23; Job36.11; Pr.8.32;Lu. 
11.28;—leads to eternal glory, Ro. 2. 7; 6. 
22; Re.22.14. 

-, better than sacrifice, 1 Sa. 15. 

22; Ps. 50. 8; 51.16; Pr. 15. 8; Is. 1. 11/ &c.; 
Je.7.21; Ho. 6. 6; Am.5.22; Mi.6.6; Mat. 9. 
13:12.7. 

--, of Christ as Mediator, was 

cheerful and voluntary, Ps.40.6-8; He. 10. 
5-7;—absolutely perfect, 1 Pe.2.22; He. 7. 
26;—in the room and stead of his people, 
Ro.5.19; Phi.2.8; He.5.8,9;—well-pleasing 
and acceptable to God, Mat. 12.18; Jn.8. 
29; 2 Pe.1.17. 

Obeisance, honour and reverence to a su¬ 
perior, Ge.37.7,9; 43-28; Ex.18.7; 2 Sa.1.2; 
14.4. 

Oblation, an offering or sacrifice, Le. 2. 4; 
3.1; 7.14, &c. See Offering and Sacri¬ 
fice. 

Obscure, dark, or little known, Pr. 20. 20; 

Is.29.18; 58.10; 59.9. 

Obscurity, darkness, calamity', Is. 29. 18; 
58.10; 59.9. 

Observation, a mark or notice, Lu.17.20. 
Observe, to mark with attention, Ge.37.11; 
De. 11. 32;—to put in practice. Ex. 12. 17; 
31.16; Mat.28.20. 

Obstinacy, or stubbornness, reproved, De. 
21.18; 30.17; 1 Sa. 15. 23; Ps. 58. 4; Pr.29 1; 
Is.30.9:42.18:43.8; Je.5.21; Eze.12.2; Mat. 
13.15; Ac.3.23; 7.51. 

Occasion, a season or ground, Ge.43.18; 

Ro.7.8; Ga.5.13; 1 Ti.5 14. 

Occupation, trade or employment, Ge. 46. 

33; Ac. 18.3; 19.25. 

Occupy, to employ or use. Ex. 38.24; Eze. 
27.9; Lu.19.13. 

Occurrent, taking place, 1 Ki.5.4. 

Odd, not even, Nu.3.48. 

Odious, hateful, 1 Ch.19.6; Pr.30.23. 

Odour, fragrant or sweet smell, Le. 26. 31; 
J11.12.3. 

Offences, or grounds of causing others to 
stumble and offend, to be avoided, Mat. 5. 
29; 18. 7, &c.;—not to be given to Chris¬ 
tian brethren, 1 Co. 8.9; 9.19, &c.; 10. 32; 
—how to behave when they arise, Ps.25.9; 
Mat.18.15;—‘offence of the cross,’ that is, 
the gospel, which is a stumbling-block to 
carnal men, Ga.5.11. 

Offerings, Oblations, and Sacrifices, in 
the Jewish worship, were of three kinds:— 
those which were bloody, and which con¬ 
sisted of slain animals, Le.1.2,14; 3.2,7;— 
those which consisted of fruits and meats, 
2.11; 23.10:—the heave-oKzxmg, Ex. 29.27; 
— wave, 24;—and those which consisted of 
drink or wine. Ex.29.40; Nu.15.4,7. 
-, by fire were, the burnt- offer¬ 
ing, Le. 1. 3, &c.;—the meat- offering, 2.1, 
peace-offering, 3.1, &c.;—the sin- 
offering, 4.2, &c.;—the trespass- offerings, 
5. 15, &c.;—and the consecration -offering 
for the priests, 8.22, &c. 

■-, besides those which were pre¬ 

scribed and obligatory, there were free¬ 
will offerings sometimes made, Le. 22. 21; 
Nu. 15.3; De. 16.10; 23. 23; Ezr. 1.4; 3.5; 7. 
16. 

, those called thank-offerings 
were of the same kind with the peace- 
offerings, and were intended to return 
thanks to God for favours obtained, 2 Ch. 
29-31; 33-16; Am.5.22. 

-, to be according to ability, iCh. 

29.13, &c.; Ezr.2.69; Mar. 12.43; 2 Co.8.12; 

1 I i. 6. 17;—for the tabernacle, Ex. 35. 4, 
&c.;—for its dedication, Nu.7.1;—of David 
for the temple, 1 Ch. 29. 2, &c.;—of the 
primitive Christians, Ac. 4.34. 

--- of Sacrifices to be without 

blemish, Le.22.21. 


of the Wicked an abomina¬ 
tion, Pr. 15. 8; 21. 27; 28. 9; Is. 1. 18; 61.8; 
66.3. • 

Officers, or servants intrusted with autho¬ 
rity over others; as those of Pharaoh, Ge. 
40.2;—of David, 1 Ch. 26.29127.25;—of So¬ 
lomon, 1 Ki.4.7; 2Ch.8.10. 

Offscoizring, the refuse or basest of all 
things, La.3.45; 1 Co.4.13. 

Offspring, children or posterity, Jobs- 25; 

21.8; 27.14; Is.44.3; 48.19; Re.22.16. 

Oft, and Often, frequent observance of the 
Lord’s supper, 1 Co. 11.25,26. 

Og [giant], king of Bashan, of gigantic sta¬ 
ture, conquered, Nu.21.33; De. 3.1. 

Ohel, o'hel [tent], one of the posterity of 
David, 1 Ch.3.20. 

Oil, for burning in the sanctuary, Ex. 27. 
20; Le.24.1;—the sacred, for consecrating, 
Ex. 30.23; 37.29;—of the widow not failing, 

1 Ki.17.14;—multiplied, 2KL4.4;—used as- 
a medicine, Lu. 10.34;—applied to the sick, 
Ja. 5. 14;— oil-tree, probably the olive, Is. 
41.19. 

Ointment, oil perfumed, used to anoint the 
head, &c., Ps. 133.2; Ec. 9. 8; Mat. 26. 7;— 
used as a medicine, Ec.ip. 1; Is. 1.6. 

Old age, to be respected, Le. 19. 32; 1 Ti.5. 
1;—what renders it valuable and vener¬ 
able, Pr. 16.31:20.29;—the infirmities of 
it, Ec. 12.1, &c.;—the duty required of it. 
Tit. 2.2. 

-, of the antediluvians, Ge.5.1, &c.; 

—of Abraham, 25.7;—of Isaac, 35.29;—of 
Jacob, 47. 28;—of Joseph, 50. 26;—of Mo¬ 
ses, De. 34.7;—of Caleb, Jos. 14.10. 

Olives (Mount of). Zee. 14.4; usually Oli¬ 
vet, called also Mount of Corruption, 

2 Ki.23.13. A hill on the east side of Jeru¬ 
salem, from which it was separated by the 
Kidron valley, Eze. 11.23; Zech.14.4. It 
derived its name from the olive-trees which 
abounded on its sides, Ne. 8.5, some of which 
still remain. David went up it when he fled 
from Absalom, 2 Sa. 15. 30. It was a fa¬ 
vourite resort of Jesus. By' way of, he 
entered Jerusalem, Mat. 21.1; Mar.11.1;— 
at night he abode in, Lu. 21. 37; J11.8.1;— 
retired to, after the passover, Lu. 21. 39; 
Mat.26.30;—ascended to heaven from, Ac. 

1.12. The ridge extends about a mile from 
north to south, and is about 220 feet above 
the site of the temple. It has three sum¬ 
mits with distinct names. 

Olive-tree, an evergreen which produces 
an oblong fruit, from which an oil is ex¬ 
pressed, De. 24. 20; 28. 40;—its leaves and 
branches an emblem of peace, Ge. 8. ri;— 
proverbial for its fatness, Ju.9.8,9;—a sym¬ 
bol of fresh and living piety, Ps.52.8;—the 
church, Ro. 11. 17, 24;—two in the vision 
of Zechariah, Zee.4.3. 

Olympas, o-lim'pas, a saint at Rome saluted 
by Paul, Ro.16.15. 

Olympic Games, were celebrated by the 
ancient Greeks in honour of Jupiter Olym- 
pius, every fifth year, for five successive 
days, in the plains of Elis, near the city of 
Olympia and Mount Olympus, in the 
Morea of Greece. They were attended 
by immense multitudes of all ranks, and 
consisted in feats of valour and agility. 
The victor in any of them had awarded 
him; by' the judges, a chaplet of wild olive. 
Similar to them were the Isthmian Games, 
celebrated in the isthmus of Corinth; arid 
those instituted by Herod in some parts of 
Judea. Though none of these is directly 
mentioned in Scripture, yet there are seve¬ 
ral obvious and beautiful allusions to them, 

1 Co. 9. 24-27; Phi.3.12-14; 1 Ti.6.12; 2 Ti. 
2.5; 4.7,8; He. 12.1-3. 

Omega, the last letter of the Greek alpha¬ 
bet. See Alpha. 

Omer [a heap or sheaf], occurs only in Ex. 
16.16-36, a dry measure equal to the tenth 
of an ephah, whence called ‘a tenth deal,’ 
Le. 14.10; 23.13; Nu.15.4, &c. 

Omitted, neglected, left undone, Mat.23.23. 
Omnipotence of God, his power to do all 
things, Ge. 17.1; 18.14; Job 23.13; 42.2; Ps. 
135.6; Je.32.17; Da.4.35; Mat. 19.26; Lu.i. 
37; Re.19.6. 

Omnipresence of God, his being present 
everywhere, 1 Ki. 8. 27; Ps. 139.7, &c.; Pr. 

15.3; Je. 23.23. 

Omniscience of God, his seeing and know¬ 
ing all things, Job 25 . 6 ; 28.24; 34.21; Ps. 
33.13; 94.9; 139.1, &c.; Je. 32.19; Mat. 10. 
29; Ac.15.18. See God. 

Omri, om'ri [a sheaf], king of Israel, suc¬ 
ceeds Zimri, 1 Ki.16.21;—builds Samaria, 
which became the capital of the kingdom 
of the ten tribes. 24;—dies, 28. 


to the ] Offerings 



















On [light, the sun], rendered in the Septua- 
gint version Heliopolis [city of the sun], 
one of the oldest cities in the world. In 
Je.43.13 it is called Beth-Shemesh, in Eze. 
30.17 Aven. It was situated in the land 
of Goshen in Egypt, about 20 miles from 
Memphis. 

Onan, o'nan [strong], second son of Judah, 
his sin and punishment, Ge.38.4-10. 
Onesimus, o-nes'Y-mus [profitable], a slave 
of Philemon, who had fled from him, and 
come to Rome, where he was converted; 
—was sent back, recommended to his 
master, by Paul, Phile. 10;—sent by Paul 
to Colosse, Col. 4.9. 

Onesiphorus, o-ne-sif'o-rus [bringing pro¬ 
fit], one of the primitive Christians, not 
ashamed of Paul’s chains, 2 Ti.i. 16;—his 
household saluted, 4.19. 

Onions, much used in Egypt, Nu.11.5. 
Ono, o'no [strong], (1) A city of Benjamin, 
about 5 miles north of Lydda, 1 Ch.8.12. 
—(2) A plain near it of same name, Ne.6.2, 
called ‘ the valley of Chareshim,’ i Ch.4.14, 
and ‘the valley of the craftsmen,’ Ne.n. 
34 - 

Onycha, o-nyTcah, an odoriferous spice ; ~-ri 
ingredient in the sacred ointment. Ex 
34 - 

Onyx, a kind of chalcedony, half-trans¬ 
parent (like the human nail, hence its 
name) with variously-coloured belts and 
veins, and therefore called ‘the banded 
agate,’ Ex.28.20; Job 28.16; Eze.28.13. 
Open, to unlock, Ac. 16.26;—to explain, Lu. 
24.32;—to receive an answer to our prayers. 
Mat. 7.7;—to receive Christ into the heart. 
Re. 3.20. 

Operation, work, Ps.28.5; Is.5.12; 1 C0.12. 
6; Col.2.12. 

Ophel, o'fel [the hill, swelling mound], a 
part of ancient Jerusalem surrounded and 
fortified by a separate wall, 2Ch.27.3; 33. 
14; Ne. 3.26; 11. 21. It was the continu¬ 
ation of the ridge of Moriah south of the 
temple. 

Ophir, o'fir [abundance], (1) The son of 
Joktan, and descendant of Shem, Ge. 10. 
29.—(2) The name of a country possessed 
by his posterity, which abounded in gold 
and precious stones, 1 Ki. 9.28; 10.11; 22. 
48; 1 Ch. 29.4; 2 Ch.8.18; Job 22. 24; Is. 13. 
12;—the gold of, proverbial for its fineness. 
Job 22. 24; 28. 16; Ps. 45. 9; Is. 13. 12. Its 
locality has not been identified: some place 
it on the east coast of Africa, and some in 
India. 

Ophrah, ofFrah [fawn], (1) The native place 
of Gideon, Ju.6.11,24;—also the place of 
his burial, 8.32; 9.5.—(2) A place in Benja¬ 
min, Jos. 18.23; 1 Sa. 13.17. 

Opinion, a sentiment, a notion, 1 Ki. 18.21; 
Job 32.6,10,17. 

Opportunity, to do good not to be ne¬ 
glected, Is. 55. 6; Mat. 5. 25; Jn. 9. 4; 12.35; 
Ga. 6.10. 

Opposers, or adversaries, of the truth, how 
to behave to them, Lu. 9.54; 2 Th.3.14; 2 
Ti. 2.24. 

Oppression, severity, or unjust and harsh 
treatment, forbidden, Ex. 22. 21; Ps 12.5; 
Pr. 22.16,22; Je. 22.17; Eze. 22.29; Mi.2.2; 
Zee. 7.10; Mai. 3.5. 

Oppressions, that are in the world, Ec. 3. 
16; 4.1; 5.8; 7.7. 

Oracle, a divine revelation, such as is the 
whole inspired volume, 2 Sa. 16. 23; Ac. 7. 
38; Ro.3.2; 1 Pe.4.11;—the holy of holies, 
from which God often revealed his will to 
the Jews, 1 Ki. 6.16; 8 . 6 ; 2 Ch. 4. 20;—the 
temple generally, Ps.28.2. 

Oration, a public discourse or speech, Ac. 
12.21. 

Orator, a public speaker, an advocate, Ac. 

24.1. 

Orchard, a garden of fruit-trees, Ca.4.13; 
Ec.2.5. 

Ordain, to command, 1 Co. 9. 14;—to ap¬ 
point, Ro. 7.10;—to give rules and direc¬ 
tions, 1 Co. 11.2; He.9.6. 

Ordained, determined for eternal life, Ac. 
13.48. 

Order, to regulate. Ex. 27. 21; Ju. 13. 12; 1 
Ki.20.14; Ps.110.4; Col.2.5; He.7.11. 
Ordinances of God, are his fixed arrange¬ 
ments of natural events, Job 38.33; Ps.119. 
91; Je. 31. 35, 36;—his commandments in 
general, Ex.18.20; Le.18.4;— his directions 
respecting his worship, Mai.3.7,14; He.9. 
1,10;—the offices of civil magistracy, Ro. 

13.2. 

Ordination, or the regular appointment of 
Christian ministers, Mar.3.14; Ac. 1.22; 6. 
3; 1 Ti.4.14; 5.22; 2 Ti.2.2; Tit. 1.5;—not to 


be given to those who are not duly qualified | 
to receive it, Ac.6.3; iTi.3.10; 5.22. 

Oreb, o'reb (The Rock), [raven’s crag], the 
place where the men of Ephraim put to 
death Oreb a prince of Midian, from whom 
it derived its name, Ju.7.25; Ps.83.11; Is. 
10.26. 

Organ, a musical instrument, supposed to 
have been like the ‘Pan’s pipes’ of the 
Greeks, Ge. 4. 21; Job 21. 12; 30. 31; Ps. 

150.4- 

Orion, o-ri'on, a southern constellation seen 
in November, and hence associated with 
the bands of frost which no one can dis¬ 
solve, Job 9.9; 38.31; Am.5.8. 

Ornaments, such as jewels, rings, brace¬ 
lets, &c.;—given by Abraham’s servant to 
Rebekah, Ge. 24. 22;—ear-rings, 35.4; Ex. 
32.2;—of Solomon’s bride, Ca.1.10;—vari¬ 
ous, used by the Israelitish women, Is.3. 
18, &c.;— Christian wives cautioned against 
excess in, 1 Pe.3.3—5. 

Oman, or'nan, a Jebusite whose thrashing- 
floor David purchased, 2 Sa. 24.16,24. See 
Araunah. 

Orpah, or'pa [fawn], Naomi’s daughter-in- 
law, Ru. 1.4-14. 

Orphans, those who are early deprived of 
their parents; the charge concerning them, 
Ex.22.22; De. 10.18; 24.17; 27.19; Job 22.9; 
31.17; Pr.23.10; Is. 1.17,23; Ja.1.27;—are 
under the protection of God, Ps. 10.14,18; 
68.5; 146.9; Pr.23.11. 

Oseas, o-ze'as, or Osee, o'zee (Ro. 9. 25), 
the Greek form of Hosea. 

Ospray, a species of eagle, an unclean bird, 
Le. 11.13; De.14.12. 

Ossifrage, the great sea-eagle, so called 
from the idea of its breaking the bones of 
its prey, De.14.12. 

Ostrich, the tallest of all birds, one species 
reaching the height of 7 feet, and another 
of 10 feet. It is an unclean bird according 
to the law,of great voracity, and gregarious. 
Its cry is piercing and mournful. The fe¬ 
male described. Job 39. 18; La. 4. 3. The 
word meaning ostrich is rendered owl in 
Job 30.29; Is. 13.21; 34.13; Je. 50.39. 
Otherwise, in a different manner. Mat. 6.1; 
Ro.11.6; Phi. 3.15. 

Othniel, oth'nf-el [the lion of God], the son 
of Kenaz, by his valour obtained for his 
wife Achsah, the daughter Qf Caleb, Ju. 1. 
11;—first judge of Israel;—delivers Israel 
from the King of Mesopotamia, 3.9. 
Ouches, sockets for fastening the precious 
stones in the high-priest’s ephod, Ex. 28. 
11,13,14; 39.6,13. 

Outcast, an exile, one driven from home 
and country, Ps. 147.2; Is.11.12; 16.3,4; 27. 

13; Je-49-36- 

Outgoings, outmost or farthest borders, 
Jos.17.9,18; 18.19; 19-14,22; Ps.65.8. 
Outlandish, of another country or nation, 
Ne.13.26. 

Outrageous, violent, furious, Pr.27.4. 
Outward, external, apparent. Mat. 23. 27; 
Ro.2.28; 1 Pe.3.3. 

Oven, a place for baking of bread, Le.2.4; 
26. 26;—persons inflamed with lust, com¬ 
pared to. Ho. 7.4,6,7;—the day of judg¬ 
ment, Mai. 4.1 

Overcharge, to fill or burden too much, 
Lu.21.34; 2 Co.2.5. 

Overcome, to subdue or vanquish, Ge.49. 
19; Lu. 11.22; Ro.3.4. 

Overflow, to be full, to deluge, De. 11. 4; 

Ps.69.2,15; Is.8.8; 10.22. 

Overlay, to cover. Ex. 25. n; 26. 32;—to 
smother, 1 Ki.3.19. 

Overpass, to omit, Je.5.28. 

Overplus, what is left more than sufficient, 
Le.25.27. 

Overseer, one who overlooks or takes charge 
of a business, Ge.39.4; 41.34; 2 Ch.2.18;— 
a pastor or bishop, Ac. 20.28. 

Overshadow, to cover with a shadow, Mat. 
17. 5; Mar. 9. 7; Ac. 5. 15;—to operate by 
almighty and creating agency, Lu.1.35. 
Oversight, superintendence, or charge of, 
Nu.3.32; 4.16; 1 Pe.5.2;—error or mistake, 
Ge.43.12. 

Overtake, to catch anything by pursuit, 
Ge.44.4; Ho.2.7; 1 Th.5.4. 

Overthrow, to overturn, defeat, or ruin, 
Ge. 19.25; Ex. 14. 27; De. 12. 3; Ac.5.39; 2 
Ti.2.18. 

Overwhelm, to swallow up, Ps.78.53; 124. 
4;— to cover with gloom and sorrow, 55.5; 
61.2; 77.3. 

Owe, to be in debt to another. Mat. 18.24, 
28; Lu.7.41; 16.5;—to be guarded against, 
Ro.13.8. 

Owl, a bird of the hawk kind; haunts soli¬ 


tary and desolate places;—seeks its prey 
by night;—makes a doleful cry, Le.11.17; 
De.14.16; Is. 34.14; Ps. 102.6. 

Ox, that gores, the law concerning it. Ex. 
21.28,35;—of an enemy to be restored, 23. 
4; De.22.1;—that treads the com not to be 
muzzled, De.25.4;—quoted by Paul, 1 Co. 

9.9. 

Ozem, o'zem [strength, viz. of God], the 
sixth son of Jesse, and brother of David, 
1 Ch.2.15. 

Ozias, o-zl'as [strength of Jehovah], the son 
of Joram, and father of Joatham, Mat. 1. 

8.9. 


P. 


Paarai, pa'a-rT [revelation of Jehovah], the 
Arbite, one of David’s mighty men, 2 Sa. 
23.35;— called Naarai, the son of Ebai, 1 
Ch.11.37. 

Pace, a geometrical measure of 5 feet;—a 
step, reckoned at 2^ feet, 2 Sa.6.13. 
Pacify, to appease, reconcile, pr quiet one 
who is angry, Pr.16.14; Es.7.10; Ec.10.4; 
Eze. 16.63. 

Padan-Aram, pa'dan-a'ram [the plain, or 
arable land of Aram=Syria], the tract of 
country called Padan, Ge. 48. 7; Mesopo¬ 
tamia, Ge.24.10; and ‘the country of Syria,’ 
Ho. 12.12. This name was more specially 
given to that portion of the country which 
bordered on the Euphrates. From it Re¬ 
bekah, Isaac’s wife, was brought, Ge. 24. 
10; 25.20;— to it Jacob fled from Esau, 28. 
6,7; 31.18; 35.9,26. 

Paddle, an iron instrument for digging holes 
in the earth, De.23.13. 

Pagiel, pa'gi-el [event of God], a head of 
the tribe of Asher, Nu.1.13; 7.72. 

Painful, full of pain, Ps.73.16. 

Painting of the face, the practice of har¬ 
lots, and proud and shameless women, 2 
Ki.9.30; Je.4.30; Eze.23.40. 

Pair, two joined, Lu.2.24; Re.6.5. 

Palace,a magnificent house, fit for kings, 1 
Ki.16.18; 21.1; 2 Ch.9.11;—the temple at 
Jerusalem, 1 Ch.29.1,19;—the church, Ps. 
45.15;—the pretorium or barracks of the 
imperial guards. Phi. 1.13;—the residence 
of the high-priest, Jn. 18.15. 

Paleness, want of colour, Je.30.6. 
Palestine, pal'es-tine [land of strangers or 
emigrants], called Canaan, Nu. 33. 5;— 
Land of Promise, Ge.13.15;—Land of Je¬ 
hovah, Ho. 9. 3;—Land of Israel, iSa.13. 
19;—Immanuel’s Land, Is.8.8;—the Holy 
Land, Zee. 2.12. The Hebrew word Pele- 
shetk, usually rendered Palestine, is also 
sometimes rendered Philistia, Ps.60.8; 87. 
4:98.9; and Palestina, Ex.15.14; Is.14.29, 
30. The name Palestine originally meant 
only ‘the land of the Philistines.’ Its 
boundaries as described by Moses, Nu.34. 
1-12;—as allotted to the twelve tribes, Jos. 
13.8-32; xv.-xix. Modern Palestine is di¬ 
vided into two pashalics—Sidon, including 
western Palestine, and Damascus, compre¬ 
hending all east of Jordan. Palestine is now 
‘a land of ruins.’ ‘ Everywhere are seen 
the remains of cities and villages.’ 

Palmer-worm, an insect of the locust tribe, 
Joel 1.4; Am.4.9. 

Palm-tree, grows very tall and upright, 
and is an evergreen, producing fruit called 
dates, Ex.15.27; Le.23.40; De.34.3; Ju.i. 
16;—its branches a symbol of joy and vic¬ 
tory, Jn.12.13; Re.7.9;—abounded in the 
valley of the Jordan;—Jericho called the 
‘city of palm-trees,’ De.34.3. 

Palsy, a well - known disease, which unfits 
the whole or part of the body for action, 
and sometimes deprives it of feeling; cases 
of, cured, Mat.4.24; 8.6; 9.2; Lu.5.18; Ac. 

87:9-33- 

Paftiel, pal-tf'el [deliverance of God], a 
prince of the tribe of Issachar, Nu.34.26. 
Pamphylia, pam-fil'Y-a [a nation made up 
of every tribe], a province of Asia Minor, 
bounded on the east by Cilicia, on the west 
by Lycia, on the north by Pisidia, and on 
the south by the Mediterranean Sea, which 
washes its coasts, Ac.27.5;—in Perga, one 
of its principal cities, Paul and Barnabas 
preached the gospel, 13.13; 14.24;—in this 
province John Mark deserted them, 15.36- 
38 ;—strangers from, in Jerusalem on the 
day of Pentecost, 2.10. 

Panic, fear, or sudden consternation and 
terror, threatened, Ex. 15.16; Le. 26. 8,36; 
De.2.25; 32.30; Jos.23.10. 


Panic, of the inhabitants of Canaan before 
Jacob, Ge. 35. 5;—before Joshua, Jos. 2.9; 
5.1 ;—of the Philistines before Jonathan, 
2Sa. 14.15;—before David, 1 Ch. 14.15,&c.; 
—of the Assyrians at the siege of Samaria, 
2 Ki.7.6. 

Pannag, pan-nag', a Hebrew word untrans¬ 
lated, Eze. 27. 17; probably means some 
kind of spice or balsam, something savoury. 
Pant, to gasp for breath, Ps. 38. 10; 42. 1; 

119.131; Is.21.4; Am.2.7. 

Paper-reeds, a kind of bulrushes which 
grow by the banks of the Nile, in Egypt, 
of the skins or films of which paper was 
long made, Is.19.7; 2 Jn. 12. See Books. 
Paphos, pa'fos, a famous city of Cyprus, 
situated on the western coast of the island, 
where Paul preached, and converted Ser¬ 
gius Paulus, the Roman proconsul, Ac. 13. 
6,12; —here Elymas the sorcerer was struck 
blind, 8. 11. Its modern name is Baffa, 
where ruins are found. 

Parable, (1) A dark or obscure saying, Ps. 
49.4; 78.2.—(2) A fictitious narrative under 
which some important truth is conveyed, 
as Jotham’s, of the trees making a king, 
the first parable on record, Ju.9.7;—of the 
poor man’s ewe lamb by Nathan, 2 Sa.12. 

1;—the woman of Tekoah’s.of two brothers 
striving together, 14.1;—a prophet’s, of the 
prisoner that escaped, 1 Ki.20.39;--Jeho- 
ash’s, of the thistle and the cedar, 2 Ki.14. 
9;—of the vineyard yielding grapes, Is.5.1. 
Of this class also are the parahles of the 
New Testament.—(3) The name is some¬ 
times used to denote a discourse in figura¬ 
tive or poetical language, Nu. 23. 7; Job 
27.1. 

Parables of Jesus, are variously reckoned 
according to the range of signification given 
to the name. Some reckon as many as fifty, 
others reckon only thirty. They may be 
divided into three groups: (1) The parable 
of the sower, Mat.13.3; Mar.4.3; I.u.8.5;— 
the wheat and tares, Mat. 13.24;—the grain 
of mustard-seed, 13.21; Mar. 4.30; Lu.13. 
18;—the leaven, Mat.13.33; Lu.13.20;—the 
hidden treasure. Mat. 13.44;—the pearl of 
great price, 45; — the seed opening insen¬ 
sibly, Mar. 4.26;—the net cast into the sea, 
Mat. 13.47.—(2) 0 ^ the unmerciful servant, 
18. 23; — the two debtors, Lu. vii.; — the 
good Samaritan, x.; — the friend at mid¬ 
night, xi.;—the rich fool, xii.,—the fig-tree, 
xiii.; — the great supper, xiv.;—the lost 
sheep, xv.;—the lost piece of money, xv.; 
—the prodigal son, xv.;—the unjust stew¬ 
ard, xvi.;—the rich man and Lazarus, xvi.; 
—the unjust judge, xviii.;—Pharisee and 
publican, xviii.;—the labourer and the vine¬ 
yard, Mat.xx.—(3) Of the pounds, Lu.xix.; 
—the two sons, Mat.xxi.;—the vineyard let 
to husbandmen, xxi.;—the marriage feast, 
xxii.; — wise and foolish virgins, xxv.;— 
talents, xxv.;—sheep and goats, xxv. 
Paradise, a word of Persian origin meaning 
a tract of pleasure-ground like the English 
park. The corresponding Hebrew word 
is rendered ‘forest,’ Ne. 2. 8;—‘orchard,’ 
Ec.2.5; Ca.4.13.—(1) The earthly.in which 
Adam was put, Ge. 2.8. See Eden. —(2) 
The heavenly, promised to the penitent 
thief, Lu.23.43;—Paul caught up to, 2 Co. 
12.4;—the tree of life in it, Re.2.7. 
Paramour, a whorish lover or mistress; the 
heathen so called, whose idolatries the Jews 
followed, Eze. 23.20. 

Paran, pa'ran [a place of caves], a desert of 
Arabia Petrea, lying to the southward of 
Palestine, and to the north-east of the east¬ 
ern gulf of the Red Sea; here Ishmael 
dwelt, Ge.21.21;—here the cloud rested in 
the march of the Israelites, Nu. 10.12;— 
here they pitched their camp, 12.16;—from 
it the spies were sent to view the Land of 
Promise, 13.3;—to it David went after the 
death of Samuel, 1 Sa.25.1;—Mount Paran 
in the wilderness of Paran, De.33.2; Hab. 
3 - 3 - 

Parcel, a small lot, a quantity, Ge. 33. 19; 
Ru.4.3; 1 Ch.11.13. 

Parched, scorched, or dried. Is. 35. 7; Je. 

17.6. 

Parchment, called by the Romans Perga - 
rnenunt (because it was prepared chiefly at 
Pergamus),whence parchment, sheep-skin 
dressed for writing on, 2 Ti.4.13. The skins 
of young calves when so prepared are called 
vellum. 

Pardon, of sins, God only has power to 
grant, Mar.a.7,10-13;—is the gift of free 
grace, Ep. 1.6,7;—through l h c mediation 
of Christ, Hc.9.9-28; 1 Jn. 1.7. See For* 
givenkss. 









021 ) (Pa—Pe) 

Parents, to be honoured, Ex. 20.12; De.5. t 
16: Kp.0.2; law against cursing them, Ex. 
21.17; l.e.20.9; Pr.20.20; or smiting them, 
Ex.21.15. 

-, their duty, to educate their chil¬ 
dren religiously, tie. 18.19; De.4.9; 6.6,7; 
11. 19; 32. 46; Ps. 78. 5; Pr. 22. 6: Joel 1. 3: 
Ep. 6. 4not to spare necessary correc¬ 
tion, 1 Sa. 3. 13; Pr. 13. 24; 19.18; 22.15; 23. 
13,14: 29. 15,17; not to discourage them 
too much, Ep. 6. 4; Col. 3. 21;—to provide 
for their children, 2 Co. 12.14; 1 li. 5. 8;— 
-partiality to children to be avoided, Ce.37. 
3,4; Mat. 22. 16; i Ti. 5- 21;—their joy or 
sorrow from their children’s education, Pr. 
io.r; 15.20; 17.21,25; 19.13; 29.15,17. 

-, examples: of Abraham, Ge. 18.19; 

—of David, 1 Ch.28.9:—of Job, Job 1.5;— 
of Lemuel, Pr. 31. i;—of the parents of 
Timothy, 2 Ti. 1.5; 3.15. 

Parlour, a lower room for reception and 
entertainment of visitants, Ju. 3. 20,23; 1 
Sa.9.22. 

Parmaslita, par-mash'ta [superior], one of 
Haitian's sons, Es.9.9. 

Parmenas, par'me-nas [abiding], one of the 
seven deacons of the church in Jerusalem, 
Ac. 6.5,6. 

Parricide, or the murder of a father, punish¬ 
able with death, Ex.21.15:—committed by 
the sons of Sennacherib, 2 Ki.19.37. 
Partaker, an associate, a sharer, Ps.50.18; 

1 Co.9.10,23; 1 Pe. 5. i* 

Parthians, par'thi-ans, the inhabitants of 
Parthia, in the north-west of Persia, Ac. 2. 
9. Parthia is bounded on the east by Asia, 
on the west by Media, on the north by 
Hyrcania, and on the south by Caramania, 
and extends about 600 miles in length. It 
formed part of the great Persian monarchy. 
Revolting from the Macedonian power it 
became an independent kingdom, b.c. 256, 
whose sovereigns are known by the name 
of the Arsacidae. In a.d. 226 it was again 
subdued by the Persians. 

Partial, inclined only one part, Mai. 2. 9; 
Ja 2.4. 

Partiality, unfair and unjust treatment of 
others, to be avoided, Mat.22.16; Ja.2.1,9; 
Jude 16. 

Particular, individual, 1 Co. 12.27; Ep. 5.33. 
Partition, a wall that divides two apart¬ 
ments, 1 Ki. 6. 21. The middle wall of, 
refers to the wall separating between the 
court of the Gentiles and that of the Jews, 
Ep.2.14. 

Partner, a sharer, Lu. 5. 7,10, Pr. 29. 24; 2 
Co.8.23; Phile. 17. 

Partridge, the bird so called is unknown 
in the East. That mentioned, iSa. 26. 2; 
Je. 17.11, was a species of grouse abundant 
in Palestine. 

Paruali, par-u'ah [flourishing], one of the 
tribe of Issachar, 1 Ki.4.16. 

Parvaim, par-va'im, a place famous for 
fine gold, probably identical with Ophir, 

2 Ch.3.6. 

Pas-Dammim, pas-dam'im [the cessation 
of blood], the scene of a fierce contest with 
the Philistines, 1 Ch.11.13;—called Ephes- 
Dammim, 1 Sa.17.1. 

Pashur, pash'ur [a priest], to be punished 
for smiting Jeremiah, called also Magor- 
missabib, ‘terror round about him,’ Je.20. 
1-20. 

Passages, roads, Ju.12.6; 1 Sa.14.4; Je.22. 
20; 51-32- 

Passion, natural affection or infirmity, Ac. 
14. 15; Ja. 5. 17;—suffering and death of 
Christ, Ac. 1.3. 

Passover, the first of the three great annual 
Jewish festivals, so called because the de¬ 
stroying angel passed over the houses of 
the Israelites, while he slew all the first¬ 
born of the Egyptians;—instituted, Ex. 12. 
3,43; 1 .5;—rules concerning it, Le 23.4; 
Nu.9.1; De. 16.1; offerings on it, Nu.28.16; 
—observed by Hezekiah, 2 Ch. 30. 1; — by 
Josiah, 35.x;—after the captivity, Ezr.6.19; 
—Christ compared to it, 1 Co.5.7. 
Pastoral Life, the origin of it, Ge. 4. 20. 
See Shepherd. 

Pastors, shepherds, or ministers of the gos¬ 
pel, whose business it is to feed the sheep 
of Christ, Je. 3. 15; 10. 21; 23.1, 2; Ep. 4.11. 
See Ministers. 

Pasture, a place for feeding flocks and herds 
of cattle, Ge.47.4; 1 Ch.4.39-41;—spiritual 
nourishment, Ps.23.2; Jn.10.9. 

Patara, p;it'a-rah, a seaport town of Lycia, 
in Asia Minor, with a large harbour on the 
east side of the river Xanthus, and about 40 
miles west of Myra;—Paul visited it on his 
journey from Greece to Syria, Ac. 21. 1. 


"'THE World’s bible auxiliary 


The church of, was represented by its 
bishop in the Council of Nice (a.d. 325). 
The site of the city is now a desert. Ruins 
of great extent are seen rising above the 
mounds of sand which cover the place. 
Pate, the crown of the head, Ps.7.16. 
Pathros, p.Vthros [region of the south], a 
city and district of Upper Egypt, men¬ 
tioned by several of the prophets, Is. 11.11; 
Je. 44.1,15; Eze. 29.14; 30.14;— its place is 
not found. 

Pathrusiin, path-ru'sim, the plural of Pa¬ 
thros, the name of a tribe descended from 
Mizraim, a grandson of Ham the patriarch, 
Ge. 10.14; 1 Ch.i.i2. 

Patience, or calmness of mind in bearing 
evils, persisting in duty, and in waiting for 
promised good, recommended, Job 2. 10; 
Ps.37.1,7: Pr.3.11; 24.10; Ec.7.8; Mi.7.7,9; 
Lu. 21. 19; Ro.12.12; 1 l h. 5.14; He. 10. 36; 
12.1, &c.; Ja.1.3; 5.7; 1 Pe.2.19; 2 Pe.1.6. 

-, motives to cultivate it, are the 

command of God, 1 Ti.6.11; He.12.1; 2 Pe. 
1.6;—his patience with us. Ex.34.6; R0.2. 
4:9.22; 1 Pe.3.20;—our present state ren¬ 
ders it necessary, He. 10. 36;—the evils 
which flow from the want of it, and the 
advantages which attend it, Ec.7.8; Ps.37. 
7-11;—onr trials are less than we deserve, 
Ezr.9.13: La.3.39;—they are intended for 
our benefit, Ro.8.28; 2 Co.4.17;—they will 
soon terminate in triumph, Ro.8.18; Ja.5. 
7,8;—the example of good men, and espe¬ 
cially of Christ. See next article. 

-, examples: of Moses, Nu.12.3;— 

of Job, Job 1.20;—-of David, Ps.40.1;—of 
Simeon, Lu.2.25;—of Paul, 2H.3.10;—of 
the Thessalonians, iTh.1.3;—of the reli¬ 
gious in former times, He. 10.34;—of Christ, 
Is.53.7; 1 Pe.2.23;—the impatience of the 
apostles, Lu.9.54. 

-of God, is his long-suffering or 

forbearance, Nu. 14. 18; Ps. 86. 15;—he is 
called the God of patience, Ro. 15.5;—it is 
exercised towards his chosen people, Is.30. 
18; Ro. 3. 25; 1 Ti.1.16; 2 Pe. 3. 9;—and to¬ 
wards his enemies, Ec.8.11; Ro.2.4;—it is 
manifested by giving warnings of his judg¬ 
ments, Am.1.1; Jonah 1.2; 1 Pe.3.20; 2 Pe. 
2.5;—by delaying to execute them, Ps.50. 
21; 2 Pe.3.9. 

-, examples of: towards the 

antediluvians, Ge.6.3;—the inhabitants of 
Sodom, 18.20,21;—Pharaoh, Ex. 5. 2:7. 4; 
—the Israelites in the wilderness, Ac. 13.18; 
—the Amorites and Canaanites, Ge. 15.16; 
Le. 18.28;—the Gentile world, Ac. 17.30;— 
fruitless professors, Lu.13.7. 

Patmos, pat'mos, one of the Sporades [the 
scattered isles], a rocky and bare island in 
the Egean Sea, situated about 45 miles 
westward of Miletus. It is about 30 
Roman or 28 English miles in circumfer¬ 
ence;—to it the apostle John was banished, 
and here he had the prophetic visions re¬ 
corded in the Apocalypse, Re. 1.9. It has 
a safe and large harbour It is now called 
Patino, with a population of about 4000. 
Patriarch, the head or prince of a family, 
applied chiefly to those who lived before 
the time of Moses, Ac.2.29; 7.8,9: He.7.4. 
Patrimony, the goods or inheritance left 
by a father to his child, De.18.8. 

Patrobas, pat-ro'bas, a Christian at Rome, 
noticed by Paul, Ro. 16.14. 

Pattern, an example or model. Ex. 25.9,40; 

Nu.8.4; Tit.2.7.; He.8.5; 9.23. 

Patterns, Christ, and the prophets and 
apostles are to be ours, Mat. 11.29; Jn. 13. 
15:1 Co.4.16; 11.1; Phi.2.5; 3.17; 1 Th.1.6; 
He. 6. 12; 12. 2; 1 Pe. 2. 21; 1 Jn. 2. 6. See 
Example. 

Pau, pa'ii [a bleating], a city in the land of 
Edom, Ge. 36. 39;—also called Pai, 1 Ch. 
1.50. 

Paul [little], originally called Saul, Ac. 13.9; 
a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, of the tribe 
of Benjamin, Ro. 11.1;- was a Pharisee of 
the strictest order, Ac. 23.6;— educated by 
Gamaliel, 22.3; —a persecutor of Stephen, 
8.1; —of the church in general, 9.1 ;—struck 
blind on his way to Damascus, 3; 22.6; 26. 
13;— his conversion, 9 l a.d. 37);— first visit 
to Jerusalem, 9. 26; Ga. 1. 18;— first resi¬ 
dence at Antioch, Ac. 11.25-30; —second 
visit to Jerusalem, 11. 30; 12. 25 first 
missionary journey a.d. 45-47), 13.2; 14. 
26;— second residence at Antioch, 14.28;— 
third visit to Jerusalem, 15.2-30; Ga.2.1- 
101 second missionary journey (a.d. 53?), 
I 5 - 36.4°: 18.22; —fourth visit to Jerusalem, 
18.21,22;— third residence at Antioch, 18. 
22,23. third missionary journey (a.d. 
54-58), 18.23; 21.15; —fifth visit to Jerusa¬ 


lem and arrest and imprisonment at Cesa- 
rea, 21.15; 23. 35;—voyage to and arrival 
at Rome a.d. 60, 61 , 27.1; 28.16;—where 
he continues two years, 31. 

Paul, his character of the heathen world, 
Ro.1.19, See .;— of the Jews, 2.17;—exhorts 
to moral duties, 12. 1, &c.;—to candour, 
14. 1; 15. 1;—his preaching not rhetorical, 

1 Co.2.3;—his condescension to all persons, 
9.19; 10.33:—disclaims dominion over the 
faith of Christians, 2 Co. 1. 24;—his zeal 
and disinterestedness, 4. 1; 6. 4; 7. 2, 11. 7; 
12.13;—exhorts to a liberal contribution to 
the poor Christians at Jerusalem, 8. 7;— 
complains of his opposers at Corinth, 10.2; 
11.13;—his revelations, 12.1, &c.; Ga.2.2; 
—his sufferings, 2 Co. 11.23; Phi * I - I 3 i— 
threatens his opposers, 2 Co. 13. 2; — an 
apostle appointed by Christ himself, Ga.i. 
1, 12; — his history, 1. 16, &c.;— opposes 
Peter, 2.11;—desires to die, Phi. 1.20;—his 
advantages as a Jew, 3.4;—rejoices in his 
sufferings, Col. 1.24;—at Philippi and 
Thessalonica, 1 Th.2.2;—proposes his ex¬ 
ample to Christians, 1 Co.ii.i; Phi.3.17; 2 
Th.3.7;—commends himself, 2C0.11.5: 12. 
11; 1 Th. 2. 5;—calls himself the chief of 
sinners, 1 Ti. 1.15;—his near view of death, 

2 Ti.4.6;—leaves his cloak and parchments 
atTroas, 13;—sends Tychicus to Ephesus, 
12;—deserted at his first hearing before 
Nero, 16; — his epistles commended by 
Peter, 2 Pe.3.15. 

Pavilion, a tent, chiefly one for a king, 
prince, or general, 1 Ki. 20.12,16; Je.43.10; 
—God makes darkness his, 2 Sa.22.12; Ps. 
18.n;—hides his people in his, 27.5:31.20. 
Paw, the foot of a horse or lion, Le. 11.27; 

1 Sa.17.37; Job 39.21. 

Peace, God the author of temporal peace, 
Le. 26. 6; 1 Ch. 22. 9; Ps. 147.14; Is. 45. 7;— 
God in Christ the author of spiritual peace, 
Ro. 15.33; 16. 20; Phi. 4.9; 1 Th.5.23; 2 Th. 
3. 16; Is. 9.6;—Christ gives peace, Lu. 24. 
36; Jn. 14.27:20.19,21,2TI1.3.16;—imparted 
through Christ’s atonement, Is. 53.5; R0.5. 

1; Ep.2.14,15; Col. 1.20;—who may look for 
peace, Le.26.3-6; Ps.119.165; 29.11; 55.18; 
Pr. 16.7; Is. 26.12;—promised, to the church. 
Is. 54.13; 66.12;— to saints, Ps. 72. 3, 7; Is. 
55.12;— to the meek, Ps. 37. 11 ■— 1 ° the obe¬ 
dient, Ps.119.165; Is.48.18; Je.6.16: Ro. 2. 
10;— to the repentant. Is.57.18,19: Mat.11. 
28, 29;—to be cultivated, Ps. 34.14; 133. 1; 
Pr. 3. 30; 15.17; 17.1,14,17; 20.3; 25.8; Zee. 
8.19; Mar. 9. 50; Ro. 12.18; 14.19; 2 Co. 13. 

11; 1 Th.5.13; He.12.14; 2 Ti. 2.22; 1 Pe.3. 
11;—by what means, Pr. 15.1; 25.9,15; Col. 
3.13; 1 Th.4.11. 

Peace-makers, their blessedness, Mat.5.9; 
Ja.3.18. 

Peace-offerings, rules concerning them, 
Le.3.1, &c.: 7.11;—the priest’s portion of 
them, 28. 

Peacock, a large and well-known fowl, with 
a fine crest of feathers, and a tail peculiarly 
beautiful;—imported by Solomon, 1 Ki.io. 
22; 2Ch.9.2i;—described, Job 39.13. 

Pearl, a hard, white, shining gem, found in 
some shell-fishes of the oyster species, Job 
28.18; Mat. 7. 6; 13. 45;—the gates of the 
New Jerusalem, each of one. Re. 21.21. 
Peculiar Treasure and People, the church 
is to God, Ex. 19.5; De.14.2; Ps. 135.4; Tit. 
2.14. 

Pedahzur, ped'ah-zur [whom the rock, i.e. 
God, preserves], a head of the tribe of 
Manasseh, Nu.1.10. 

Pedaiah, ped-a'yah [whom Jehovah pre¬ 
serves], grandfather of Jehoiakim, 1 Ki.23. 
36;—others so named, 1 Ch.3.19. 

Pedigree, genealogy, or descent by parent¬ 
age, Nu.1.18. 

Peeled, stripped of the bark, clothes, or 
skin, ls.18.2,7; Eze.29.18. 

Peep, to chirp faintly as young birds do, 
the sound attributed to departed spirits, 
and produced probably by the art of ven- 
triloquism, practised by wizards,and ‘them 
that have familiar spirits’ (rendered by the 
LXX. ‘ventriloquists’), Is.8.19; 29.4. 
Pekah, pe'kah [open eyed], the son of 
Remaliah, commanded the army of Peka- 
hiah, king of Israel, and, after conspiring 
to slay him, succeeded him, 2 Ki.15.25;— 
confederate with Rezin, king of Syria, 
against Judah, Is.7.i;-cut off 120,000 of 
Judah, and took 200,000 prisoners, 2 Ch. 
28.6-8;—slain, 2Ki.15.30. 

Pekahiah, pek-a-hi'ah [the Lord has opened 
his eyes], the seventeenth king of Israel, 
succeeds his father, Menahem, 2 Ki.15.22; 
—slain, 25. 

Pekod, pe'kod [visitation], a name given 


to Babylonia, Je.50.21;—to its inhabitants, 
Eze.23.23. 

Pelatiah, pel-a-tl'ah [whom Jehovah de¬ 
livers], (1 Son of Benaiah, a prince who 
lived in the time of Zedekiah, king of 
Judah, Eze. 11.1,13.—(2) Son of Hananiah, 
1 Ch.3.21. 

Peleg, pe'leg [division], the son of Eber, in 
whose days men were divided by the con¬ 
fusion of language, Ge. 10.25; 11.16. 

Pelethites, pe'leth-ites [runners, couriers], 
valiant soldiers, who with the Cherethites 
formed David’s body-guard. They were 
probably of Cretan origin, 2Sa.8.i8. 

Pelican, a large tropical bird, with long 
crooked beak, the fore part of the head 
towards the throat naked, with a bag or 
pouch under the bill, and which haunts 
the swamps of the desert, Le. 11. 18; De. 
14.17; Ps. 102. 6. The word is rendered 
‘cormorant’ in Is.34.11 and Zep.2.14. 

Peniel, pe-ni'el [the face of God], a place 
on the east of Jordan, near the brook 
Jabbok, so named by Jacob, because he 
here saw the face of God, Ge. 32.24-30;— 
here the Gadites built a city, the tower of 
which Gideon cast down, Ju.8.8,9,17;—it 
was rebuilt by Jeroboam, 1 Ki. 12. 25. 
Penuel (J11. 8. 9) was probably the origi¬ 
nal form of the name. This is the form 
given in the Samaritan Pentateuch. 

Peninnah, pe-nin'nah [coral], one of the 
wives of Elkanah, the father of Samuel, 1 
Sa. 1.2. 

Penny, a Roman silver coin, the denarius, 
= 10 ases=between 6 d. and 7 d., current 
among the Jews in the time of Christ, Mar. 
6.37; 12.15; Re. 6.6. The penny brought 
to Christ, Mat. 22. 15-21; Mar. 13. 15-17; 
Lu. 20.19-25, was a denarius of Tiberius. 
The rate of wages a penny ( denarius a 
day, Mat. 20.2,9,13. 

Pens, used in writing by the ancients were 
not quills, but made of small and strong 
reeds, Ju. 5. 14; Ps. 45. 1; 3jn. 13;—those 
for graving in stone, &c., were of iron, Job 
19.24; Je. 17.1. 

Pentecost, the second of the three great 
annual festivals of the Jews, thus named 
because it was kept on the fiftieth day from 
the morrow after the first passover Sab¬ 
bath, Le. 23.15,16. It lasted for one day 
only. It was the harvest feast and was 
called the feast of weeks, because it was 
kept seven weeks after the passover, Ex. 
34.22;—directions how it ought to be ob¬ 
served, De. 16.9;—the descent of the Spirit 
upon it, Ac. 2.1, &c. 

Penury, poverty, Pr. 14.23: Lu.21.4. 

People of God, the church of Israel, Ju. 
20.2; 2Sa.14.13; Ps.47.9;—professing and 
genuine Christians, He.4.9; 1 Pe.2.10. 

-, their duty to God’s ministers. 

Mat. 10.14; Lu. 10.16; 1 Co.4.1; 9.14: Ga.6. 
6 ; 1 Th.4.8; 5.12; 1 Ti.5.17; He. 13.7,17. 

Peor, pe'or [the cleft], a mountain in Moab, 
near to the mountains of Nebo and Pisgah; 
Balak brought Balaam to the top of, Nu. 
23. 28;—-the idolatry of the Israelites, in 
worshipping Baal-peor, called the matter 
and the iniquity of, 25. 3, 18; 31. 16; Jos. 
22.17. 

Peradventure, perhaps, may be, Ge. 18.24, 

28,29,32:24.5,39; Ex. 13.17; 32.30; Jos.9.7; 
Ro.5.7; 2 Ti.2.25. 

Perceive, to know, or discover, De. 29. 4; 
1 Jn.3.16. 

Perdition, destruction, final ruin. Phi 1. 
28; iTi.6.9; He.10.39;—Judas, called the 
son of, Jn.17.12 ;— and also Antichrist, 2 
Th.2.3. 

Peres Uzza, pe'res-uz'za [the breach of Uz- 
zah], a place near Jerusalem, where Uz- 
zah, the son of Aminadab, was smitten by 
God because he laid his hands on the 
ark, 1 Sa. 6.8;—called Nachon, 2 Sa. 6. 6; 
—Chidon, 1 Ch.13.9. 

Perfect, God is absolutely and infinitely, 
Mat.5.48;—the law, or word, of the Lord 
is completely, Ps. 19.7;—his work is, and 
his way, De. 32.4: 2 Sa.22.31;—faithful and 
eminent saints are now comparatively, as 
Noah and Job, Ge. 6. 9; Job 1. 1,8; 2. 3;— 
believers in Christ shall all in due time be 
completely, Ep. 4. 13; Col. 1. 28; 4. 12; He. 
12.23;—prayer to God to make his people, 
Jn. 17.23; Col.4.12; iTh.3.10; He.13.21; 1 
Pe.5.10. 

Perfection, none can find out God to, Job 
11.7;—in obedience and holiness, not at¬ 
tainable by man, Job 9.20; 15.14; Pr.20,9; 
R0.3.10: 1 Jn.1.8;—to be aimed at, De.18. 
13; 1 Ki.8.61; Mat.5.48; Lu.6.36; 2 Co. 13. 
9,11; Ep.5.1, He. 13.21;—blessings result* 





















THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


'Be—Ph) 


ing from, Ps. 37. 37; Pr. 2. 21 ;—will be at- | 
tained by saints, Jn. 17.23; Ep.4.i3; Col. 
t.28. 

Perform, to fulfil or execute, Ge. 26.3; Mat. 

5.33; Ro.4.21; 2 Co. 8. 11. 

Perfume, what gives a sweet odour or 
agreeable smell, Ex. 30. 35; Pr.7.17; 27.9; 
Is. 57.9. 

Pergah, per'gah, a city of Pamphylia, on 
the Cestrus, about 40 miles north from the 
Mediterranean shore. Paul and Barnabas 
landed here on their voyage from Paphos, 
and here they left Mark, Ac. 13.13;—on his 
return from the interior of Pamphylia Paul 
again visited it and preached the gospel, 
14.25. 

Pergamos, per'ga-mos [height, elevation], 
a city of Mysia in Asia Minor, situated 
about 20 miles from the sea on the river 
Caicus, ‘in one of the most lovely and fer¬ 
tile valleys of the world.’ Under the Ro¬ 
mans it became the capital of a province 
called Asia Propria. It was famous for its 
immense library, collected in rivalry of that 
of Alexandria. From it our ‘parchment’ 

( pergamenuni derives its name. Christ’s 
message to the church there, Re.2.12-17; 
called ‘Satan’s seat,’ because it was the 
head-quarters of the opposition to Christ 
and his gospel in that region. The modern 
city, which abounds in ruins of great ex¬ 
tent, is called Bergamo.. Its population is 
estimated at from 14,000 to 30,000, of whom 
3000 are Greeks, 300 Armenians, and the 
rest Turks. 

Perilous Times, in the last days, 2 Ti. 
3 -i- 

Perils, or imminent dangers, endured by 
Paul, 2 Co. 11.26. 

Perish, to lose natural life, Nu. 17.12; Jonah 
r.6; Mar.4.38;—to be subjected to eternal 
punishment, Jn.3.15; 1 Co.1.18; 2 Co.2.15; 
2 Pe.2.12. 

Perizzites, perfiz-zites, a tribe of the an¬ 
cient Canaanites, Ge.13.7; 15.20;—deliver¬ 
ed into the hands of Judah, Ju. 1.4;—Solo¬ 
mon made them to pay tribute, 2 Ch. 8.7;— 
not mentioned in the catalogue of Canaan- 
itish tribes, Ge.x. 

Perjury, swearing falsely; forbidden, Ex. 
20.16; Le.6.3; 19.12; De.5.20; Zee.5.4; 8.17; 

1 Ti. 1.10:—of Zedekiah against Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar, 2 Ch.36.13. 

Permit, to allow or suffer, 1 Co. 16.7; He. 

6.3; Ac.26.1; 1 Co. 14.34. 

Pernicious, destructive, very hurtful, 2 Pe. 
2.2. 

Perpetual, everlasting or endless, Ps.9.6; 
J6*50.5;—to the end of time, Ge.9.12; Ex. 
31. 16;—the continuance of the legal dis¬ 
pensation, Ex.29.9; 30.8. 

Perplexed, greatly vexed or disturbed, Es. 

3.15; Is.22.5; Joel 1.18; Lu.9.7; 2 Co.4.8. 
Persecution, or oppression and exposure to 
suffering and death, for Christ’s sake; fore¬ 
told to be the lot of the apostles and primi¬ 
tive Christians, Mat. to. 18; Jn. 15.18-21; 
saints may expect persecution, Mat. to. 17; 

2 Ti.3.12; Ga.4.29; Ac. 14.22;—ought not to 
fear it, Mat. 10.26,28; Lu.12.4; 1 Pe.3.14; 
Re.2.10; Is.51.7;— how to behave under it, 
Mat.5.44; 10.22; Ro.12.14; 1 Co.4.12; 2C0. 
12.10; 1 Pe.4.19:—the reward of it, Mat.5. 
10; 16.25; Mar.8.35; Lu.9.24:1 Pe.4.14; Ja. 
, 2; Re. 6. 9; 7.13- Exemplified: David, 
Ps. 31.15; 119.157,161 —Jeremiah, Je.18. 
18-20; 32.2; 38.9 three Hebrews, Da. 3. 
i 3 _ 2 i ^—Daniel, 6. 5:— man born blind, 
Jn. 9. 28, 34;— Peter, Ac. 4. 3;— church at 
Jerusalem, 8.1;— Paul, 9.23; 16.22. 

Perseverance, or steadfast continuance, in 
duty enjoined, Mat. 10.22; 24.13; 1.11.9.62, 
Ac. 13.43; 1 Co. 15.58; 16.13; Col. 1.23,2 1 h. 
3.13; iTi.6.14; He.3.6,14: 10.38; 2Pe.3.17; 

Re. 2.10,25. . 

_of the Saints, or their 

continuance in a state of grace, till they 
are brought to glory, appears from the 
electing purpose of God, Ro.8.29; Lp. 1.3; 
Je.31.3; Mat 24.22-24; Ac.13.48;—the im¬ 
mutability of his love, wisdom, and faith¬ 
fulness, in the scheme of grace, Je. 31. 3; 
Ep 3.10; 1 Th.5.24;—their being given to 
Christ, as the reward of his obedience and 
suffering, Je. 32.40: J11. 17. 2,6;—and pur¬ 
chased by him, J11.11.42; 17.11,15,20; Ac. 
20.28; Tit. 2.14; —their union to Christ, Ep. 
1. 23; Jn. 17. 21, 23;—his intercession for 
them, J11. 17.24; Ro.8.34;—the work of the 
Holy Spirit, in renewing them, and dwel¬ 
ling in them, Jn.3.5, 6, 8; Iit.3.5; Ga.4.6; 
Ro.8.9,11;— and from many express de¬ 
clarations and promises, Job 17.9: Ps 94 
14; 125 1,2: Pr.4.18: Is. 54 - 7 -,o; J e - J 2 - 3 ® - 


40; Jn.3. 14,15; 5.24; 10.27,28; Ro.8.29, 
30; Phi. 1.6; He. 13.5. 

Persia, per'shi-a i Heb. Pharos), an ancient 
kingdom of Asia. In the height of its 
glory it was 2800 miles long and 2000 
broad, and included parts of Europe, Asia, 
and Africa. In this extensive sense the 
name occurs in 2 Ch.36.20,22; Ezr.4.5,7,24; 
6.14; Da. 10.13,20; n.2. From the south 
of the Caspian Sea to Hindostan a con¬ 
tinued chain of deserts extends; and in the 
southern provinces the plains, as well as 
the mountains, are sterile and bare. The 
northern districts, on the contrary, are re¬ 
markable for their beauty and fertility. 
The rivers of Persia are few and small; 
and, instead of falling into the sea, most 
of them flow into lakes in the interior. The 
established religion is the Mohammedan; 
but there are still some who adhere to the 
ancient worship of fire;— Es. 1. 3,14,18; 
Eze. 27. 10; 38. 5;—predictions respecting, 
Da. 8.20. 

Persians, the inhabitants of Persia, foretold 
to conquer Babylon, Is.21.2. 

Persons of men not regarded by God, or 
not valued on account of their rank or 
wealth, De. 10.17; 2 Ch. 19.7; Job 34.19; Ac. 
10.34; Ro.2.11; Ga. 2.6; Ep.6.9; Col.3.25; 

1 Pe.1.17. 

-, when not to be regarded by men, 

Le.19.15; De. 1.17; 16.19; Pr. 24.23; Mat. 
22.16; Ja.2.1; Jude 16. 

Persuade, to advise or excite to the per¬ 
formance of something, 2 Ch.32.11; 1 Ki. 
22.20-22; Ac. 13.43; 14.19;—to believe and 
be assured, Ro.4.21; 8.38; 14.14; 2TL1.12; 
He. 11.13. 

Perverseness, spiteful and obstinate cross¬ 
ness, and adherence to what is wrong, Pr. 
11.3; Is.59.3; Eze.9.9. 

Pervert, to put out of order, to corrupt, 
De. 16.19; 1 Sa.8.3; 24.17; Ac. 13.10; Ga. 1.7. 
Pestilence, a contagious and fatal distem¬ 
per, or kind of plague, threatened for dis¬ 
obedience, Le.26.25; Nu. 14.12; De.28.21; 
—three days of, sent on Israel for the sin 
of David, by which 70,000 perished, 2 Sa. 
24.13,15;—foretold by Christ, Mat.24.7. 
Pestilent Fellow, one who is ill-disposed, 
Ac. 24.5. 

Peter, pe'ter [a rock or stone], the son of 
Jonas, and hence called Simon Bar-jona, 
and brother of Andrew, J11.1.40;—his name 
originally was Simon, 41;—Jesus called 
him Cephas or Peter, which is of the same 
import, 42;—a native of Bethsaida, 45; 
—attends Jesus, Mat. 4. 18; Lu. 5. 11; Jn. 
1.41;—rebukes him, Mat. 16.22; Mar.8.32; 
— is sharply rebuked by Christ, Mat. 16. 
23;—acknowledges him to be the Mes¬ 
siah, 16; Jn. 6. 69;—protests that he will 
not deny him, Mat. 26.35;—draws his sword 
in defence of Christ, and cuts off Malchus’ 
ear, Jn. 18. 10;—denies him. Mat. 26.69; 
Mar. 14.69; Lu.22.54; Jn.18.15, &c., 25;— 
sees him after his resurrection, Lu. 24. 34: 
1 Co. 15. 5;—three times avows his love to 
Christ, Jn. 21. 15-17;—addresses the disci¬ 
ples about asuccessor of Judas, Ac.1.15;— 
his speech to the Jews on the day of Pen¬ 
tecost, 2.14;—cures a lame man at the gate 
of the temple, 3. 1,—imprisoned together 
with John, 4. 3;—many cures performed 
by him, 5. 15;—imprisoned, and released 
by an angel, 18, 19;—speaks boldly before 
the magistrates, 29 ;—communicates the 
Holy Spirit to the Samaritans, 8.17;—con¬ 
founds Simon Magus, 20:—cures Eneas of 
the palsy, 9. 33;—raises Dorcas to life, 36; 
—converts Cornelius, 10.24;—defends him¬ 
self about preaching to the Gentiles, 11. 2; 
—imprisoned by Herod, and delivered by 
an angel, 12. 3, &c.;—opposed by Paul, 
Ga. 2. 11;—expects to die soon, 2 Pe. 1.14; 
—his testimony to the transfiguration of 
Jesus, 18;—commends Paul’s epistles, 3. 
15. Epistles of, were not addressed to 
any particular church, and hence are called 
general. The first was written from Ba¬ 
bylon 1 Pe.5.13), on the Euphrates, where 
many Jews resided, though the city was 
in ruins. 

Pethahiah, peth-a-hl'ah [whom Jehovah 
sets free], a head of the division of the 
priesthood, 1 Ch.24.16. 

Pethor, pe'thor [a table], a city of Mesopo¬ 
tamia, about the east bank of the Eu¬ 
phrates, and the native place of Balaam, 
Nti.22 5: De.23.4. 

Pethuel, pe-thiYel [man of God], the father 
of Joel the prophet, Joel 1.1. 

Phalti, ful'ti [deliverance of Jehovah], the 
son of Laish, married Michal, after Saul 


had taken her from David, 1 Sa. 25. 44.:— 
from him David afterwards took her, 2Sa. 

3 * 5 - 

Phanuel, fa-nfi'el, the father of the pro¬ 
phetess Anna, Lu.2.36. 

Pharaoh, fa'ro [the king], the name of a 
race of kings who successively sat on the 
throne of Egypt:— 

-, first mentioned in Scripture, takes 

Sarah from Abraham, Ge. 12.15;—restores 
her, 20. 

-, second, his prophetical dream, 

Ge. 41.1, &c.;—exalts Joseph, 39-45;—his 
kind reception of Jacob and-his sons, 47. 
1-10. 

-, third, oppressed and persecuted 

the Israelites, Ex. 1. 8-11;—commanded 
their male children to be drowned, 22;— 
his daughter saves Moses, and adopts him 
for her son, 2.5-10. 

-, fourth, Moses sent to him, F.x.3. 

10;—his obduracy foretold, 19;—God’s mes¬ 
sage to him, 4.22,23;—refuses to let Israel 
go, 5. 1, 2;—hardens his heart, 7. 14;— 
drowned in the Red Sea, 14.23. 

-, fifth known to us, gave protec¬ 
tion to Hadad, son of the King of Edom, 
who was contemporary with David, 1 Ki. 

11.15-22. 

-, sixth, gave his daughter in mar¬ 
riage to Solomon, 1 Ki. 3. 1;—took Gezer, 
and gave it for a present to his daughter, 
9.16. 

-, seventh mentioned, is he with 

whom Hezekiah made a league, 2 Ki. 18. 
19-21. 

Pharaoh-Hophra, fa'ro-hofrah, grandson 
of the former, entered into alliance with 
Zedekiah, king of Judah, against the King 
of Babylon, Je. 46. 2, 16; — predictions 
against him. Is.19. 1, &c.;2o.4; Eze. 29.1; 
30.20-26; 31 2; 32.2;—reigned over Egypt 
twenty-five years. 

Pharaoh-Necho, fa'ro ne'ko, carries Je- 
hoahaz captive to Egypt, 2 Ki. 23. 33;— 
foretold not to return, Je.22.10;—his defeat 
foretold, Eze. 17.17. 

Pharisees, far'i-sees [separatists], a much 
celebrated religious sect among the Jews, 
which sprang up after the return from 
captivity; they represented the prevailing 
legal spirit of Judaism;—they laid claim 
to superior sanctity, Lu. 18. 9-12;—for a 
pretence made long prayers, Mat. 23. 14; 
Mar. 12. 40; -paid tithes of what was not 
required, Mat. 23. 23; Lu. 11. 42;—fasted 
often, Lu. 18. 12;—made broad their phy¬ 
lacteries, Mat. 23. 5;—added the traditions 
of the fathers to the written law, Mar. 7. 3, 
8,13;—but they were proud, arrogant, and 
avaricious; and therefore their hypocrisy 
was often exposed and severely censured 
by Christ, Mat. 5. 20; 15.3, &e.; 16. 6, 12; 
23.1,23,33;Mar.8.15; Lu.11.38,42; i2.i;i6. 
14; 18.9. 

Pharpar, faripar [swift], one of the ‘rivers 
of Damascus,’ 2 Ki.5.12. Its modern name 
is Awaj. Its volume is about one-fourth 
of that of the Abana. Its total length is 
about 40 miles. 

Phebe, fe'be [shining, pure], a deaconess 
of the church at Cenchrea, near Corinth, 
Ro. 16.1,2. 

Phenice, fe-ni'se [palm], (1 A seaport 
town, more properly Phoenix, now Lutro, 
on the south-west shore of the island of 
Crete, Ac. 27. 12.—(2) The accurate form 
of Phenicia, Ac.11.19; 15.3. 

Phenicia, fe-nish’i-a, a sfnall country on 
the coast of Syria, stretching from the 
promontory of Carmel about 120 miles 
north, with an average breadth of 20 miles. 
The name is probably derived from the 
Greek phoenix {a palm-tree ; it does not 
occur in the Old Testament. Those scat¬ 
tered by the persecution which followed 
the death of Stephen came to, Ac. 11.19;— 
Paul and Barnabas passed through, 15.3; 
—Paul went in a ship bound for, 21.2:— 
Tyre and Sidon were principal cities of. 
Phichol, fl'kol [all-commanding], general 
of the army of Abimelech, king of Gerar, 
Ge.2T.22. 

Philadelphia, fil-a-dSl'fi-a [the love of the 
brother 1 , a city of the province of Lydia, 
in Asia Minor, about 25 miles south-east 
of Sardis, and about 70 north-east of 
Smyrna;- Christ’s message to the church 
there, Re.3.7. Its modern name is Allah 
Shellr [city of God). The population is 
about 15,000, most of whom are 1 urks. It 
contains the rums of some twenty -five 
churches. 

Philemon, fi-le'mon, a rich and pious cili- 


627 

zen of Colosse, to whom Paul addressed 
the epistle which bears his name, Phile.i. 
Philetus, fi-le'tus (beloved, amiable], an 
apostate Christian, 2 Ti. 2.17,18. 

Philip, fil'lip [warlike, lover of horses], 1) 
The apostle, a native of Bethsaida, at¬ 
tends Jesus, Jn. 1.43;—Greeks come to hhn 
desiring to see Jesus, 12.22;—Jesus ques¬ 
tions him about the loaves, 6.5;—he desires 
to see the Father, 14.8.— 2) The ez'angel- 
ist, one of the seven deacons, Ac.6.3-5:-- 
preaches to the Samaritans, 8.5:—to the 
eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia, 26;—car¬ 
ried to Azotus, and goes thence toCesarea, 
40;—receives Paul and his companions, 21. 

8.— 3) I’he son of Herod the Great, and 
of Mariamne his third wife, the daughter 
of Simon the high-priest:—his wife, Hero- 
dias, was taken from him by his brother, 
Mat. 14.3; Mar.6.17.— 4 The son of Herod 
the Great and Malthace his fourth wife, 
and tetrarch of Batanea, Trachonitis, and 
Auranitis, Lu.3.1. 

Philippi, fil-lip'pl [warlike men, lovers of 
horsesj, one of the chief cities of Macedo¬ 
nia, lying on the borders of Thrace, and 
on the banks of the river Gangitis now 
Angista , a deep and rapid stream, about 
70 miles north-east from Thessalonica. It 
was repaired and named by Philip, the 
father of Alexander the Great. Paul and 
Silas came hither from Neapolis and there 
abode ‘certain days,’ and preached by ‘a 
river side where prayer was wont to be 
made,’ Ac. 16.12,13;—here Lydia was con¬ 
verted, and she and her family baptized, 
14,15;—here they cast out a spirit of di¬ 
vination, 16-18;—here they were beaten 
and imprisoned, 22,23;—here the jailer was 
converted, and he and his family baptized, 
25-34;—here a church was formed, to which 
(about A.D.62 Paul wrote the epistle to the 
Philippians, Phi. 1.1. The Philippian Chris¬ 
tians were very kind to Paul, and sent to 
relieve his temporal wants, 2 Co. 11.9: 1 Th. 

2. 2. The city is now wholly in ruins. 
Philistia, fil-lis'ti-a [land of strangers], or 
the ‘land of the Philistine?.,' embraced the 
coast plain on the south-west of Palestine, 
extending for about 40 miles from Joppa 
to the valley of Gerar on the south, and 
with a breadth of from 10 to 20 miles. 
The Philistines probably emigrated origi¬ 
nally from Crete =Caphtor either directly 
or through Egypt into Palestine, Ps.60.8, 
87.4; 108.9. 

Philistines [strangers], the inhabitants of 
Philistia, conquered by Shamgar, Ju.3.31; 
—oppress the Israelites, 16.7:13.1;— in the 
battle of Aphek they carried away the ark 
of God and slew 30,000 Israelites, 1 Sa.4. 
i-n. They put the ark in the temple of 
Dagon, 5.1;—suffer in consequence of it, 
3,8, to;—send it back, 6.10;—defeated after 
a sacrifice by Samuel, 7.9;—suffer no smith 
in Israel, 13.19;—defeated by Saul, 14.20, 
31;—by David, 2 Sa. 5. 17,22;—were de¬ 
feated by the Amalekites, 1 Sa.xxx.; 1 Ch. 
12.19:—at Gilboa they defeated the Israel¬ 
ites, 1 Sa.xxxi.; 1 Ch. 10. 1. Under Solo¬ 
mon they were tributary, 1 Ki.2.39,40; 4. 
21, 24;—distress Jehoram, 2 Ch. 21. 16;— 
their destruction foretold, Je.47.1; Eze.25. 
15; Am.1.6; Zep.2.4: Zec.9.5. 

Philologus, fil-lol'o-gus (a lover of learning, 
a lover of the word], noticed by Paul, Ro. 
16.15. 

Philosophy [love of wisdom], heathen, the 
folly of it, 1 Co. 1.19; 2.6: Col.2.8. 
Phinehas, fin'ne-as [mouth of brass], 1) 
The son of Eleazar, kills Zimri and Cozbi, 
Nu.25.6; Ps.106.30. — ,2' The son oj Eli, 
his guilt and death, 1 Sa.1.3; 2.12,22,34; 3. 
T 3 : 4 11 - 

Phlegon, fle'gon, one of the Christians at 
Rome to whom Paul sent his salutation, 
R0.16.14. 

Phrygia, fridj'i-a [dry, barren], an inland 
province of Asia Minor. Its boundaries 
are not clearly defined. Its principal cities 
were Laodicea, H ierapolis, and Colossa:. In 
his missionary journeys Paul twice tra¬ 
versed the province, where he preached 
the gospel and formed a church, Ac. 16.6; 
18.23. 

Phut [afflicted], a country of Africa, peopled 
by the third son of Ham, Ge.10.6:—its in¬ 
habitants leagued with, if not subject to, 
the Egyptians, about Hezekiah’s reign, 
Na. 3. 9. Some have identified it with 
Nubia, others have supposed that it was 
west of Lybia on the north coast of Africa; 
but more generally it has been identified 
with Lybia, le.40.9-. Eze.27.10: 30.5; 38.5. 

























THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


628 (Ph—Pr) 

Phygellus. fy-jel'lus, and Hekmogenes, | 
forsook Paul in his distress, 2 Ti.1.15. 
Phylacteries [preservations], small square 
boxes made of parchment or skin, contain¬ 
ing slips of parchment with these passages 
written on them: Ex. 13.2-10,11-17; De.6. 
4-9; 11.13-21, and which the Jews wore, 
bound on their foreheads or arms; from a 
false interpretation of Ex.13.9,16; N11.T5. 
38, 39;—the Pharisees made theirs broad 
from ostentation, Mat.23.5. See Front- 
lets. 

Physicians, 1 Embalmers of dead bodies, 
Ge. 50. 2.—(2) Doctors of medicine, 2 Ch. 
16.12; Mat.9.12; Mar.5.26.—(3) Healers of 
sorrow and spiritual distress, Je.8.22; Job 
* 3 - 4 - 

Pictures, for worship, and images of the 
Canaanites, to be destroyed, N u. 33.52. 
Piece of money , Mat. 17.27, the stater [i.e. 
standard coin), a Greek imperial silver coin 
equal to a shekel (=about 2s. id.); — of 
silver, Lu. 15.8, the Greek drachma, nearly 
=8 d. ;—‘ thirty pieces of silver,’ i.e. shekels, 
Mat. 26.15; 27.3-6,9; comp. Zee. 11.12,13; 
Ex.21.32. 

Pierce, to bore through, greatly pain* Nu. 

24.8; 2 Ki.18.21; Ps 22.16; Lu.2.35. 
Pierced, prophecies that Christ should be, 
Ps. 32.16; Zee. 12.10. 

Piety, occurs only in 1 Ti. 5.4, where it means 
natural affection on the part of children. 
Pigeons, young, or doves, a burnt-offering, 
Le.1.14;—offered by those who could not 
afford a lamb, for a trespass-offering, 5.6,7; 
—offered by women, after childbirth, who 
could not give a lamb, 12.8; Lu.2.24. 
Pihahiroth, pi-ha-hl'roth, an “Egyptian 
word meaning a place where grass or 
sedges grow, the pass through which the 
Hebrews marched to the west shore of the 
Red Sea, Ex.14.2; Nu.33.7,8. 

Pilate Pontius), pi'lat, pon'shi'-us, the 
sixth Roman procurator of J udea; questions 
Jesus, Mat. 27.11; Mar. 15.1; Lu.23.1; Jn. 
18.33;—is warned by his wife not to con¬ 
demn Christ, Mat. 27.19;—attempts to re¬ 
lease him, 23;—attests Christ’s innocence, 
24;—yet delivers him to be crucified, 26; — 
directed the inscription to be placed over 
his cross, and refused to change it, Jn. 19. 
19-22;—permitted Joseph to bury the body 
of Jesus, Mat. 27.57-66. After holding the 
office of procurator for about ten years, 
Pilate was summoned to Rome to answer 
to charges brought against him, but before 
he arrived Tiberius died. Soon after this 
Pilate committed suicide. 

Pile of wood for burning dead corpses in, 
allusions to, Is. 30.33; E2e.24.9- 
Pilgrimage, the journey of a pilgrim, hu¬ 
man life compared to,Ge.47.9; Ex.6.4; Ps. 
119.54. 

Pilgrims, those who travel on a religious 
account; good men compared to, He. 11. 
13; 1 Pe.2.11. 

Pillar, the cloud in the wilderness, which 
resembled one, Ex. 13. 21;—erected for a 
monument or memorial by Jacob at Bethel, 
Ge.28.18;—at the grave of Rachel, 35.20; 
—by Joshua, Jos. 24. 26;—by Absalom, 2 
Sa.18.18;—two for support and ornament 
in the temple of Solomon, 1 Ki.7.15; 2 Ch. 
3 - 17 - 

Pillow, a cushion to sleep on, Ge.28.11; 1 
Sa.19.13; Mar.4.38; Eze.13.16. 

Pilot, one who steers a ship, Eze.27.8,28. 
Pine-tree, is somewhat akin to the fir, but 
more solid and durable, Is.41.19; 60.13. In 
Ne.8.15 probably means cypress. 

Pinnacle of the temple. It is uncertain 
what is meant by this expression. Some 
think it denotes the roof of ‘Solomon’s 
porch,’ others the roof of the temple, and 
others one of its wings or battlements, 
Mat.4.5; Lu.4.9. 

Pipe, a musical instrument, a tube, 1 Sa. 10. 

5; 1 Ki.1.40; Zec.4.2,12; 1 Co.14.7. 
Pirathon, pir'a-thon [peak], a place in 
Ephraim where Abdon was buried, Ju. 12. 
}3^5 '—an inhabitant of, called a Pirathon- 
ite, 1 Ch.27.14; 11.31. 

Pisgah, piz'gah [the heights, an isolated 
peak] like Abarim, the name of the range 
of hills of which Nebo was one of the 
peaks. Moses is sometimes said to view 
Canaan from Nebo, and sometimes from 
Pisgah, De. 3. 27; 34. 1;—Balak brought 
Balaam to the top of, Nu.23.14. 

Pisidia, pi sid'i-a [a pitch-tree], a moun¬ 
tainous province of Asia Minor, having 
Phrygia on the north and Pamphylia on 
the south. Paul entered it with Barnabas 
irom Pamphylia, Ac. 13.14;—after having 


been ‘expelled out of their coasts,’ they 
again returned through Pisidia to Pam¬ 
phylia, 14.21-24. 

Pison, pl'son [overflowing], one of the four 
great rivers which watered the garden of 
Eden, Ge.2.11,12. The most ancient opin¬ 
ion identifies it with the Ganges, but no¬ 
thing definite is known of it. 

Pit, a hole in the ground, in which eastern 
monarchs often kept their prisoners, Is. 24. 
22; 51.14;—the grave, Job 17. 16; Ps. 28.1; 
30.3;—deep distress, Ps.40 2; 88 6;—a place 
to entrap game, Eze.19.8;—hell, Re. 9. 2; 
20.1. 

Pitch, with which the ark of Noah was 
covered, supposed to be a sort of bitumen 
or asphalt, Ge. 6. 14. The ark of Moses 
covered with, Ex. 2. 3; called ‘slime,’ Ge. 
11.3; 14.10. 

Pitcher, a vessel for carrying liquids, Ge. 

24.14; Ju.7.16; Mar.14.13. 

Pithom [the narrow place], one of the 
treasure-cities built by the Hebrews in 
Goshen for Pharaoh, Ex.i.ii. 

Pitiful, tender, La.4.10; Ja.5.11; 1 Pe.3.8. 
Pity, tender feeling for pain and misery, 
manifested by God to his people, Ps.103. 
13; Ja. 5. n;—required of us to the poor 
and afflicted, Job 6.14; Ps.41.1,2; Pr.28.8. 
Plague, a contagious disease, the pestilence, 
inflicted on Pharaoh on account of Sarah, 
Ge. 12.17;—on the Israelites in the wilder¬ 
ness, Nu.14.37; 16.46; 25.9;—for David’s 
numbering the people, 2 Sa. 24.15; —denotes 
the judgment of God, Ex.9.14;—any cala¬ 
mity or scourge, Mar.5.29,34; Lu.7.21. 
Plagues of Egypt, cover a period of six 
weeks. Ex. xiv.-xvii. 

Plain, smooth, flat, Ge. 11. 2; 13.10; Ps. 27. 
11; Pr. 15.19;—distinctly, Mar. 7.35;—the 
‘plain,’ the lower valley of the Jordan, 
extending southward from the Dead Sea, 
De.1.1,7; 2. 8; 3.17; Jos.3.16; 1 Sa.23.24;— 
the country between Joppa and Gaza (the 
Shephelah), Jos. lx. 16; 1 Ch. 27.28; Je. 17. 
26;—plain (more correctly oak) of Moreh, 
Ge.12.6;—Mamre, 13.18;—Zaanaim, Ju.4. 
11;—‘of the pillar,’ 9.6;—Meonenim, 37;— 
Tabor, x Sa. 10.3. 

Planets [wanderers], those stars (known to 
the ancients before the invention of tele¬ 
scopes) which change their places in the 
heavens, and appear brighter and larger 
than the fixed stars. They all move round 
the sun; and the secondaries or moons 
which several of them have also move 
round their respective planets, 2 Ki.23.5. 
Plantation, a place planted, Eze. 17.7. 
Plants, created, Ge. 1.11;—children com¬ 
pared tO, Ps.128.3; I44. X2. 

Platter, a large flat vessel, Mat. 23.25; Lu. 
11.39. 

Pleasant, delightful, Ge. 2.9; 3.6; Ps.16.6; 
Is.2.16; Mai.3.4. 

Pleasantness, delightfulness, Pr.3.17. 
Pleasure, enjoyment, its vanity, Ec.2.1-12. 
Pledges, pawns which a lender takes from 
a borrower to secure the return, or pay¬ 
ment, of what is lent;—laws concerning 
them, De. 24.6-17. 

Pleiades, that cluster of little stars com¬ 
monly called the seven stars, though their 
number is vastly greater, Job 9. 9; 38. 31. 
They appear in April, and thus are asso¬ 
ciated with spring. 

Plenteous, copious, fruitful, Ge. 41. 34; Ps. 
86.5; Mat.9.37. 

Plenty, abundance, our duty to be thankful 
for it, Ex.23.16; De.16.10; Ps.103.1,5. 
Plotteth, or formeth devices to hurt, the 
wicked, Ps.37.12. 

Plowing, or tilling the ground, not to be 
done with an ox and ass together, De. 22. 
10;—Elijah found Elisha engaged in, 1 Ki. 
19.19;— the sluggard will not engage in, Pr. 
20.4. In Ge.45.6 ‘earing’ properly means 
plowing. 

Plow-shares, promises that swords shall be 
beat into, or war cease, Is.2.4; Mi.4.3; Joel 
3.10. 

Plumb-line, the line on which the plummet, 
or leaden weight, of masons and carpenters 
hangs, for discovering the exactness of 
their work;—an emblem of the rejection of 
Israel, Am. 7.7. 

Plummet, a leaden weight, 2 Ki.21.13; Is. 
28.17; Zee. 4.10. 

Plunge, to put suddenly under water, Job 
9 - 31 - 

Poets, composers of poems or songs; heathen 
ones quoted, Tit.1.12, from Epimenides a 
poet of Crete; Ac. 17.28, from Aratus of 
Cilicia. "lhe book of Job, the Psalms, the 
Song of Sojomon, the Lamentations of 


Jeremiah, a great part of the prophetical 
writings, and many passages in the histori¬ 
cal books of the Hebrew Scriptures, are 
poetical compositions. 

Poison, of serpents, De.32.24; Ps.58.4;—of 
dragons, De. 32. 33;—of asps, Job 20. 16; 
Ro.3.13. 

Policy, art of government, prudence, Da. 

8.25. 

Poll, the head, Nu.i. 2,18,20,22; 3.47;—to 
clip short the hair of the head, Eze.44.20; 
Mi. 1.16. r- 

Pollute, to defile ceremonially, Ex.20.25; 2 
Ki.23.16;—to defile morally, Eze.20.13,31; 
23.30; 36.18. 

Pollux, pol'lux, Ac.28.11. See Castor. 
Polygamy, having more wives than one, 
disapproved, Ge.2.24; Mat. 19.4; Mar. 10.6; 
Ro.7.3; 1 Co.7.2. See Marriage. 
Polytheism, having more gods than one, 
expressly condemned, Ex. 20. 3; Is. 43.10; 
44.8; Ho. 13.4. 

Pomegranates [granate apples, i . e . apples 
with many grains], brought by the spies 
from Eshcol, Nu. 13. 23;—abounded iri 
Canaan, De. 8.8;—representations of,placed 
at the bottom of the high-priest’s robe or 
ephod, Ex.28.33,34; 39.24,25. 

Pommel, a round ball or knob, 2CI1.4.12, 
rendered ‘bowls,’ 1 Ki.7.41. 

Pomp, noisy or gaudy appearance, Is.5.14; 

14.11; Eze.7.24; 30.18; Ac.25.23. 

Pond, or Pool, containing standing water, 
Ex. 7.19; 2Sa.2.13:4.12; Is.35.7; 41.18; Jn. 

5-2; 9.7- 

Ponder, to weigh in the mind, to muse or 
consider, Pr.4.26; 5.21; 21.2; Lu.2.19. 
Pontus, pon'tus [the sea], a province of 
Asia Minor, bounded on the north by the 
Pontus Euxinus (Euxine Sea), whence it 
took its name, on the south by Cappadocia, 
on the east by Colchis, and on the west by 
Paphlagonia and Galatia;—Peter mentions 
it in his first epistle, iPe.1.1. Under Nero 
it became a Roman province along with 
Cappadocia. Jews had established them¬ 
selves here, Ac. 2. 9;—here Aquila lived, 
18.2. 

Pools, of water, Bethesda, Jn.5.2;—Siloam, 
9.7;—Gibeon, 2Sa.2.i3;—Hebron, 4.12;— 
Samaria, 1 Ki. 22. 38; - Upper Pool, 2 Ki. 
18.17;— Lower, Is.22.9;— King's, Ne.2.14; 
— Old, Is. 22.11. 

Poor, those who have little of this world’s 
goods, through the providence of God, 1 
Sa. 2. 7; Ps. 75. 7;—promises to them who 
are. Job 5.15; 36.15; Ps. 9.18; 68.10; 69. 33; 
72. 2,4,12,13; 102.17; 109.31; 113.7; 140.12; 
Is. 14. 30; Ja. 2. 5;—duties of the rich to 
them, Le. 25.35; De. J 5■ T> Ps. 41.1; 112.9; 
Pr. 3.9,10,27; 11.24,25; 14.21,31; 19.17; 22. 
9:28.27; Is.58.6-12; Eze.18.7,9; Mar.10.21; 
1 Ti. 6. 17-19; He. 13. 16;—character and 
danger of those who neglect and despise 
them, De.15.9; 2415; Pr.11.26; 17.5; 21.13; 
28.27; Mat.25.41-46; Ja.2.15,16; 1 J11.3.17; 
—their advantages, Ps.37.16; Pr.28.6; Ec. 
5. 12;—on a level with the rich, Pr. 22. 2; 
Mat.11.5; Lu.7.22; Ja.1.9; 2.5;—their con¬ 
dition sometimes preferable to that of the 
rich, Pr.15.16; 16. 8; 19.1; 28.6; Mat.19.23; 
Lu. 6. 20;—the inconvenience and danger 
of poverty, Pr. 14. 20; 18. 23; 19.4,7; 30. 9; 
Ec.9.15;—through vice and idleness, Pr.6. 
11; 10. 4; 13. 4; 19. 15; 20. 13; 23. 21; 28.19. 
Examples of caring for the poor, Ru.2.14; 
Job 29.12-16; Je. 39.10; Ac. 9. 36,39; 11.29, 
30; 2 Co. 8.1-5. 

Poor in spirit, or the humble, their blessed¬ 
ness, Is. 66.2; Mat. 5.3. 

Poplar-tree, is somewhat similar to the 
willow, Ge.30.37; Ho. 4.13. 

Populous, full of people, De.26.5; Na.3.8. 
Poratha, por'a-tha, a Persian name, one of 
the sons of Haman, slain along with his 
nine brothers, Es.9.8. 

Porch, the entrance hall, Eze.40.7,48;—the 
‘porch of the Lord,’ 2 Ch. 15. 8; 29.17, de¬ 
notes the temple;—the fore court or pas¬ 
sage leading from the court to the temple. 
Mat. 26.71. 

Porcius, poPshus, Porcius Festus, a Roman 
governor of Judea, Ac. 24.27. 

Porters, those who keep, and shut or open 
the gates ofa city or house, 2Sa.i8.26;2 Ki. 
7.10;—David appointed 4000 in the temple, 

1 Ch. 23.5;—they were divided and arranged 
under principal directors; 26.1-13; 2 Ch. 8. 
J 4 - . 

Portion, the share of goods which is allotted 
to one, Ge.14.24; 31.14; Lu.15.12;— God is 
his people’s, Ps.16. 5; 119. 57; 142. 5; La. 3. 
24; the final state of man, Ps.11.6; Mat. 
25-46;—to be a ‘portion for foxes’ is to 


| be slain and left unburied, Ps. 63.10;—a 
‘worthy portion,’ 1 Sa.1.5. 

Possess, to hold or enjoy, Ge.22.17; Nu. 
13.30; Lu.18.12. 

Possession, having in one’s power, Ge. 17. 
8; Ps.2.8; Mat.19.22. 

Possible, all things so with God, Ge.18.14; 
Job42.2; Je.32.17; Mat.19.26; Lu.1.37; 18. 
27 - 

Post, (1) A pillar, Ex.12.7; Ju.16.3.—(2) A 
swift messenger, 2 Ch.30.6; Es.3.13; 8.14; 
Job 9.25. 

Posterity, offspring, children, descendants, 
Nu. 9. 10; 1 Ki. 16. 3; 21. 21; Ps.49.13: 109. 
13 - 

Pot, boiling, an emblem of Jerusalem, Eze. 
24. 1, &c.;—a ‘seething pot,’ Job 41. 31;— 
rendered ‘basket,’ Je.24.2;—‘kettle,’ 1 Sa. 
2.14;—‘caldron,’ 2Ch.35.13. 

Potentate, a mighty sovereign and ruler, 
1 Ti.6.15. 

Potiphar, pot'i-far, the chief officer of 
Pharaoh’s body-guard, to whom Joseph 
was sold, Ge. 37. 36; 39.1;—advances Jo¬ 
seph, 4;—is deceived by his wife, and casts 
Joseph into prison, 20. 

Potiphera, pot-i-fe'rah [sun’s own], a priest 
of On, whose daughter Asenath became 
the wife of Joseph, Ge.41.45. 

Potsherds, pieces of broken earthen ves¬ 
sels, men compared to, ls.45.g-—figura¬ 
tively, things that are worthless, Ps.22.15; 
Pr.26.23; Is.45.9. 

Pottage, broth, flesh cut in small pieces 
and boiled with rice, flour, parsley, &c., 
Ge.25.29; 2 Ki.4.38-40. 

Potter, one who makes earthen vessels, a 
type of the sovereign power of God, Je. 
18.2; Ro.9.21;—the breaking of his vessels 
an emblem of the destruction of Jerusa¬ 
lem, Je. 19.1,11;— potter's field, Mat.27.7. 
See Aceldama. 

Pourtray, to paint or draw a picture, Eze. 

4.1; 8.10; 23.14. 

Power, no security against evils, Jobi. i, 
&c.; 12.17; 34-24; Ps.33.16; 44.6; Lu.1.51. 

- of God, described as sovereign. Job 

9. 12; Da. 4. 35; Ro. 9. 21;— great, Ps.66.3v 
79.11; Is. 40. 26; Na. 1.3;— irresistible, De. 
32. 39; 2 Ch. 20. 6; Job 11. 10; Da. 4. 35;— 
glorious. Ex. 15. 6; Is. 63. 12 ;— unsearch¬ 
able, Jobs. 9; 9- i°:— incomprehensible , 
Job 26. 14; 37. 23; Ec. 3. ix;—a motive to 
obedience, Ps.76.7; Is. 26.4; Mat. 10. 28; 1 
Pe.5.6. 

-, all, given to Christ, Mat. n. 27; 

28.18: Jn.3.35; Ep.1.20; 1 Pe.3.22; Re. 1.1. 
Praise of God, exhortation to it, &c., Ps. 
22.23; 67.3; 69.34; 119.164; Is. 38.19; Ac. 2. 
47; 16. 25;—ought to be offered not only 
with the voice, but with the understand¬ 
ing and heart, Ps.47.7; iii.i; 138.x; 1C0. 
14.15; Ep.5.19; Col.3.16;—should be fre¬ 
quent, Ps. 34. 1; 35.28; 119.164; 145.2; He. 
13.15;—should be expressed by singing, 
Ps.13.6; 18.49; 21.13; 30.4; 33. 3; 89.1; 104. 
33; 147.1; Is. 12.5; 42. 10; 44. 23; 48. 20; 49. 
13; Mat.26.30; Ac. 16.25; Ep.5. i9;Col.3.i6; 
Ja.5.13. 

•-, the subjects of, are, God’s 

goodness, love, and mercy, Ps. 28. 7; 57.9, 
10; 63. 3; 89.1; 106.1; Is. 12.2,4,5; his ma¬ 
jesty and glory, Ps.96.1,6; 138.5; Is.24.14; 
Eze.3.12;—his holiness, Ex. 15.11; Is.6.3; 
—his wisdom. Da. 2. 20; Ro. 16. 27; Jude 
25;—his justice and righteousness, Ps. 7. 
17; xcviii.; 101. 1; 145. 7;—the gift of his 
Son Christ Jesus, Lu. 1.63,69,70; 2.10,11, 
13,14,28-32; 2 Co. 9.15;—redemption, with 
all its blessings, through him, Is. 44.23; 
Ps.103.1-5; 1 C0.15. 57; 2 Co.2.14; Ep.1.3- 
6; 1 Pe.1.3,4; Re. 1. 5,6; 5.12,13; 7.9,10;— 
the obedience and faith of the saints, Ro. 
6.17; 2 Co. 8.16; Ep.1.15,16; Phi. 1. 3; Col. 
1.3, 4; 1 Th. 2. 13; 3. 9; 2 Th. 1. 3;—all his 
wonderful works, of creation, providence, 
and grace, Ps.9.1; 26.7; 75.1; 104.24; in. 
1,2; 139.14; 150.1,2; Re.15.1, &c. &c. 

-of Men, no proper principle of 

action, Mat.6.1; Ga.5.26; Phi.2.3. 
Prancing of horses, their springing and 
bounding, Ju.5.22; Na.3.2. 

Prating, talking excessively and care¬ 
lessly, Pr. 10.8; 3 Jn. 10. 

Prayer to God, an approach of the soul, 
to God with the request for help or bless¬ 
ing; the obligation and use of, 2 Ch. 7.14;. 
Ps.105. 4: Is. 63.15, &c.; Mat. 7. 7; Lu.18. 

1; Phi.4.6; Col.4.2; 1 Ti.2.1; 1 Pe.1.17. 

-, its posture — standing, 1 Ki. 8. 22;. 

Mat.6.5; Mar.11.25; Lu. 18. x 1;— kneeling „ 
1 Ki.8.54; Ac.9.40; 20.36: 21.5. 

-, different kinds of—mental or eja¬ 
culatory, without the utterance of the 











THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


voice, Ex. 14. 15; 1 Sa. 1. 13;— secret , or \ 
alone in the closet, Da.6.10; Mat.6.6; 14. 
23; Lu.6.12; Ac. io.g\—family, or with our 
household, Jos. 24. 15; 2 Sa. 6. 20 ;—social 
and public , Lu.1.10; Ac.1.14; 2.42; 12.12; 
16.13,16; 21.5. 

Prayer, a due preparation for it , Job 11. 
13; Ps.66.18; 145.18; Pr.15.8,29; 28.9; Is. 1. 
15; 29.13; 59.2; Mar.7.6; 11. 25; Jn. 9. 31; 1 
Ti.2. 8; Ja. 1. 6; 4. 3;—to be presented in 
faith, Mat. 21. 22; Mar. 11. 24; He. 11. 6;— 
with the whole heart, Je.29.13; La.3.41; 
Ps. 119. 58,145; He. 10. 22;—with desire to 
be answered, Ps.27.7; 102.2; 108.6; 143.1; 
—in the name of Christ, Jn. 14.13,14; 15. 
16; 16.23; Ep. 5. 20; He. 13.15; 1 Pe. 2. 5;— 
with dependence on the assistance of the 
Holy Spirit, Ro. 8. 15, 26;—with the spirit 
and understanding, Jn. 4. 22-24; 1 Co. 14. 
15;—"with trust in God, Ps.56.9; 86.7; 1 Jn. 
5.14;—with importunity, Ge.32.26; Lu.11. 
8,9; 18.1-7;—with fervour, Ps. 59.17; Lu. 
6.12; 11.8; 18.1; Ro. 12.12; Ep. 6.18;—fre¬ 
quently, Ps.55.17; 86.3; 119.164; Da.6.10; 
Lu.2.37; 18.1; 21.36; Ac.10.2; iTh.3.10; 5. 
17; 1 Ti. 5. 5; 2 Ti. 1. 3; 1 Pe. 4. 7;—without 
ostentation, Mat. 6. 6; Lu. 18.11;—without 
vain repetitions, Ec.5.2; Mat. 6. 7;—for all 
conditions of men, Ep.6.18; iTi.2.1. 

-, its prevalence when properly made, 

Ps.34.15; 145. 18; Is.30.19; Je. 29.12; Mat. 
7.7; Jn.15. 7; Ja. 1. 5; 5. 14; 1 Pe. 3. 2; 1 Jn. 
3.22; 5.14. 

-, examples of answers to it: of Abra¬ 
ham’s servant, Ge. 24. 12;—of Jacob; 32.9; 
Moses, Ex.32.11,31; Nu.14.13; De.3.23;— 
Gideon,Ju.6.17,37;—Manoah, 13.8;—Sam¬ 
son, Ju. 16. 28;—Hannah for a child, 1 Sa. 

1. 10;—David, 2 Sa.7.18; 1 Ch.29.10; Ps. 5. 
1, &c. &c.;—Solomon at the dedication of 
the temple, 1 Ki. 8.22; 2 Ch.6.12;—Heze- 
kiah, 2 Ki. 19.15; 20. 2;—Manasseh in his 
- distress, 2 Ch. 33. 12;—Daniel, Da. 9. 3;— 
Jonah, Jonah 2.1, &c.;—Habakkuk, Hab. 
3.1, &c.;—Asa, 2Ch.14.11:—Jehoshaphat, 
20.6;—Ezra, 9.6;—the Levites, Ne. 9. 5:— 
Esther, Es.4.16;—Amos, Am. 7. 2,5;—Za- 
charias for a son, Lu. 1.13;—blind man, 
Lu. 18.38,41-43;—thief on the cross, Lu. 
23.42,43;—Cornelius, Ac. 10.1;—Paul and 
. Silas, Ac. 16.25,26. 

-, examples of for others: of Abra¬ 
ham for Abimelech, Ge. 20. 17;—Isaac for 
. his wife, 25.21;—Moses for the people, 
Ex.32.ii;33.i2;Nu.ii.2; —for Miriam, 12. 
13;—Samuel for the people, 1 Sa. 12.23;— 
the Christians for Peter, Ac. 12. 5;—Jesus 
for his executioners, Lu. 23. 34;—Stephen 
for his persecutors, Ac. 7.60;—Paul for the 
Jews, Ro. ix.; 10. 1;—the church for him, 
15. 3°;—for Christians, 2C0.1.11; Ep.1.16; 
6.18; Col.4.3; 1 Th. 5. 25; 2 Th.3.1; He. 13. 
18: -for enemies. Mat.5.44; Lu.23.34. 

■_i-proper to precede great under¬ 

takings:—of Elisha before he raised the 
dead child, 2 Ki.4.33;—of Jesus before the 
appointment of the twelve apostles, Lu. 6. 
12 ;—of the apostles before the appoint¬ 
ment of a successor to Judas Iscariot, Ac. 
r.24. 

_ , forms or patterns of it: of Moses 

for the people, Nu. 6. 22;—on the renywal 
of the ark, 10.35;—of the elders of a city 
clearing themselves of a murder, De.21.8; 

._on offering the first-fruits, 26.3,5,13;—by 

Jesus for all Christians, Mat.6.9; Lu.11.2; 
Jn. 17.1, &c. _ , 

Preaching the gospel of Christ, a divine 
institution, Mat. 28.19; Mar. 16.1$; though 
accounted foolishness by many, yet is the 
wisdom and power of God,--i Co. 1. 18-21; 
—honoured in the conversion of 3000 on 
the dav of • Pentecost, Ac. 2. 4i;-other 
2000 added to their number, 4. 4;-the 
Ethiopian eunuch, 8. 35;-—Cornelius and 
his friends, 10. 34-44;—Lydia, 16. 14:—the 
jailer at Philippi, 31-34;—and W u a11 the 
Christian churches were planted and wa- 
• tered, 1 Co. 3.6. 

_of the gospel of Christ ought to be 

plain and easily understood, 1 Co. 14. 19: 
—scriptural in sentiment and style, 2. 4, 
13; Tit. 2. 1 —full, keeping nothing back, 
Ac. 20. 20, ly-bold and undaunted, 9. 27, 
29: 14. 3;— solemn, and free from all thea¬ 
trical airs and levity, 2 Co.4.5: 1 Ti. 3. 8; 
— earnest and warm, 1 Co.2.4; Col. 1.28;— 
affectionate and winning, 1 Th. 2. 7, C: 
and with a desire to bring men to Christ, 
2 Co. 5.20. 

_ (called prophesying , more useful 

than the display of spiritual gifts, 1 Co. 14. 
■1, &c. 

Precepts, injunctions or commands, Me.9. 


14; Is. 28. 10; 29. 13; — the whole word of 
God, Ps. 119.4,15,27,40,45, &c. 

Precepts, or rules of virtue and prudence 
in general, Pr.x.-xxiv. 

Precious, or highly valuable, as Christ is 
to believers, 1 Pe. 2. 4, 7;—his blood or sa¬ 
crifice, 1.19;—the promises, 2 Pe. 1.4. 
Predestinate, to fix or decree beforehand, 
as God has done all things from eternity, 
Ep.i.u. 

Predestination, or God’s pre-ordination, 
or fore-appointment of certain objects to a 
particular end: thus he is frequently men¬ 
tioned as disposing of the good things of 
this world according to his will and plea¬ 
sure, in such terms as imply his predes¬ 
tination of those matters, as De.8.18; 1 Ch. 
29.12; 2 Ch.1.11; Job 1. 21; 9. 12; Ps. 75. 7; 
Da.4.17, &c. 

--, the establishment of Is¬ 
rael in Canaan, and the destruction of 
several wicked states and kingdoms, pre¬ 
destinated, Ge. 12. 7; 13. 15; Ex. 7. 4; 9.16; 
De.2.30; Jos.11.20; Is 44.28; 46.9. 

-, particular persons have 

been predestinated to advance God’s glory, 
and to serve his purposes in different man¬ 
ners;—Pharaoh, Ex. 9. 16;—the Canaan- 
ites, Jos.11. 20;—Cyrus, Is. 44. 28;—Jere¬ 
miah, Je.i.5;—Paul, Ac.9.15; Ga. 1.15,16. 

--, God frequently produces 

good from men’s evil intentions, and this 
is represented as his predestination, Ge. 
50.20; 45.5,7; Job 5.12; Ps.33.10; i27.i;Pr. 
16.9,33; 19.21; Ac.2.23; 4.26-28. 

-, the means of our redemp¬ 
tion, and the propagation of the gospel, 

were predestinated, Ge.3.15; 12.3; 49.10; 
Ps.40.7-10; Mat. 16.18; Lu. 18. 33; Jn. 7. 30; 

8 20; 13.21; Ac.16.7; Ro.9.9; Ep.5.1,11. 

- -— -, some persons have been 

predestinated to grace and glory, L11. 10. 
20; 12.32; Ac.13.48; R0.8. 28, 29; 9.29; Ep. 
1.4,5; 2TI1.9; 1 Pe.2.9. See Election. 

-, dooms no man to eternal 

damnation, except as the merited punish¬ 
ment of his unbelief, rejection of Christ, 
and obstinate continuance in sin, Ps. 9.17; 
Mat.25.41-43; Jn.3.36 •, Ro.2.6,8,9; Ga.6.7, 
8; Re.21.8; 22.15. 

Pre-eminence, superiority, precedence, 
highest in honour, power, &c., as Christ 
is, Col. 1. 18 ;—man has not, above beasts, 
in respect of liability to death, Ec.3.19;— 
Diotrephes proudly sought, 3 J11.9. 

Prefer, to regard more, Ps. 137.6; Da.6.3; 
Jn. 1.15,30. 

Prejudice, prepossession, or a judgment 
or opinion formed before examination;— 
effects of it, iSa.10.27; Mat.13.55; Lu.19. 
14; Jn. 1. 46; 7. 48,52; 9.16; Ac.2.13; 17.18; 
21.28; 22.22. 

Premeditate, to think of and study a mat¬ 
ter beforehand, Mar.13.11. 

Preparation (Day of). Mat. 27.62, the 
first day of the feast of Passover. 

Prepare, to make ready, or qualified, Ex. 

15.2; Mat.n.io;»Lu.3.4. 

Presbytery, an ecclesiastical court of elders, 
or presbyters, for ordaining church officers, 
and governing the church, 1 Ti.4.14. 
Prescience of God, his perfect and eternal 
foreknowledge of all things, Ac. 15.18; 17. 
26; He.4.13. 

Prescribing, ordering, or commanding, 
Ezr.7.22; Is. 10.1. 

Presence, being present, Ge.3.8; Lu.13.26; 
Ac. 3.19; 1 Co. 1.29. 

Present, ready, Ps.46.1; Lu.5.17; Ro.7.18; 
1 Co. 3.22. 

Presents, or gifts, of Abimelech to Abra¬ 
ham, Ge.20.14;—of Abraham’s servant to 
Rebekah, 24.22,53;—of Jacob to Esau, 32. 
13;—of Jacob and his sons to Joseph, 43. 
Ii; _of Joseph to his brethren, 45.22;—of 
David’s father to Saul, 1 Sa. 16.20;—to the 
captain of the host, 17.18; —of Jonathan to 
David, 18.4;—of the Queen of Sheba to 
Solomon, 1 Ki. 10.10;—of the King of Syria 
to Elisha, 2 Ki.5.5;—of the wise men, Mat. 
2.11* 

—— -, advantages resulting from, Pr.17. 

8; 18.16; 21.14; -danger of judges accept¬ 
ing of, 29.4; Ec.7.7. ; - 

Preservation, our being daily kept in life, 
and from hurt, is from God, Ps. 3. 5: 4. 8; 
T2I.8; La.3.22; Mat.6,11; Ac.17.28. 
Presidents, chief rulers under the king, 
Da.6.2,3,4,6. . , 

Presses, vessels or cisterns into which the 
juice of the grapes flowed, Is. 16.10; Hag. 
2.16. 

Presume, venture, De. 18.20; Es. 7.5. 
Presumption, or self confidence and obsti¬ 


nacy manifested, Job 15. 25,26; Pr. 12.15; 
H0.12.S; Lu.18.11; Ro.1.32; Re.3.17;—re¬ 
proved, or punished, Ps. 19.13; Pr.27.1; Lu. 
12.18: Ja.4.13; Re.18.7. 

Presumption, sins of, peculiarly heinous, 
Nu.15.30; De. 17.12; Ps.19.13; 59.5; Mat. 

18.17; Lu. 12.47; J a - 4- *7* Exemplified, 
builders of Babel,Ge. 11.4;—Israelites, Nu. 
14.44;—Korah, &c., Nu. 16. 3, 7;—men of 
Bethshemesh, iSa.9.19;—Jeroboam, 1 Ki. 
13.4;—Benhadad, 1 Ki. 20. 10;—Uzziah, 2 
Ch.26.16;—sons'of Sceva, Ac. 19.13,14. 
Presumptuous, haughty, irreverent, Ps. 19. 

13; 2 Pe.2.10. 

Pretorium, the head-quarters of the Roman 
governor, built by Herod at Jerusalem, 
Mar. 15. 16; — rendered ‘common hall,’ 
Mat.27.27;—‘hall of judgment,’ Jn.18.28, 

33; 19.9. In Ac.23.35 ‘hall of judgment’ 
refers to Herod’s palace at Cesarea. In 
Phi. 1.13 ‘palace.’ 

Prevail, to overcome, Ge. 7. 20; Job 18. 9; 
Mat.i6.18. 

Prevarication. See Lying. 

Prevent, to anticipate, or to go before, Ps. 

79.8; 88.13; 119.148; Mat.17.25; 1 Th.4.15. 
Prevention, of evil advised, Pr.14.16; 22.3; 
Mat. 10.23. 

Prey, to plunder, Je. 30.16;—what is taken 
by spoil or plunder, Ge.49.9,27; Nu.14.3; 
23.24; 31.12. 

Price, value, Le.25.16; Mat. 13.46; 1 Pe.3.4. 
Prick, to pierce, Nu.33.55; Ps.73.21; Ac.2. 
37:9.5. The ‘pricks’ mentioned Ac. 9. 5 
were goads , long pointed sticks used to 
drive oxen by pricking them. 

Pride, or conceit , hateful to God, Fr. 6.16, 
17; 16.5; Am.6.8;—hinders in seeking God, 
Ps. to. 4; Ho. 7. 10;—reproved, Ps. 101. 5; 
131.1; 138.6; Pr.3.7; 6.17; 8.13; 16.18; 17. 
19; 21.4; 26.12; 29.23; Ec.7.16; Is.5.21; Je. 
9.23; Lu.1.51; 18.9; Ro.12.16; iCo.4-7;8.2; 

2 Co. IO.l8 ; Ga.6.3; Phi.2.3: Ja.4.6. 

-, or ambition to exalt one's self, Ps. 

131.1; Pr.17.19; 18.2; 25.6; Je.45.5; Mar.9. 
34; 10.42; Lu. 11.43; 14.9; Ro. 12.16; 1 Th. 
2.6;—motives to guard against it, Ps.10.4; 
12.3; 18.27; Pr. 6.17; 13.10; 15.25; 16.5; 28. 
•25; Is. 14.13, &c.;—the marks of it, Ps. 13.4; 
Pr. 17.19; 30. 12; Mat. 23. 5; Lu. 11. 43; Jn. 
7.18. 

-, examples of it, punished in the case 

of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, Nu.16.1; 
—of Haman, Es.3.1, &c.;—of Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar, Da.4.30;—of Simon Magus, Ac.8.9, 
10;—of Herod Agrippa, 12.22. 

Priests, those who offered sacrifice to God, 
instructed the people, and interceded for 
them; the first mentioned is Melchizedec, 
Ge. 14.18;—prior to the time of Moses, no 
distinct class of men were appointed to 
this office, but every father of a family 
seems to have acted as priest of his house¬ 
hold; as Abel, Ge. 4. 4;—Noah, 8. 20;— 
Abraham, 22.13;—Isaac, 26.25;—Jacob, 33. 
20; 35.7. 

-, from the giving of the law by 

Moses all the male posterity of Aaron were 
appointed to be priests, Ex. 28.1, &c.;— 
their consecration, 29.1, &c.;—their offer¬ 
ings at that time, Le.6.19;—their garments, 
Ex.28.40; 39.27, &c.;—forbidden to drink 
wine during their ministration, Le. 10.8;— 
their portion of the sacrifices, Nu.8.9; De. 
18.3;—the heave-offering out of it, Nu.18. 
25;—their mourning, Le.21.1;—their mar¬ 
riages, 13;—to be without blemish, 17;— 
when they must abstain from holy things, 
22.1;—their genealogies, 1 Ch. 9.10;—dis¬ 
tributed into orders by David, 24.1, &c.; 
—and Levites, their cities, 6. 54;—who of 
them returned from Babylon with Zerub- 
babel, Ne. 12.1;—their offices in the temple, 
44;—ordinances for them in future time, 
Eze. 44.17—priesthood of Christ foretold 
and executed, Ps. no. 4; Je.33.17; Zec.6.12; 
He.4.14; 5.1; 7.11; 8.1, &c. 

-, High, or chief of all the priests, 

was Aaron himself, and after him the eldest 
son of the eldest branch of his family, Ex. 
28.1; Nu.20.28;—he was to be clothed with 
peculiar garments, Ex.28.2-14;—to wear a 
breastplate, with twelve precious stones, 
bearing the names of the twelve tribes of 
Israel, 15-29;—to him pertained the Urim 
and the Thummim , 30;—his long robe had 
golden bells and pomegranates fixed to its 
hem, 33-35;—his head was crowned with 
a mitre, on which was a plate of gold 
with this inscription, Holiness to the 
Lord, 36-38;—ivas to be consecrated by- 
being anointed with the holy oil, and by 
sacrifice, 29.1-37 ; not to uncover his head, 
or rend his clothes, Le. 21. 10; to marry 


(Pr—Pr) 629 

only a virgin of his own people, 13.14;—he 
alone entered into the holy of holies, 16.1, 
&c.;—was supreme judge of all controver¬ 
sies in the Jewish church, Mat. 26. 3; Lu. 

22 - 54 - 

Priest High ),Christ our great, He.4.14; — 
this was foretold of him, Ps.110.4;—he was 
called of God, as was Aaron, He. 5.4,5:— 
was anointed with the Holy Ghost above 
measure, Ac.4.27; 10.38;—voluntarily offer¬ 
ed himself, in soul and body, a sacrifice for 
men, Is.53.5,10; Mat.20.28; Jn.10.11; Ep. 
5.2; Tit.2.14; He.9.26; 10.5,6;—as his sacri¬ 
fice was infinitely perfect, he needed to 
offer it only once, He. 10. 10-14;—he has 
entered into the most holy place to present 
it to God, 9.12;—he intercedes for his peo¬ 
ple, Ro.8.34; He.7.25; 1 Jn.2.1. 

Prince, the son of a king, or one possessed 
of high rule and authority;—Christ is the 
prince of peace, Is.9.6;—the prince of life, 
Ac.3.15;—prince of the kings of the earth. 
Re. 1.5;—the devil is called the prince of 
this world, Jn. 12.31;—the prince of the 
power of the air, or those evil spirits who 
inhabit the aerial regions, Ep. 2. 2;—the 
Roman emperor, Da.9.26;—the chief of a 
family or tribe, Nu. 17.6. 

Princess, the daughter of a king, of a 
prince’s consort; — Solomon had 700 as 
wives, 1 Ki. 11. 3 -—figuratively, the city 
of Jerusalem, La.i.i. 

Principal, the chief. Ex.30.23; Nu.5.7; Is. 
16.8; Ac.25.23. 

Principality, royal state, or the attire of 
the head marking the same, Je. 13. 18;— 
chief rulers, Tit. 3.1;—government, by good 
angels, Ep. 1.21; 3.10;—wicked spirits, 6. 
12; Col.2.15. 

Principle, a point of belief, He.5.12; 6.1. 
Print, a deep mark, made by cutting or 
wounding, Le. 19.28; Jn.20.25;—graven or 
written. Job 19.23. 

Priscilla, pris-cil'la, or Prisca, 2 Ti. 4. 19, 
the wife of Aquila, who, along with her 
husband, entertained Paul, and with whom 
he wrought as a tent-maker or manufac¬ 
turer of awnings of haircloth, Ac. 18.2,26; 
Ro.16.3; 1 Co. 16.19. 

Prison, a place of confinement, Mat. 4.12; 
Lu. 23. 19;—a low and afflicted condition, 
Ps.142.7; Ec.4.14; Is.42.7;—the grave, 53. 

8;—hell, 1 Pe.3.19. 

Prisoners, those confined in prison, our 
duty towards them, Mat.25.36; He.13.3;— 
of hope, all who hear the gospel, Zee.9.12. 
Private, or secret things, will be revealed 
and come to judgment, Job 31. 4; 34. 21, 
&c.; Ps.139.11, &c.; Pr.5.21; Ec.12.14; Je. 
32.19; Ro.2.16; He.4.13. 

Privy, private, secret, De. 23.1; 1 Ki. 2.44; 
Ac. 5.2. 

Prize, or reward, in a race, 1 Co. 9. 24;— 
eternal bliss, Phi.3.14. 

Proceed, to go on, or go out, Ex. 25. 35; 
Jos.6.10; Job 40.5; Mat.15.19. 

Process of Time, in course, or after some 
time,Ge.4.3; 38.12; Ex.2.23; Ju.11.4; 2Ch. 
21.19. 

Prochorus, pro'ko-rus, one of the first seven 
deacons of the Christian church, Ac.6.5. 
Proclamation, a public notice, given by 
authority. Ex.32.5; 1 Ki. 15.22; 22.36; Da. 
5 - 29 - 

Procrastination, putting off from day to 
day, deferring till a fuyire time;—con¬ 
demned by Christ, Lu. 9. 59-62;— its dan¬ 
ger, Ge. 19.16; Mat. 5. 25: Lu. 13. 25;—mo¬ 
tives for avoiding, Ec.12.1; Pr.27.1; Is.55. 
6; 2 Co.6.2;—Felix, an example, Ac.24.25. 
See Delays. 

Procure, to obtain, Pr. n. 17; — to bring 
upon one’s self, Je.2.17: 4.18; 26.19. 
Profane, not holy, but allowed for common 
use, Eze. 42. 20; 44. 23 person, one who 
despises or abuses sacred things, Le.21.7; 
He. 12.16; —to use holy things as if they 
were base or common, Le. 18. 21; 21. 12; 
Eze.23.39; Mat. 12.5; Ac.24.6. 

Profess, to declare openly and plainly, De. 
26.3; Mat.7.23; Tit. 1.16. 

Profession, an open and avowed declara¬ 
tion of our belief, 1 Ti. 6. 12; He. 3. 1;—to 
be held fast, 4.14; 10.23. 

Profit, to gain advantage, improve, Is.30.5; 
Ro.3.1; He. 12.10. 

Profitable, or beneficial, we cannot be to 
God, Job 22.2;—godliness is to us, 1 Ti.4. 
8;—all Scripture is, 2TL3.16. 

Profound, deep, Ho. 5.2. 

Progenitors, forefathers, Ge.49.26. 
Prognosticators, persons who pretended to 
foretell the various events of every month 
of the year, ls.47.13. 

































630 (Pr—Pr) 

Prolong, to lengthen in time, or protract, 
l)e. 4. 26,40; 32.47; Job 6.11; Ps. 61.6; Is. 

53. IO - 

Promise, of an interest in God, as the 
covenant God of his people, 2 Sa.23.5; Is. 
55.3: Je.31.31-34;—as their God, Ge.17.7; 
P^ 48.14: ls.41.10; Je.30.22;2 Co.6.16; He. 

S. 10:—their portion, Ps. 16.5; 73. 26; La. 3. 
.>4;— his presence with them, Ex.33.14: Ps. 
140.13: ls.41.10; Eze.34.30; Jn.14.23;- his 
love to them, De.7 13; Ps.42.8; ls.43.4; Je. 
31.3; Ho. 14. 4: Zep. 3. 17;—his mercy to 
them, Ps. 103. 13,17; Is. 30. 18; Ho. 11. 8;— 
his help to them, De. 33. 27, 29; Ps.115. 9; 
Pr. 30.5; Is.41.10,13,14; Ho.i3.9; He.13.6; 
—his care for them, De.32.11,12; Ps.33.18; 
Is.46.3,4: 63.9; Zee.2.8; 1 Pe.5.7. 

Promises of God, are the gracious declara¬ 
tions of his Word, in which he engages to 
bestow blessings on his people;—they are 
great and precious, 2 Pe. 1. 4;—they are 
made through Christ, 2 Co.1.20:—their ac¬ 
complishment is certain, Nu. 23. 19; De.7. 
9: 1 Sa. 15.29; Ps. 89. 3, 34; 105. 8; Lu. r. 45; 
He.10.23: Ja.1.17. 

-, to Noah, Ge. 8. 21:9.9, 

&c .;—to Abraham, 12. 7; 13.14; 15.x; I7- 1 , 
&c.;—15. 18,10; 22. 15;—to Hagar, 16.10; 
21. 17;—to Isaac, 26.2;—to Jacob, 28. 13; 
31.3; 32.12; 35.11; 46.31—10 David, 2Sa.7. 
5,12;—to Solomon, 2CI1.1.7; 7.12. 

—-, applicable to all his 

people ;— of temporal blessings, in general, 
Ps. 34.9,10; Mat. 6. 33; Phi. 4.10;—particu¬ 
larly, of food and raiment, Ps.37.3; 111.5; 
Mat.6.25,26,30-32;—of safety and protec¬ 
tion, De 33.12; Ps.91.1-4; 112.7; 121.3; Is. 
33.16; 43.2;—of peace, Le. 26. 6; Ps.29.11; 
119. 165; Is. 32. 18;-— of direction, Ps.37.23; 
73. 24; Pr. 3. 6; Is. 42. 16;—of success and 
prosperity, Ps. 1. 3; 128. 2; Is 65. 21-23:—a 
blessing on a good man’s children and 
household, Ps. 102. 28; 112.2: Pr. 3. 33; 13. 
22:14.11,26;—on all he hath, Ex.23.25; 
De. 26.11; 28.3-8. 

--, relating to trouble and 

affliction. See Affliction. 
-, of deliverance from fa¬ 
mine and want, Job 5.20; Ps.33.18,19; 37. 
19; Is.41.17;—from war and enemies, De. 
20. 4: Job 5. 20; Ps. 37. 40; Pr.3.25,26; 16.7; 
Is.41.11,12; Je.32.17,18;—from oppression 
and injustice, Ps.12.5; 72.4,14; 109.31; Is. 
54.14;—from slander and reproach. Job 5. 
21; Ps. 31. 20; 37. 6; Is.51.7,8; Mat.5.11,12; 
1 Pe.4.14. 

-, to the stranger, De. 10. 

18: Ps.146.9: Eze.11.16;—to the poor and 
helpless, Ps. 9.18; 69. 33; 72.12,13; 102.17;' 
107.41; 113.7; Ja. 2.5;—to the widow and 
fatherless, Ex. 22. 22,23; De.xo. x8; Ps. 10. 
14,18; 68. 5: 146. 9; Pr. 15. 25; 23.10,11; Je. 
49.11; Ho.14.3;—to the prisoner and cap¬ 
tive, De.30.4; Ps.68.6; 146.7; Is.49.25. 

■-, of spiritual blessings, in 

general, Ps. 25. 10; 34. 10; 84. 11; Ro. 8. 30; 
Ep.1.3; 2 Pe.1.3;—particularly, of pardon 
of sin, Ex.34.7; Ps.65.3; 103.12; 130.4,8; Is. 
43.25; 44.22; Je.31.34; Mi.7.18,19;—of the 
most heinous sins, Is. 1. 18; 1 Co. 6.9-11; 1 
Jn.1.7;—of all sins, Ps.103.3; Je.33.8; Eze. 
33.16; 36. 25;- justification, Nu. 23. 21; Is. 
45-25:53- 11 : Ac.13.39; Ro.3.24; 5.1,9: 8.33, 
34;—reconciliation, Is.27.5 ;Ro. 5.9,10:2 Co. 
5.18,19; Ep. 2. 13-17; Col. 1. 21;—adoption, 
Is.63.16; R0.8.14,15; 9.26; 2 Co.6.18: Ga.3. 
26; 4.4,5; Ep. 1.5; ijn. 3.1,2;—access to 
God through Christ, with acceptance, Ep. 
i.6; 2.18; 3.12; 1 Pe. 2.4,5; He. IO -19,20;— 
hearing of prayer, Job 22. 27; Ps. 34.6,15, 
17: 50.15; 91.15; 145.19; Is.30.19; 58.9; 65. 
24: Je.29.12; Zee. 13.9; Mat.7.7,8,11; 21.22; 
J11. 14. 13; 15. 7; 16. 23,24; 1 Jn. 3. 22; 5.14; 
—sanctification, Is. 1. 18; Eze. 36 25-27; 1 
Co.6.11; iTh. 5. 23; Tit.2.14;—knowledge 
and wisdom, Pr.2.6; Is.2.3; 29.18,24; 52.6; 
Ja. 1. 5;—teaching and guidance, Ps. 25. 8, 
12: 32.8; 73. 24; Is. 49. 10; 58.11;—suppoit 
under temptation and deliverance from it, 
Is.40.29; 41.10; R0.16.20; 1 Co.10.13; 2Co. 
12. 9; He. 2.18; 2 Pe.2.6;—fruitfulness, and 
increase in grace, Ps. 1.3; 92.12-14; J e. 31.12; 
Ho. 14. 5; Mai. 4.2; Jn. 15.2,5;—that God 
will never forsake them, Ps.37.28; 94.14; 
Is.42.16; 49.14,15; 54 9,10; Je.32.40; La. 3. 
31, 32; He. 13. 5;—that they shall be pre¬ 
served to eternal life, J11. 10. 28, 29; Ro. 8. 
38,39; 1 Co. 1.8; Phi. 1.9; 1 Th.5.23,24. 

-, of the influences of the 

Holy Spirit, Pr.1.23; Is.32.15:59.21; Eze. 
36.27; Lu.11.13; Jn.4.10,14; 7 38,39; 14.16, 
17; Ga.3.14; 1 Co.2.12;—his teaching, Lu. 
12.12; Jn.16.13; 1 Co. 2.10; 1 Jn. 2. 27;—his 
help in prayer, Zee. 12.10; Ro. 8. 15,26.27; 


THE WORLD’S B: 

Ga.4.6;—his witnessing with the spirits of 
his people, Ro. 8. 16; 2Co. 1. 22; 5. 5; his 
sealing them to redemption, 2 Co.1.22; Ep 
1.13; 4.30;—his comforting them, Jn. 14.16; 

15.26; 16.7; Ro. 14.17- 

Promises of God,of support in death, Ps.23. 

4; 37- 37: 73- 26; Pr. 14. 32; Is. 25. 8; Ho. 
13.14: R0.8.38,39; 1 Co. 15.55 - 57; 2 1 i. 1.12, 
—of happiness to the soul immediately 
after death, Lu.16.25; 23.43; Phi. 1.21,23: 

2 Co.5.8; He. 12.23; Re.14.13;—°f a glori¬ 
ous resurrection, Job 19. 26, 27; Is. 26. 19; 
Da.12.2; L11.20.35,36; Jn.5.28,29; 6.39,4°. 
54; 11. 25; Ro. 8.11; 1 Co. 15. 21,22,42,52- 
54; 2 Co. 5. 1-4; Phi. 3. 21; i lh. 4. 14;—of 
everlasting happiness in heaven, Da. 12.3; 
Mat. 13.43; 25.34,46; Jn. 14.2,3; Ro.2.7; 8. 
17,18,30; 2Co.4.17,18; Col.3.4; 1 Ih.4.17; 

2 Pe.i.n: Re.2.10; 7.15-17; 21.22,23. 
Promotion, advancement or preferment, 
Ps.75.6; Pr.3.35:—sometimes unexpected, 

1 Sa.2.7; Ps.75.6; Da.2.21;—of Joseph, Ge. 
39. i,&c.; 41.39;—of Moses, Ex.3.1,10;—of 
David, 2Sa.2.4: 5.1;—of Mephibosheth, 2 
Sa.9.1, &c.;—of Jehu, king of Israel, 2 Ki. 
9.2. 

Pronounce, to declare or speak plainly, 

I. e.5.4; 13.3; Ju.12.6; Ne.6.T2; Je.n.17. 
Proof, trial, evidence, 2 Co.2.9; 8.24; 13.3; 

Phi.2,22; 2 Ti.4.5. 

Proper, fit, 1 Ch. 29. 3; Ac. 1.19; 1 Co. 7.7; 

He. 11.23. 

Prophecies relating to Christ: general ones 
declaring the coming of a Messiah, Ge.3. 
15; De.18.15; Ps.89.20; Is.2.2; 9.6; 28.16; 
32.1; 35.4; 42.6; 49.1; 55.4; Eze.34.24; Da. 
2.44; Mi.4.1; Hag.2.7; Zee.3.8;—his excel¬ 
lency and dignity, and the design of his 
mission, Ge. 12.3; 49.10; Nu.24.19; De. 18. 
18; Ps.21.1; Is.59.20; Je. 33.16;—his di¬ 
vinity, Ps. 2.7,11; 45.7; 72.8; 1 to. 1; Is. 9.6; 
25.9; 40.10; Je.23.6; Mi.5.2; Mai.3.1;—the 
nation, tribe, and family he was to de¬ 
scend from, Ge.12.3; 18.18; 21.12; 22.18; 
26.4; 28.14; 49.8; Ps. 18.50; 89.4,29,36; 132. 

11; Is. 11.1; Je.23.5; 33.15:—the time when 
he was to appear, Ge.49.10; N11.24.17; Da. 
9.24; Hag.2.7; Mal.3.1;—the place of his 
birth, Nu.24.17,19; Mi.5.2;—that a mes¬ 
senger should go before him. Is.40.3; Mai. 
3.1; 4.5;—that he was to be born of a vir¬ 
gin, Ge. 3.15; Is. 7.14; Je. 31.22;—that he 
was to be worshipped by the wise men, 
Ps.72.10,15; Is.60.3,6:—that there should 
be a massacre at Bethlehem, Je.31.15;— 
that heshould be carried into Egypt, Ho. 

II. 1;— that he was to be distinguished by 
peculiar grace and wisdom, and by the de¬ 
scent of the Holy Spirit upon him. Is. 11.2; 
42.1:61.1;—that he should be a prophet, 
De. 18.15;—that he should preach the word 
of the Lord, Ps.2.7; Is.2.3; 61.1; Mi.4.2;— 
that he should work miracles, Is. 35. 5;— 
that he should cast the buyers and sellers 
out of the temple, Ps.69.9;—that he should 
be a priest and offer sacrifice, no.4;—that 
he should be hated and persecuted, 22.6; 
35.7,12; 109.2; Is. 49.7; 53.3;—that heshould 
be rejected by the chiefs of the Jews, Ps. 
118.22;—that the Jews and Gentiles should 
conspire to destroy him, Ps.2.1; 22.12; 41.5; 
—that he should ride triumphantly into 
Jerusalem, 8.2; Zee.9.9;—that he should be 
sold for thirty pieces of silver, Zee. 11.12;— 
that he should be betrayed by one of his 
own familiar friends, Ps.41.9; 55.12;—that 
his disciples should forsak’e him, Zee. 13.7; 
—that he should be accused by false wit¬ 
nesses, Ps. 27.12; 35.11; 109.2;—that he 
should not plead upon his trial, 38.13; Is. 
53-7;—that he should be insulted, buffeted, 
and spit upon, Ps.35.15,21; Is.50.6;—that 
he should be scourged, Is. 50.6; Mi.5.1;— 
that he should be crucified, Ps. 22.14,17;— 
that they should offer him gall and vine¬ 
gar to drink, 15; 69.21;—that they should 
part his garments, and cast lots upon his 
vesture, 22.18;—that he should be mocked 
by his enemies, 16; 109.25;—that his side 
should be pierced, Zee. 12. 10;—also his 
hands and Ins feet, Ps. 22.16; Zee.13.6;— 
that he should be patient under his suffer¬ 
ings, Is.53.7;—that he should pray for his 
enemies, Ps. 109. 4;—that a bone of him 
should not be broken, 34.20; — that he 
should die with malefactors, ls.53.9,12;— 
that he should be cut off in the midst of 
his days, Ps. 89. 45; 102.'24;—that there 
should be an earthquake at his death. Zee. 
14.4;—and a remarkable darkness, Am.5. 
20; 8.9; Zee. 14.6;—that be should be buried 
with the rich, Is.53.9;—that he should rise 
again from the dead. Ps.16.10; 30.3; 41.10; 
118. 17; Ho. 6. 2;—that he should ascend 


BLE AUXILIARY 

into heaven, and sit on the right hand of | 
God, Ps. 16.11; 24.7; 68.18; 110.1; 118.19; 
— that after his ascension he should send 
the Holy Ghost, Ps.68.18: Joel 2.28,29:— 
that his betrayer should die suddenly and 
miserably, Ps. 55.15,23; 109.17:—that the 
potter’s field should be bought with the 
purchase money, Zee. 11.13. Compare these 
with the article on Christ. 

Prophecies, other prophecies accomplish¬ 
ed : concerning Abraham’s posterity in 
Egypt, Ge. 15. 13;—concerning Isaac, 18. 
10; 21.1;—of Joseph’s advancement, 37.5; 
42.6;—of the builder of Jericho, Jos. 6. 26: 

1 Ki. 16. 34;—of the death of Eli’s sons, 

1 Sa. 2. 34; 4.11;—of the death of Saul, 28. 
19; 31.2;—of the birth of Josiah, 1 Ki.13.2; 

2 Ki. 23. 15;—of the death of a prophet, 

1 Ki. 13. 22, 30;—of the destruction of the 
house of Jeroboam, 14. 10; 15. 29:—of the 
death of his son, 14.12,17;—of the destruc¬ 
tion of the house of Baasha, 16. 3, n; -of 
the great drought in the reign of Ahab, 17. 

1: 18.41;—of the invasion of the King of 
Syria, 20. 22,26;—of the revenge of the 
death of Naboth, 21.19; 22.38;—of the de¬ 
struction of the house of Ahab, 21. 21: 2 
Ki. 10. 11;—of the death of Jezebel, 1 Ki. 
21. 23; 2 Ki. 9. 36;—of the production of 
water to supply an army, 2 Ki.3.17,20;—of 
plenty in a siege of Samaria, 7. 1, 18;—of 
the death of the lord who did not believe 
the prophet, 7. 2, 20;—of the reign of the 
sons of Jehu to the fourth generation, 10. 
30: 15.12;—of the destruction of the King 
of Assyria, 19.7,35,37;—of the Babylonish 
captivity, 20.17; 24.13; Je.27.1-7:29.11-14; 
—the total desolation of Nineveh, Na.1.1- 
10; 3.7; Zep. 2.13;—and of Babylon, Je.50. 
35-40; 51.24-26,37,64. 

-, spoken by Christ, respect¬ 
ing his sufferings and the manner of his 
death, Mat.16.21; 17.22,23; 20.18,19; Mar 
8.31:9.31; 10.32,39; Lu.9.22; 18.31-33;—the 
timehe should remain in thegrave, Mat.12. 
40;—his resurrection on the third day, 16. 
21; Mar.8.31; 9.31; I.u.9.22; 18.33; Jn.2.19, 
21;—the place where his disciples were to 
prepare the passover. Mat.21.1-3; Mar. 11. 
2; Lu.19. 30, 31;—that Judas would betray 
him, Mat.26.21,23,25;Lu.22.3,4; Jn. 13.21- 
26;—that Peter would deny him. Mat. 26. 
34; Mar.14.30; Lu. 22. 34: J11. 13. 38;—that 
his other disciples would forsake him. Mat. 
26.31 ;Mar. 14.27;Jn. 16.32;—that he should 
ascend into heaven, Jn.6.62; 16.28; 20.17; 
—the sending of the Holy Ghost as the 
Comforter to his apostles, 14.16,26; 15.26; 
—that they should be endowed with the 
gift of tongues, Mar. 16. 17;—the persecu¬ 
tions to which they should be subjected, 
Mat.23.34-36; 24.9; Mar. 13.9; Jn. 16. 1-4; 

— the sufferings and death of Peter, 21.18, 
19;—the destruction of the city and tem¬ 
ple of Jerusalem, Mat. 24.1,2; Mar. 13.1,2; 
Lu. 19. 41-44; 21. 6;—the signs by which 
this should be preceded, Mat.24.3-7; Mar. 
i 3 -5~8; Lu.21.8-11;—the rejection of the 
Jews, and the preaching of his gospel in 
all nations, Mat.8.11,12; 24.14; Lu.13.28, 
29- 

Prophecy, the foretelling of such future 
events as were beyond the reach of human 
sagacity, and which therefore none but 
God could reveal;—holy men of God thus 
spake and wrote, as they were moved by 
the Holy Ghost, Nu.11.25; 24.2: 2 Sa.23.2; 

2 Ch.20.14; Ne.9.30; Is.48.16; Eze.2.2; 3. 
12; Mi.3.8; Zee.7.12; Ac. 1.16; 11.28; 21.11; 
28.25; 1 Ti.4.1; 2 Pe. 1.21;—not always un¬ 
derstood by the prophets themselves, 1 Pe. 
1.10-12. 

Prophet, one qualified and authorized to 
speak for God to men ; foretells future 
events, 1 Sa.3.20; 1 Ki. 18.22; 19.16; Je. 1.5; 

— teaches and explains divine truths, 1 Co. 
12.10; 14.1,3, 5,22, 24, 31;—one under the 
influence of an evil spirit, and who imitated 
the true prophets, 1 Sa. 18.10; 1 Ki.22.22; 

v —a heathen poet, Tit. 1.12. 

Prophetesses, female prophets: Miriam, 
Ex. 15. 20;—Deborah, Jn. 4. 4;—Huldah, 
2 Ki. 22. 14;—Noadiah, Ne. 6. 14;—Anna, 
Lu.2.36;—the daughters of Philip, Ac.21. 
9;—the wife of a prophet so called. Is.8.3. 
Prophets, a succession of them from Moses 
till Malachi;—promised, De. 18.15;—their 
duty, 1 Sa. 12.23; Is. 58.1; 62. 6; Je. 1.8,17; 
23.28; Eze.2.6; 3 9,ii, 17; 34. 2:—to be re¬ 
spected, Je. 25. 4; 26. 4; — sometimes de¬ 
spised, 23.33,34,35;—:! blessing to the 
people, Is. 30.20: Je.3.15; Am. 8.11;—a pre¬ 
sumptuous one to be put to death, De. 18. 
20; —false ones described and complained 


of, Is.56.10; Je.6.13; 23.1; Eze.22.25; 34.2: 
Mi.3.11; Mal.1.6;—the danger of follow¬ 
ing them, De. 13. 1-3;—judgments de¬ 
nounced against them, 5; Je. 14. 15; 23. 21, 
25; 28.15; 29.31; Eze. 13.3; 14 9;- one from 
Judah meets Jeroboam at Bethel, 1 Ki. 13. 
1;—is killed by a lion, 23; lying ones 
complained of-, Je.14.13; 23.9;—such to be 
destroyed, 25.34;- reproved, Eze. 13. 1;— 
foretold to arise in the Christian church, 
Mat. 7. 15; 24. 11,24; Ac. 20. 29; 1 Ti. 4. 1; 

2 Pe. 2. 1; 3.3;—‘sons of’ the, 2 Ki.2.3,5: 
pupils of the prophets, trained by them in 
the knowledge of religion. 

Propitiation, the action of a person who, 
in some appointed way, turns away the 
wrath of God, Ro.3.25; 1 Jn.2.2; 4.10. See 
Atonement. 

Proportion, an equal part, 1 Ki. 7. 36;— 
symmetry, or agreement of one part with 
another, Job 41. 12;—analogy of faith, or 
harmony of its different parts, Ro. 12.6. 
Proselyte [incomer], a convert from hea¬ 
thenism to the Jewish religion, Ac.2.10.6. 
5:13. 43;— of the gate, was one permitted 
to dwell in the land of Israel; and who, 
without submitting to circumcision, or any 
other ceremony of the law, worshipped the 
true God, according to the moral law, and 
the rules imposed on the children of Noah; 

- —of righteousness, was one who received 
circumcision, and the whole law of Moses, 
and enjoyed all the privileges of a native 
Hebrew, Ezr.6.21. 

Proseuche the original Greek , prayer, or 
rather an oratory, 01 place for prayer, com¬ 
monly surrounded with the shade of trees; 
Christ continued in one all night engaged 
in prayer, Lu.6.12;—Paul and his atten¬ 
dants spent the Sabbath in one, near to 
Philippi, Ac. 16.13. 

Prospect, view, or side from which the 
adjacent ground was seen, Eze. 40. 44, 46; 
43-4- 

Prosperity, or Adversity, of a worldly 
kind, no evidence of virtue or vice, or of 
the favour or displeasure of God, Job 12.6; 
20. 4; 21. 7,18; Ps.17.10; 73. 3,13; 92. 7; Ec. 

8. 14; 9. 2; Je. 12. 1; Hab. 1. 16; Mai. 3. 14; 
Mat.5.45; L11.13.1; 16.19; J11. 9.2; Ac 28.4; 
—advantages and evils of, will be adjusted 
hereafter, Ps. 37. 1; Ec. 5. 8; 8. 12; Je. 5.29; 
Lu. 16.25; Ro.8.18. 

-, a dangerous state, De. 6. 10; 

Pr. 1.32; 30.8; Lu.6.24; 12.16; Ja.5.1-6. 

-, of the wicked not to be envied, 

Job 12. 6; 20. 5; 21. 7,18; Ps. 37. 1; 73. 1,18; 
92.7; Ec.8.12; Je. 12.1, &c.: Lu.16.19. 

-, or Calamity, of nations, 

causes thereof: of the Amorites, Ge. 15.16; 
—of Sodom, 18.20;—of the Israelites, Le. 
26. 3; De. 7.12; 28. 15: Ju. 2. 20; 1 Ki. 8. 33- 
11. 14,23; 2 Ki. 17. 7; Ps. 78. 33; 107. 11, 34; 
Pr. 14.34; 28. 2; Is.47.8; 50.1; Je.4.18; 7.17; 

9. 13; 12. 4; 15. 1; 16. 10; 17. 19; 22. 3; 44. 3, 
&c.; Eze.5.5; 14.13; Ho.4.1; Am.4.6; Mat. 
23-37- 

Prostitute, to profane, or to give up to 
whoredom, Le. 19.29. 

Protection, a defence or cover from evil, 
De.32.38;—God’s protection of his people 
described, De. 32. 10-14: Ps. xci. 121. 3-8; 
Is.63.9. See Providence. 

Protest, to give a solemn declaration of 
one’s opinion or resolution, Ge.43.3; 1 Sa. 
8.9; Zee.3.6; 1 Co.15.31. 

Prove, to try or examine one’s self, 2 Co. 
13.5; 1 Th.5.21;—to manifest by argument 
or evidence, Ac.9.22: R0.3.10;—to try by 
some mercy or affliction, that men may- 
know themselves, and be known by others. 
Ex. 16.4; De.8.2. 

Provender, dry food for cattle, such as hay- 
or corn, Ge. 24. 25,32; 42. 27; 43. 24; Ju. 19. 
19,21; Is.30.24. 

Proverb, a short and pithy moral sentence, 
maxim, comparison, or enigma, expressed 
in a style that is poetical and figurative, 
Pr. 1.1, &c.;—a by-word, De. 28. 37; 1 Sa. 
10.12; Ps.69.11;—a kind of parable, Jn.16. 
25.29. 

Provide, to procure beforehand, to prepare, 
or to supply, Ge. 22. 8; 30. 30; Job 38. 41; 
Mat. 10.9, Ro. 12.17; 1 Ti.5.8. 

Providence, prudent foresight and care in 
managing affairs, Ac.24.2. 

Providence of God, is his continual super- 
intendenceand care over creation; asserted, 
Ex.21.13; Ne.9.6; Job 1.12; 2.6; 5.6; 23.14; 
Ps. 65. 9; 75. 6; 105.14; 113. 7; 127.1; 147. 6; 
Pr. 16.9,33; xo. 21; 20. 24; 21.30; Ec. 9.1,11; 
Je. 10 23; Mat. 6. 26; 10.29: Jn. 3.27;—it is 
universal, extending over the natural 
world, Ps.104.13; 135.5-7; 147-8-18; 148.7, 



















(Pr—Ra) 


8; Job 9.5,6; 21. 9-11; 37. 6-13; Ac.14.17;— 
the brute creation , Ps. 104. 21-29; J 47 91 
Mat.6.26; 10.29;— general affairs of men, 

1 Ch. 16.31; Ps. 47.7; 66. 7; Pr.21.1; Job 12. 
23; Is.10.12-15; Da.2.21; 4.25;— the affairs 
of individuals, 1 Sa.2.6; Ps.18.30; Pr.16.9; 

Is. 45.5; Lu. 1.53; Ja. 4.13-15;— the free acts 
of men, Ex.12.36; 1 Sa. 24.9-15; Ps. 33.14, 
15; Pr. 16. t; 19. 21: 20. 24; 2i. 1; Je. 10. 23; 
Phi. 2.13;—is exercised over the sinful acts 
of men, 2 Sa. 16.10; 24.1; Ps. 76. 10; Ro. 11. 
32; Ac. 4. 27, 28;—is unerringly wise, Ps. 
104. 24; Is. 28. 29;-—sometimes dark and 
mysterious, Ps. 18.11; 77.19; Ro. 11.33;— 
always just, De.32.4; Ps.97.2; Ho. 14.9;— 
perfectly holy, Ps. 145.17;—executed with 
almighty power, Job 9.12; Da.4.35;—com¬ 
monly connected with the use of second 
causes or means, 1 Ki. 22. 28,34: Ac.27.31, 
34;—cannot be defeated, 1 Ki. 22. 30-34; 
Pr.21.30; Is.8.9,10; Je.9.23;—is the execu¬ 
tion of an eternal purpose embracing all 
God’s works from the beginning in one 
entire system, Ac. 15.18; Ep. 1.11; Ps. 104. 
24; Is.28.29. 

Province, a country, or part of a kingdom, 

1 Ki. 20. 14, 15; Ezr. 4. 15; 6. 2; Es. 1. 1;—a 
country subject to the Roman empire, Ac. 
23 - 34:15 I- 

Provision, or food, Ge.42.25; 45.21;—that 
for Solomon’s household for one day, 1 Ki. 

4 22,23;—God's promise to bless Zion’s, 
Ps. 13?. i5;--not to be made for the gratifi¬ 
cation of sinful inclinations, Ro. 13.14. 
Provocation, the cause of making one 
angry, as sin does God, 1 Ki.15. 30; 21. 22; 

2 Ki.23.26; Ne.9.18; Ps.95.8. 

Provoke, to enrage, or rouse to anger, Ex. 

23.21; Nil 14.11; De.31.20; 1 Co. 10.22; Ep. 
6.4; to stir up, or to excite, Ro.11.11,14; 
He. 10.24. 

Prudence, wisdom applied to practice, re¬ 
commended, Pr.8.12; 12.16,23; 13.16:14 8; 
15.5; 19.11; 22.3: 27.11,12; Mat. 10.16; Ep. 
1.8; Ja. 3. 13. Examples of: Joseph, Ge. 
41. 39:— David, 1 Sa. 16. 18;— counsellors, 

1 Ki. 12.2;— Nehemiah, Ne.2.12-16; 4.13- 
18; Gamaliel, Ac. 5.34-39. 

Prune, to cut off superfluous branches from 
trees and vines, to promote their fruitful¬ 
ness, Le.25.3,4; Is.5.6 
Psalmist, one who composed psalms, 2 Sa. 
23.1. 

Psalms, called the ‘ Psalms of David,’ be¬ 
cause he was the author of the greatest 
number of them, and was the founder of 
psalmody as an institution. 1 his book 
(Lu.20.42' consists of five parts, (1) Ps.i - 
xli.; — (2) xlii.-lxxii.;—(3) lxxiii.-lxx.xix.; 
—(4^ xc.-cvi.;—5) cvii.-cl. Psalms exhort¬ 
ing to virtue, i.iv.xi. xix. xxiv. xxxii. xxxvii. 
xli. xlix. lxxxi. lxx.xiv. xcv. cxix. exxv. ;— 
expressive of the character and faults of 
the righteous and the wicked, vii. x. xii. 
xiv. xv. xxxvi. lit. liii. lviii. lxxiii. lxxxii. ci. 
cxii. exxv. cxxviii. cxxxi. cxxxiii.; — of 
prayer, in general, iv. v. xxvi. xxviii. lxxi. 
lxxxvi. cx. cxxiii. cxxxii. cxli. cxliv.; — of 
supplication in distress, xiii. xvii. xxii. xxv. 
xxxi. xxxv. xxxviii. xl. xliii. liv. lv. lix. lx. 
Ixiv. lxix. lxx. lxxiv. lxxx. Ixxxiii. lxxxviii. 
xciv. cxx. cxxiii. cxxxvii. cxl. cxlii. cxliii. ;— 
pen tential, vi. xxv. xxxii. xxxv. xxxvni. li. 
exxx.;—expressing trust in God, iii- xii. 
xvi. xxui. xxvii. xhv. xlvi. lvi. lvii. lxi. Ixii. 
lxxi. Ixxvii. xci. exxi. cxxvii.cxxx.cxxxviu.; 
—celebrating the perfections of God, viii. 
xix. xxix. xxxiii. 1. lxv. lxviii. lxxvi. xciii. 
xevi. xcvii. xeix. civ. evii. cxiii. cxiv. cxxxv. 
cxxxvi. cxxxix. cxlvii.; — of praise and 
thanksgiving, ix. xviii. xx. xxiii. xxx.xxxiv. 
xl. xlvii. xlviii. lxiii. lxvi. lxvii. lxxv. lxxvi. 
Ixxxvii. xcii. xcvni. c. ciii. cvm. cxi. cxv.— 
cxviii. exxii. exxiv. exxvi. cxxix. cxxxiv. 
cxlv. cxlvi. cxlviii.-cl.;—historical, lxxviii. 
lxxxix. cv. cvi. cxxxv. cxxxvi.;—propheti¬ 
cal of Christ, ii.xxi.xxii.xlv.lxxii.cix.cx. 
Psaltery, a kind of harp or dulcimer, of 
Babylonish origin, much used among the 
Hebrews, in the praise of God, Ps. 33. 2; 
57.8: 71.22; 81.2; 92.3; 108.2; 144 9: 1 5 °- 3 - 
Ptolemais, tol-e-ma'is, a seaport town of 
Canaan, on the shore of the Mediterranean, 
about 27 miles south of I yre; —on his 
third missionary journey Paul visited it, 
and ‘saluted the brethren and abode with 
them one day,’ Ac. 21. 7;—was formerly 
called A echo, Ju. 1. 31; — is now called 
Akka or St. Jean d'Acre. 

Public, common, known, Mat. 1.19. 

Public Worship, decency to be observed 
in it, 1 Co. 11.18; 14-40- $ ee Worship. 

Publicans, tax-gatherers or officers who 
farmed the taxes and public revenues 


THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


631 


exacted by the Romans from the Jews. 
The Roman senate farmed the taxes to 
persons who undertook to pay a certain 
sum into the treasury publicum, hence 
publicani . Such contracts were generally 
in the hands of the richest class among the 
Romans, who employed agents who were 
the actual gatherers of the taxes These 
agents were called port • tores by the Ro¬ 
mans, and it is to them that the name 
publicans tclonai is exclusively given in 
the New Testament. Zaccheus is supposed 
to have belonged to the first of these c.asses, 
and Matthew to the second. As a rule 
they were so oppressive in their exactions, 
and wicked in their practice, that they 
were abhorred by the Jews as the very 
refuse of mankind, Mat. 9. 11; 18.17; Mur. 

2. 16; Lu. 5. 30;—some good. Mat. 21. 31; 
L11.18.13; 19.2.7. 

Publish, to make known, De.32.3; Ps.26.7; 
Mar. 1.45. 

Publius, pub'h'-us [common], the governor 
of Melita, Paul cures his father, Ac. 
28.8. 

Pudens, pii'dens [shamefaced], a disciple 
of the cross noticed by Paul, 2 Ti.4.21. 

Puff at a person, to hiss and make mouths 
at him, Ps.10.5; 12.5;— up, to fill with self- 
conceit, 1 Co.4.6,18,19; 5.2; 8.1; 13.4; Col. 

2.18. 

Pul. pull [elephant, lord], (1) King of As¬ 
syria, invades the kingdom of Israel, 2 Ki. 
15.19;—conquers the half tribe of Manas- 
seh, 1 Ch. 5. 26.—(2) A region mentioned 
only in Is. 66. 19, probably some distant 
province in Africa. 

Pulpit, an elevated place for a public 
speaker, Ne.8.4. 

Pulse, coarse grain, such as pease or beans, 

2 Sa. 17.28; Da. 1.12,16. 

Punishment of the wicked in general, Job 
15.20; 18.5; 20.4; 27.13;—due to them in 
this life, Ps. 11.6; Pr. 11.19,21; 21.15; 22.8; 
Is.57.21; Ro. 2. 8;—abandonment to their 
own lusts, Ps.81.12; Is.63.17;—subjection 
to terror, Ps. 53. 5; Pr. 28.1;—exposure to 
shame, Ps.53.5; Pr.3.35;—the ruin of their 
family and name, Ps.34.16; 37.28; 104.35; 
Pr.2.22; 12.7; 14.11; 24.20;—without hope, 
Job 8.13; Ps.112.10; Pr. 10.28; n.7;—often 
sudden and unexpected, Ps.35.8; 64.7; Pr. 
29.1: Job 2i. 13; 34 20; 1 Th 5.3;—eternal, 
Is.66.24; Da. 12.2; Mat. 18.8; 25.41,46; Mar. 
3.29; 9 43; Lu.3.17; 2 Th. 1.9; Jude 7;—in 
proportion to guilt, Mat. 11.22, &c.; 23.14; 
Lu.12.47; Ro.2.6,9; 2 C0.5.10;—examples, 
in Cain, Ge.4 it;—E r, the son of Judah, 
38.7;—of the family of Eli, 1 Sa. 2.31;—of 
Eli and his sons, 4.11,18;—of Gehazi, 2 Ki. 
5.27;—of Sennacherib, i 9 35 > 37 : _ °f Judas 
Iscariot, Ac. 1. 18 ;—of Ananias and Sap- 
phira, 5. 1 ;—of king Herod, 12. 23 ;—of 
Elymas, 13.11. See \V icked. 
Punishments, of a civil kind among the 
Jews,— retaliation, or returning stripe for 
stripe, eye for eye, &c., Ex. 21.23-25; De. 
19.21;— fining in a sum of money, Ex. 21. 
18,19, 22, 32;— scourging, not above forty 
stripes at once, De. 25. 3; 2 Co. 11.24;— im¬ 
prisonment, Le. 24.12; Nu. 15.34;— pluck¬ 
ing off the ha ir. Is. 50.6; N e. 13.25;— k tiling 
with the sword, Ju.8.21; 1 Ki.2.25; Ac.12. 
2;— hanging, De.21.22,23; Jos.8.29: 10.26; 
— stoning to death, Jos. 7.25; 1 Ki. 12.18; 
21.13; Ac.7.58;— threnving of persons from 
the top of a rock, or precipice, 2 Ch.25.12; 
Lu. 4. 29;— beheading , J11. 9. 5; 2 Ki. 10. 7; 
Mat. 14.10;— sawing asunder. He. 11.37;— 
tearing to pieces alive, 2 Sa.12.31;— cruci¬ 
fixion, which they borrowed from the Ro¬ 
mans, Mat. 27.35,38;— burning with fire, 
I.e.20.14; 21.9. 

Punon, pu'non [darkness], an encampment 
of the Israelites in the wilderness, Nu.33. 
42. It was probably here that Moses set 
up the brazen serpent, 21.9,10. 

Pur, or Purim, a festival among the Jews, 
in memory of the lots cast by Haman, Es. 

9 - 2 °. 

Purchases, the manner of making them, 
by Abraham, Ge. 23.3;—by Boaz, Ru.4.7; 
—by Jeremiah, Je.32.7,44. 

Purge, to clean, Ps.51.7; Is.1.25; Mat.3.12; 
He.9.14. 

Purifications, were of various kinds among 
the Hebrews, some for deliverance from 
ceremonial uncleanness, Le. 8. 15; 12.4,6; 
N11. 31.23;—others from moral transgres¬ 
sions, Nu. 19.9,17. 

Purity of Hkart, or perfection of charac¬ 
ter required, Ro.6.19: Ep.1.4: Phi.2.15: 2 
Pe. 3 14;—respecting the works of the flesh, 
Ga.5.16; Ep.5.3; Col. 3.5: 1 Pe.2.11. 


Purloin, to take what belongs to another j 
in a secret and thievish manner, Tit.2.10. 
Purple, a beautiful red colour tinctured 
with blue, dyed with the blood of a shell¬ 
fish, found in plenty on the north-west 
coast of Canaan;—cloth and skins of this 
dye were used for the curtains of the taber¬ 
nacle, Ex. 25. 4; 26. 1, See .;—Danie was 
clothed with scarlet or. Da. 5.7:— Morde- 
cai, Es. 8. 15;—Christ, in mock majesty, 
Mar 15.17. 

Purpose, intention, R11.2.16; Mat.26.8; Ep. 

3.11: 6.22. 

Purses, a kind of girdles, Mat. 10.9; Mar. 

6 . 8 . 

Pursue, to chase. Ex.15.9; De.19.6; Ps.34. 
14; Na.1.8. 

Purtenance, what pertains or belongs to 
anything. Ex. 12.9. 

Put, 1 Ch.1.8; Na.3.9. See Phut. 

Puteoli, a seaport of Campania in Italy, 
in the bay of Naples. Here the apostle 
stayed a few weeks on his way to Rome, 
Ac. 28. 13, 14. The present city is called 
Puzzoli. 

Putiel, pu'ti-el [afflicted of God], the father- 
in-law of Eleazar, Ex.6.25. 

Putrefying, rotting, Is. 1.6. 

Pygarg, probably a species of gazelle or 
mountain-goat, De.14.5. 


O. 

/V 

Quadrupeds, four-footed animals, created, 
Ge. 1.24. 

Quails, a species of birds of less size than 
the partridge, which otherwise it much re¬ 
sembles, sent to the Israelites, Ex. 16.13; 
Ps.78.27; 105.40;—in anger, Nu. ii. 31. 
Quake, to shake as with terror ; Mount Sinai 
did. Ex. 19.18;—the ground on which stood 
the army of the Philistines did, 1 Sa. 14.15; 
— the earth did at the death of Christ, 
Mat. 27.51. 

Quantity, measure, size, Is.22.24. 

Quarrels, contests or grounds of strife, Le. 
26.25; 2 Ki.5.7; Mar.6.19;—to be avoided, 
Pr.3.30; 17.14; 20.3; 25.8;—to be forgiven, 
Col. 3.13;—whence they arise, Ja.4.1. 
Quarries, mines out of w hich stones are 
cut or digged, Ju. 3.19,26;—but probably 
the w'ord here means graven images. 
Quarter, a part of a city or country, Ge. 19. 

4: Jos.18.14; Is.47.15; 56.11; Mar.1.45. 
Quartus [the fourth], a disciple resident at 
Corinth, probably a Roman, mentioned by 
Paul, Ro. 16.23. 

Quaternion, a company of four, the usual 
number of a Roman night watch, Ac. 12.4. 
Queen, the wife or consort of a king, Ne. 
2.6; Es.1.9;—a sovereign princess, or ruler 
of a kingdom, 1 Ki. 10.1,4,10; Ac. 8.27;— 
the church of Christ, Ps. 45. 9;—the anti- 
christian church. Re. 18.7;—the moon, Je. 
44 - 17 » 2 5 - 

Quench, to put out fire, Nu.11.2; Ps.i 18.12; 
—to allay thirst, Ps. 104.11:—to resist and 
suppress the calls and influences of the 
Spirit, 1 Th.5.19. 

Questions, to instruct by questions and 
answers in catechising,enforced, Ge. 18.19; 
De.4.9; 6.6-9: 11.19; Ps.78.5; Ep.6.4. 

-are of various kinds; religious 

and sincere, De. 6. 20; Ac. 9.6;—blasphem¬ 
ous, Jn. 8.48;—curious, L11. 13.13;—foolish 
and unlearned, 2T1.2.23; Tit.3.9;—hard or 
difficult, 1 Ki. 10.1;—captious and ensnar¬ 
ing, Mar. 12.14;—leading or pointing to the 
answer to be given, Nu.23.19;—hypocriti¬ 
cal, Mat. 2. 7;—accusatory, Ne. 2. 19;— 
affirmative, N11.12.2;—negative,23.8. 
Quick, the living, Nu. 16. 30; Ac. 10.42: 2 
Ti. 4.1; 1 Pe. 4.5;—very tender and sensible, 
Le. 13.10,24;—very ready, Is.11.3. 
Quicken, to give natural life to the dead, 
Ro.4.17; 8.11;—to give spiritual life, Ep.2. 
1,5; Col.2.13;—to enliven with fresh vigour 
and activity, Ps.8o. 18; 119.25,37,40, &c. 
Quickly, speedily, Ge.18.6: Ex.32.8; Mat. 
5.25; 28.7; Lu.14.21; Ac.12.7; 22.18; Re.2. 
5; 3.11; 22.12,20. 

Quicksands, or Syrtes, sand-banks on 
the coast of Africa over against Sicily, 
fa'tal to ships, Ac. 27.17. 

Quiet, calm, still, Ju.16.2: Ps.35.20; Ac. 19. 
36; 1 Th.4.11; 1 Ti.2.2; 1 Pe.3.4. 
Quietness, mildness of temper, Ju. 5. 28; 
Job 20.20; Pr.17.1; Is. 30.15: 3 2 I 7 : Ac. 24. 
2; 2 Th.3.12. 

Quit, free, Ex. 21.19,28; Jos. 2. 20;—to be¬ 
have, 1 Sa.4.9. 


Quite, completely, Ge.31.15; Ex.23.24;Nu. 
17.10; Job 6.13. 

Quiver, a case for holding arrows, Ge. 27. 
3; Job 39. 23; Ps. 127. 5; Is. 22. figura¬ 
tively, 49.2; La. 3.13. 

Quivered, quaked or trembled, Hab.3.16. 


R. 


Raamah, ra'a-mah [a trembling], the fourth 
son of Cush, whose descendants colonized 
Araoia Felix and a large portion of the 
interior of Africa, Ge. 10. 7;—his descend¬ 
ants brought to Tyre precious stones, gold, 
and spices, Eze.27.22. 

Rabbah, rab'bah [a great city], 1 The 
capital city of the Ammonites, stood near 
the source of the river Jabbok, De.3.11;— 

—called Rabbath-beni-Ammon, De. 3. 11; 

— Rabbath of the Ammonites, Eze.21.20;— 
Joab besieged it, and took it, 2 Sa. 11.1;— 
predictions against, Je. 49. 2, 3; Eze. 25. 5; 
Am. 1. 14. Its modern name is Ammdn. 

Its ruins lie about 22 miles east of Jordan, 
and 14 north-east of Heshbon. 4 The 
aspect of the wbole place is desolate in 
the extreme.’—(2) A town in Judah, Jos. 
15.60. 

Rabbath Moab, the capital of the Moab¬ 
ites, commonly called Ar, Nu.21.28; Is. 
I 5 -i- 

Rabbi, rab'bi, a title of dignity among tbe 
Hebrews, signifying master or doctor of 
the law; it was much coveted by the 
scribes and Pharisees, Mat. 23. 7: Christ 
dissuades his disciples from affecting it, 8; 

— the disciples frequently applied it to- 
Christ, J11.1.38,49; 3.2,26; 6.25. 

Rabboni, rab-bo'ni [my master], the same 
as Rabbi, Jn.20.16. 

Rab-mag [chief magician], Je.39.3,13. 
Rabsaris, rab'sa-ris [chief eunuch], chief of 
the eunuchs of Sennacherib, 1 Ki.18.17. 
Rabshakeh, rab'sha-keh [chief cup-bearer], 
his blasphemous message, 2 Ki. 18.17-37. 
These two officers of the court of the As¬ 
syrian king—the Rabsaris and the Rab- 
shakeh—stood next in rank to the Tartan, 
and represented their master in embas¬ 
sies. 

Raca, ra'kah, a Syriac term of reproach 
and contempt, signifying empty, vain, beg¬ 
garly, foolish; danger of thus calling a 
brother, Mat.5.22. 

Race, a running match; not always to the 
swift, Ec.9. it;—the Christian course com¬ 
pared to, 1 Co.9.24;—to be run with pati¬ 
ence, He. 12.1. 

Rachel, ra'chel [a ewe], daughter of Laban, 
is met by Jacob, Ge.29.9-12;—married to 
him, 28;—frets on account of her barren¬ 
ness, 30. 1;—bears Joseph, 23;—bears 
Benjamin, and dies, 35.18;—represented as 
mourning for her children, Je.31.15;— Ra¬ 
chel's tomb about a mile north of Bethle¬ 
hem, Ge.35.16-20. 

Rafters, roof timber, Ca.1.17. 

Rage, violent anger or fury, 2Ki.5.i2;2 
Ch.16.10; Pr.6.34; Da.3.13. 

Ragged rocks, uneven, consisting of parts 
almost disunited. Is.2.21. 

Rags, worn-out clothes or tatters; slothful¬ 
ness brings men to, Pr. 23. 21;—our right¬ 
eousness compared to filthy, Is. 64.6. 
Raguel, ra-gu'el [the friend of God], 1 
The father of Jethro . = Hobab', and fa¬ 
ther-in-law of Moses, Nu. 10. 29; Ex. 3. 1: 
18.1.—(2) A son of Esau, Ge.36.4,10. 
Rahab, nVhab [large], 1 A harlot of Je¬ 
richo, receives the spies sent by Joshua, 
Jos. 2. 1;—saved at the destruction of Je¬ 
richo, 6.25;—the wife of Salmon, Mat.1.5; 
—saved by her faith, He. 11.31;—by works, 
Ja.2.25.—(2) A name given to Egypt, sig¬ 
nificative of the pride and strength of that 
kingdom, Ps. 74. 13,14; 87.4; 89.10; Is. 51. 
9,10. 

Railer, a reviler, 1 Co.5.11. 

Railing, or reproachful speech, to be avoid¬ 
ed, 1 Co.5.11; 1 Pe.3.9: 2 Pe.2.11; Jude 9. 
Raiment, clothes or dress, given as an ex¬ 
pression of esteem, Ge.24.53; 45.22: Es.4. 
4 *— 0 f a neighbour not to be held as a 
pledge. Ex. 22.26,27. 

Rain, the vapour exhaled by the sun from 
the seas and the earth, and which falls 
from the clouds in drops, Lc.26.4; Ec.11. 
3;—extraordinary, for forty days, at the 
deluge, Ge.7.12:—promised in due season, 
Le.26.4; De. 11.14: 28.12;—usually fell in 
















632 (Ra—Re) 

plenty twice a year: the one, called the ; 
former rain , in September or October, 
Ho. 6. 3; the other, called the latter rant, 
in March or April, just before the harvest, 
Pr.16.15; Je.5.24; Ho.6.3: Joel 2.23. 
Rainbow, a meteor in form of a party- 
coloured semicircle, appearing only in a 
rainy sky opposite to the sun; caused by 
the refraction of his rays on a watery 
cloud, and visible only when he is not 
more than forty-two degrees above the 
horizon;—a token that there will not be 
another general deluge, Ge. 9.13-16;—one 
seen round the throne. Re. 4. 3;—on the 
head of an angel, 10.1. 

Raisins, a well-known kind of dried grapes, 

1 Sa.25.18; 30.12; 2 Sa.16.1; 1 (Jh.12.40.. 
Rakem, r.t'kem [void], one of the posterity 
of Manasseh, 1 Ch.7.16. 

Ram, (1) A male sheep; one caught in a 
thicket by the horns appeared to Abra¬ 
ham, Ge. 22.13;—offered in sacrifice, Ex. 
29.16,18; Le.9.2,4;— figuratively, an em¬ 
blem of monarchy, Da.8.3,4,6,7,20.— 2; 
Or battering-ram, an engine anciently 
much used in besieging cities, for making 
a breach in their walls, Eze.4.2; 21.22. 
Ramah, ra'mah [a high place], (1) A city 
of Benjamin, near to Gibeah, Jos*. 18. 25; 
—in it dwelt FJkanah and Samuel, iSa.i. 
1,19; 7.17; 8.4; 25.1;—here the Jewish pri¬ 
soners were disposed of, after their capital 
was taken, which occasioned the mourn¬ 
ing of Rachel’s daughters, Je. 40.1; 31.15; 
—rebuilt by those who returned from Ba¬ 
bylon, Ne.7.30; 11.33. Has been identi¬ 
fied with Er-Ram, a small Arab village 
about 5 miles north of Jerusalem.—(2} A 
city on the frontiers of Asher, Jos. 19. 29. 
Identified with Rameh, about 17 miles 
south-east of Tyre. — (3 One of the forti¬ 
fied places of Naphtali, Jos.19.36.—(4 In 
1 Sa. 1. 19, same as Ramathaim-Zophim, 
i.i —5 In 2 Ki.8.29; 2 Ch. 22.6, same as 
Ramoth-Gilead. 

Raineses, ra-me'ses [son of the sun], one of 
Pharaoh’s treasure-cities of Lower Egypt, 
in the land of Goshen, and was built by 
the Israelites, Ge.47.11; Ex.i.ii. The site 
is not determined. Some suppose that it 
is to be sought,fin the ruins of A boo-Kesheyd, 
north-east of Heliopolis. 

Ramoth, ra'moth, or Ramoth-Gilead 
[heights of Gilead], a famous city of the 
tribe of Gad, in the mountains of Gilead, 
and about 18 miles north of Heshbon, De. 
4 43;—it was a city of refuge, Jos. 20. 8;— 
was much in idolatry, Ho.6.8; 12.11;—was 
the scene of many sieges and battles be¬ 
tween the Israelites and Syrians;—here 
king Joram was wounded in battle, 2 Ki. 
8.28,29; 9.14,45. It is now called es- 
Salt. 

Rampart, a bank or fence for the protec¬ 
tion of a city, La. 2.8;—the sea was as one 
to No, Na.3.8. 

Ranges, ranks, Le. 11.35; 2 Ki.11.8. 
Ransom, the price paid for the pardon of 
an offence, or the redemption of a slave or 
captive. Ex. 21.30; 30.12; Pr.6.35;—Christ 
the ransom of mankind, Mat. 20.28; 1 Co. 
6.19,20; iTi. 2. 6. See Atonement and 
Redemption. 

Rape, a violent forcing of a woman; laws 
respecting it, De.22.25;—instances of, Ju. 
19.25; 2 Sa.13.1, &c. 

Rase, to destroy or overthrow completely, 
Ps.137.7. 

Rashness, unguarded haste in speaking or 
acting, censured, Ps.31.22; 116.10; Pr.14. 
29: Ec.5.2; Is.32.4; Ac. 19.36. 

Rattling, making a noise, Na.3.2. 
Ravening, robbing and devouring, Ge. 49. 
27: Ps.22.13; Eze. 22.25,27; Mat.7.15. 
Ravens, birds of prey, nearly of the size of 
a common hen, of a black colour, with a 
bluish back; feed Elijah, 1 Ki. 17.4,6;— 
God feedeth them, Job 38. 41; Ps. 147.9; 
Lu. 12.24;—when feeding on a dead body, 
first devours the eyes, hence Pr.30.17. 
Ravin, rapaciousness, Na.2.12. 

Ravish, to violate a person’s chastity by 
force, Is.13.16; La.5. n;Zec.i4.2;—to ena¬ 
mour, or cause one highly to delight in, 
Pr. 5.19,20; Ca.4.9. 

Razor, a well-known instrument used in 
shaving, Eze.5.1;—a deceitful and flatter¬ 
ing tongue, Ps.52.2;—a Nazarite forbidden 
to use, Nu.6.5. 

Reading, the book of the law publicly, 
practised, Ex.24.7; Jos.8.34; 2 Ki.22.8; 23. 
2; Ne.8.3,18: 9.3;—the apostolical epistles 
in the churches, commanded, Col. 4. 16; 
1 Th.5.27. 


Reading of the Scriptures. 

tures. 

Ready, or prepared for the coming of the 
Lord, we are commanded to be, Mat. 24. 
44; Lu. 12.40;—to every good work, Tit. 3. 

1;—to give an answer respecting the ground 
of our hope, 1 Pe. 3.15. 

Reaiah, re-a-l'ah [whom Jehovah cares 
for], 11, A son of Shobal, and grandson of 
Judah, 1 Ch.4.2.— v 2) A family of Nethin- 
ims, who returned from Babylon with 
Zerubbabel, Ezr.2.47; Ne.7.30. 

Realm, a kingdom or empire, 2Ch.20.30; 

Ezr.7.13,23; Da. 1.20; 6.3. 

Reap, to cut down corn in harvest, Le. 19. 
9; 23.10,22; 25.11; Ru.2.3;—to receive the 
fruit of works, good or bad. Job 4. 8; Ps. 
126.5; Pr.22.8; Ho.8.7; 10.12; Ga.6.7,8. 
Reason, to be employed in religion, Is. 1. 
18; 5.3; Lu.12.57; 1C0.10.15; 11. 13; 1 P e - 
3.15;—not a sufficient guide, De.12. 8; Pr. 
3.5; 14.12; Ro.1.22, &c. ; 1 Co.2.14. 
Rebekah, re-bek'ah [cord with a noose], 
the daughter of Bethuel, and sister of 
Laban;—meets the servant of Abraham, 
Ge.24.15,45;—married to Isaac, 67;—bears 
Esau and Jacob, 25. 24;— deceives her 
husband, 27.1, &c.;—was buried in Abra¬ 
ham’s tomb. 

Rebellion, opposition to God, or the rejec¬ 
tion of his authority, forbidden, Nu.14.9; 
Jos.22.19:— several ways in which it is ex¬ 
hibited, N11. 20. 3,10; De. 9.23; 1 Sa. 8.7,8; 
Ne. 9. 26; Ps.106. 24,25; 107.11; Is.x. 5; 59. 
13; Eze. 20. 8; 17.15; Da. 9.5;—punishment 
for, Le. 26.14-39; 1 Sa.12.15; Is. 1.20. Je. 4. 
16-18; Eze. 20. 8; — the act of rising up 
against lawful authority; examples, of 
Aaron and Miriam against Moses, Nu.12. 
1;—of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, 16.1; 
—of Absalom against David, 2 Sa.15.1;— 
of the servants of Zimri against him, 1 Ki. 
16.9;—of the sons of Sennacherib against 
him, 2 Ki. 19.37. 

Rebuke, to reprove or check for a fault, 
Le. 19.17; Pr. 9.8; Lu. 17. 3; i Ti. 5.1,20; 2 
Ti.4.2; Tit.1.13; 2.15;—to chasten or cor¬ 
rect for sin, Ps. 6.1; 38. 1; 39.11; Is. 54. 9; 
Re. 3.19;—to drive away, Mat. 17.18; Mar. 
1.25;—Lu.4.39. 

Receipt, a reception, Mat. 9.9; Mar. 2.14; 
Lu.5.27. 

Receive, to take, to embrace, Ps.6.9; Pr.2. 
1; 2 Co.7.2. 

- Christ, to believe in him, by ad¬ 
mitting, with the whole heart, the gospel 
testimony concerning him, Mat. 10.40; Jn. 
1. 12; Col.2.6. 

Rechabites, rek'a-bites [riders, horsemen], 
a family of Kenites or Midianites de¬ 
scended from Jonadab, 2 Ki. 10.15; Nu. 10. 
29-32; Ju. 1. 16; —they neither built houses, 
nor sowed, nor planted, nor drank wine; 
their example recommended to the Israel¬ 
ites, Je.35.1-19;—for 300 years they fully 
observed this rule of life. They are still 
to be found in the mountainous country 
north-east of Medina. They are called 
Beni Khaibr—sons of Heber. 

Reckon, to count or compute, Le. 25. 50; 
27.18; Mat. 18. 24;—to judge or conclude, 
Ro.6.n; 8.18. 

Recommendation, letters of, in favour of 
Aquila and Priscilla, Ac. 18. 27; — not 
wanted by Paul, 2 Co. 3.1;—of Titus, 2 Co. 
8. 22;—of Tychicus, Ep.6.21; Col. 4. 8;—of 
Aristarchus, &c., 4. 10; —of Onesimus, 
Phile.i, &c. 

Recompense, requital of deeds, either good 
or evil, De.32.35; Job 15.31; Lu.14.12; Ro. 
1.26; 11.9. 

Reconcile, to make things agree, Le.6.30; 
1 Sa.29.4; Eze. 45.20. 

Reconciliation, the restoring to friendship 
parties at variance;—of God and man by 
Christ, R0.5.10; 2 Co. 5.18; Ep.2.16; Col. 1. 
20;—results, peace with God, Ep.2.16,17; 
access to God, Ep.2.18;—with an offended 
brother, Mat.5.23; Ro.12.18. In He.2.17 
this word is used to denote what Christ 
did for us by his death, whereas it is 
generally used to signify the effect of what 
he did. 

Rec'ord, authentic memorial, Ezr.6.2;—the 
gospel, 1 Jn. 5.10,11. 

Record', to mark in a register, Ne.12.8,22; 
—to declare, Ex. 20. 24; 1 Ch.16.4; Is. 8. 2; 
Ac. 20.26. 

Recorder, an officer in the court of the 
king of Judah, a secretary, or one who 
registers events, Ne. 12.22; 2 Sa.8.16; 2 Ki. 
18.18: 2 Ch.34.8. 

Recount, to number over, Na.2.5. 
Recover, to regain health, property, &c., 


Ju.11.26; 1 Sa.30.8; 2 Ki.1.2; 5.3; Ps.39.13; 
Mar. 16.18. 

Reddish, tending to redness, Le. 15.19,42, 

49 ; 14 - 37 - , , , . 

Redeem, to buy back persons or things 
which are sold or forfeited. Ex. 13.13; Le. 
25. 25,29,48; Nu. 18. 15;—to deliver from 
temporal evil, Ex. 6. 6; Job 5- 2 °> 6.23; Mi. 
4.10;—to rescue from sin and hell, Ga. 3.13; 
4.5; Tit.2.14; Re.5.9. 

Redeemer, he who ransoms and saves, the 
Lord Jehovah is to his people, Ps.19.14; 
78. 35; Is. 41. 14; 43- U: 44- 6, 24;—Jesus 
Christ is emphatically so called, Job 19.25; 
Is. 59.20. 

Redemption, of mankind from sin and its 
consequences, effected by Christ, 1 Co. 1. 
30; Ga. 3.13; Ep.1.7; Col.1.14; He. 9. 12; 1 
Pe. 1.18; Re.5.9;—the P r ‘ ce paid ‘ s ca Hed 
the ransom, Mat.20.28; Mar. 10.45. Hi 1 
Ti.2.6 Christ is said to be this ransom;—it 
includes deliverance from all iniquity, Ps. 
130.8; Tit.2.14;—from the curse of the law, 
Ga. 3.13;—from sin in its guilt, Ep.i.7; 
Col.1.14;—its dominion, iPe.i. 18;—from 
all evil, Ep. 1.14; 4. 30; 1 Co. 1.30; Tit.2.14; 
—from the tyranny of Satan, ijn.3.8;— 
the undue ascendency of the world, Ga.i. 
4;—from vain conversation, 1 Pe. 1.8;-- 
from the power of death, and the dominion 
of the grave, Ho.13.14; 1 Co.15.57;—from 
hell, 1 Th. 1.10;—and a right to eternal 
Hiss in heaven, Re.5.9;—characteristics of 
it: precious, Ps.49.8 —plenteous, 130.7;— 
eternal, He.9.12. 

Redound, to tend towards, 2 Co.4.15. 

Red Sea, an arm of the Indian Ocean, 
which stretches along the west side of 
Arabia, and the east of Ethiopia and 
Egypt. Its length is about 1400 miles, and 
its average breadth about 150. Its western 
arm, the Gulf of Suez, is about 190 miles 
long, and its eastern, the Gulf of Akaba, 
about 112 miles. It is frequently simply 
designated ‘the sea,’ Ex.14.2,9,21; Jos.24. 
6,7, &c. In Is. 11. 15 it is called ‘the 
Egyptian Sea.’ Its name in Hebrew is 
‘the Sea of Suph,' Ex. 10.19; 13.18; 15.4, 
22, &c. This Hebrew name ( Suph is 
supposed to mean ‘weedy,, hence ‘the 
weedy sea.’ ‘The appellation ‘Red Sea’ 
as applied distinctively to the two Gulfs of 
Suez and Akaba is comparatively modern. 
It seems to have been applied to them 
only as continuations of the Indian Ocean. 
This makes it probable that the term 
‘Red’ was derived from the corals of the 
Indian Ocean.’ Passage of the Israelites 
over the western arm, Ex.xiv. xv., referred 
to, De.11.4; Ju.11.16; Ne.9.9-11; Ps.66.6; 
Ac. 7. 36, &c. The head of the Gulf of 
Suez has retired for a distance of about 50 
miles since the Christian era. 

Reed, a hollow and slender plant, growing 
in fenny and watery places, Job 40. 21;— 
anything feeble and easily broken, 2 Ki. 18. 
21; Is. 36. 6; 42. 3; Mat. 11. 7;—a Jewish 
measure of 6 cubits and 3 inches, Eze. 40. 
3; Re. 11. i;2i. 15, 16; — used instead of 
quills , 3 Jn.13. 

Reel, to stagger, Ps. 107.27; Is. 24.20. 
Refine, to purify, Zec.13.9;—Christ a ‘re¬ 
finer,’ Mai.3.3. 

Reformation, or amendment, must be uni¬ 
versal, Mat.5.19; Ja.2.10;—time of, mean¬ 
ing the advent of Christ, He. 9.10. 

Refrain, to withhold, Ge.45.1; Is. 48.9; Ac. 
5.38; 1 Pe.3.10. 

Refresh, to revive and strengthen, Ex.23. 
12: 31.17; 1 Ki.13.7; 1 Sa.i6. 23; R0.15. 32; 
1 Co. 16.18. 

Refuge, God is to his people, De.33.27 ;Ps. 
9.9; 14.6; 46.1. 

-, cities of, appointed for those who 

unawares, and without design, should kill 
any person. These cities were Kedesh, 
Shechem, and Hebron, on the west of the 
Jordan; and Golan, Ramoth-Gilead, and 
Bezer on the east. They were all easy of 
access, the roads to them kept in good re¬ 
pair, and where cross ways met, posts 
were set up with an inscription pointing 
to that which led to refuge, Nu.35.6; De. 
4.41; 19.1; Jos.20.1, &c. 

Refuse, to deny or reject, Ex. 4. 24; Ac. 25. 
11: He. 12. 25;—to hear the call of God, 
the danger of, Pr.i.24-31. 

Regard, to observe or esteem, Ge. 45. 20; 
Eze. 5. 9: Lu.18.4;—iniquity in the heart, 
danger of, Ps.66.18. 

Regeneration. This word is found only 
in Mat. 19.28; Tit. 3.5. It denotes a change 
of heart and life, effected by the agency 
of the Holy Spirit, Jn.3.8; Tit.3.5;—it is 


| called being born again, Jn. 3. 3;—bom of 
the Spirit, 5.6; being quickened, Ep.2.1; 

—passing from' death to life, 5. 24; 1 Jn. 3. . 
14;—a new creature, 2 Co.5.i7;Ga.6.i5;— ( 
Christ formed in the heart, Col. 1.27;—par¬ 
taking of a divine nature, 2 Pe. 1.4;—in its 
nature, it is a supernatural change, Jn. 3. 

6; Ep.2.4,5;— internal, invisible, and inex¬ 
plicable, Jn. 3. 8;— visible in its effects, 1 
Jn.3.9; 4.7; 5.4 —universal, extending to 
all the faculties, affections, and actions ot 
life, 2C0.5.17;— imperfect, in its degree of 
light and holiness, 1 Co. 13. 9, 12;— per¬ 
manent xnA abiding, Phi. 1.6 essential 
to salvation, Jn.3.3,5; Ga.6. 15:—the evid¬ 
ences of this change are hatred of, and ab¬ 
stinence from sin, 1 Jn.3.9;—love to Christ 
and his people, 1 Pe. 1.8; i Jn.4. 7; 3. 14;—r 
love to the Word of God, and delight in 
meditating on it, Ps.r.2; 119.97;—love to 
the public ordinances of religion, 26. 8; 27. 

4; 84. 1-4;—deadness to the world, and 
victory over it, Ga.6.14:1 Jn.5^4;—heavenly 
mindedness, Ps. 73. 25; Is. 26. 8; Mat.6.21; 

—fruitfulness in holiness, Ro.6.22; Ga.5. 

22; Ep.4.24. 

Region, a country or tract of land, De.3.4; 

1 Ki.4.11,24; Mat.3.5; 4.16. 

Register, a public record for marking genea¬ 
logies and important events, Ezr.2.62; Ne. 
7-5,64. ' j 

Rehabiah, re-ha-bl'ah [the breath of the 
Lord], son of Eliezer, and grandson of 
Moses, 1 Ch.23.17. 

Rehearse, to tell over, Ex.17.14; Ju.5.11; 

1 Sa.8.21; 17-31; Ac. 11.4; 14.27. 

Rehob, re'hob [street, broad place], (1" A 
city on the north border of Canaan, Nu. i 
13.21; Jos. 19.28; 21.31. It is called Beth- 
Rehob, 2 Sa. 10.6,8.—(2 , A town of Asher, , 
near to Zidon, Jos. 19. 28.—(3) Another 
city of Asher; Jos. 19. 30, which was as--' 
signed to the Levites, Jos. 21. 31; 1 Ch. 6. 

75 - - I 

Rehoboam, re-ho-bo'am [enlarger of the 
people], the son and successor of Solomon, 

1 Ki.12.1; 2 Ch. 10.1;—the ten tribes revolt 
from him, because of his tyrannical con- ; 
duct, 2Ch. 10.16; 1 Ki. 12.16;—forbidden to 
invade Israel, 2 Ch. 11. 1;—his wives and 
children, 18;—invaded by Shishak, 12.1; 
—his death, 16; 1 Ki. 14.31. 

Rehoboth, re'ho-both [roomy places, 
streets], (1 A city near Nineveh, built 
soon after the flood, Ge. 10.11.-—(2' ‘ Reho¬ 
both by the river’ (Euphrates), a city 
where Saul, a king of Edom, was bom, 
Ge.36.37.— 3 The well dug by Esau, Ge. 
26.22, about 23 miles south-west of Beer- 
sheba. 

Reign, to rule as sovereign, Ge. 37. 8; Ex. 

15.18; 2 Sa.5.4, 5; Lu. 1.33; 19.14; R0.5.17, 

21; 6.12. 

Reins, or kidneys \ figuratively, the seat 
of the affections and dispositions, Job 16.13; 
19.27; Ps.7.9; 26.2; Is.iT.5. 

Rejection, or abandonment by God, for 
impenitence, Ps. 81.12; Pr.1.29; Mat.7.23; 
Mar. 16. 16; Jn. 3.18; Ac.7.42; Ro. 1. 24; 2 
Th.2.11; Re.3.16. 

Rejoicing, on what accounts allowable, Le. 
23.40; De. 16.14; Ps. 105. 3; 65.12; Pr.29.2; 
Ac. 5. 41; Ro. 12.15; 1 Th. 5. 16; 1 Pe. 4.13. 
See Jov. 

Relapsing, or falling back into sin, dan¬ 
gerous, Mat. 12.43; Jn. 5.14; He.6.4; 2 Pe. 

2.20. 

Release Year of), every seventh year, 
Ex.21.2; De.15.1; 31.10; Je.34.14. 

Relieve, to free others from hardships, a 
duty, Le.25.35; Ps. 146.9; Is. 1.17; La. 1.11, 
16; i Ti.5.10,16. 

Religion, the ritual of the Hebrew wor¬ 
ship, Ac. 26. 5; Ga. 1.13,14;—genuine and 
practical godliness, called pure, and unde¬ 
filed, Ja. 1.27. 

Rely, to put trust in, 2 Ch.16.8. 

Remain, to continue, to be left, Ge. 38. n; 
Jos.8.22; Lu.10.7. 

Remedy, a cure or reparation, 2 Ch.36.16: 
Pr.6.15; 29.1. 

Remember, to bear in, or call in mind, Ge. 
40.23; Ex.13.3; Ps.22.27;Lu.i.72;Ga.2.io; 

2 Ti.2.8. 

Remission, pardon, Mat. 26. 28; Lu. 1. 77; 
24.47; He. 9.22. See Forgiveness. 

Remit, to pardon or declare to be par¬ 
doned, Jn.20.23. 

Remnant, a part which is left, Le. 2. 3; 5. 

13; Mat.22.6; Ro.9.27; 11.5. 

Remove, to put from its place, or exchange 
place, &c., Ge. 48. 17; Ps. 36.11; La. 1. 8; 
Mat.21.21; Ac.7.4: Ga.1.6. 

Remphan, an object of idolatrous worship 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

See Scrip- | 
















•arnong the Egyptians, supposed to be the [ 
planet Saturn, Ac. 7.43called Chiun, Am. 
5-26. 

Render, to give or return, Ps. 23.4; Is. 66. 

15; Mat.21.41; Ro.13.7. 

Rending of Clothes, or tearing their bor¬ 
der, an expression of grief, Ge. 27. 29; 2 
Ch.34.27; Ezr.9.3; Job 1.20; 2.12. 
Renewing, or making new, Ro.12.2; Ep.4. 
23; Col. 3. 10; Tit. 3. 5. See Regenera¬ 
tion. 

Renounce, to give up with, 2 Co.4.2. 
Renown, wide-spread fame, Ge.6.4; Nu.i. 

16; 16.2; Eze. 16.14; 34.29. 

Repair, to amend, 2 Ki. 12. 5; 2 Ch. 24. 5; 
Ezr.9.9. 

Repay, to recompense, De.7.10; Job 21.31; 
Lu. 10.35; Ro. 12.19. 

Repentance, a change of mind, arising 
from conviction that we have done wrong, 
and leading to amendment of conduct;— 
commanded, Ac.17.30; Re.2.5,16; 3.3;—its 
necessity, 1 Ki. 8. 47: Ps. 7.12; Eze. 18.30; 
Lu. 13. 3; 15.7; 24.47; Ac.2.38; 3.19; 17.30; 
26.20; 2 Pe.3.9;—when genuine, it includes 
just views of the evils of sin, Ge. 39. 9; Ps. 
51. 4;—conviction of guilt and danger, 38. 
4; 40. 12 ;—sincere contrition and sorrow. 
Job 42. 6; 2 Co. 7. 10;—shame and confu¬ 
sion, Ezr. 9. 6-15; Je. 31. 19; Eze.16.61,63; 
Da. 9. 7, 8;—humble confession to God, 1 
Ki. 8.47; Ps. 32. 5; 51.3;—forsaking of sin 
in heart and practice, 101.3; 119.104,113, 
128,163;—endeavours after universal obedi¬ 
ence, 119. 6,15,11.7; Ep. 4. 22; Ja. 3. 13;— 
carefulness against relapses into sin, 2 Co. 
■7.10,11. In Mat. 21.29,32; 27.3; 2 Co.7.8, 
9; He. 7. 21, the word (; metameleia) ren¬ 
dered repentance, means merely regret, 
or a change of plans , without implying 
any change of disposition, as is the case 
with the word metanoia elsewhere so 
rendered;—exhortations to, Le.26.40; De. 
30.1; Is.1.16; Je. 3.12; 4.4; 22.1; 26.1, &c.; 
Eze. 18. 30; Ho.6.2; 12.6; 14.1; Joel 1.8; 2. 
12; Am. 5. 4: Zep. 2. 3; Zee. 1. 3; Ac.3.19;— 
motives to, 1 Sa. 7. 3; Ne. 1.9; Job 22. 23; 
Ps.32. 5; Is. 1.16; Je.4.1; Eze.33.11; Zee. 1. 
3; Ro.2.4; Re. 2.5;—if genuine, will obtain 
pardon, Le. 26. 40; De 4.29; 30.1-3; Pr. 28. 
13; Is. 55. 6,7; Je.18.8; 36.3; Eze 18.21; 36. 
31; Ac. 2. 38;—danger in delaying, Ps. 18. 
41; 119.60; Pr. 1.28; 29.1; Is.55.6; Je. 7.16; 
11. 11; 14. 10; Eze. 8. 18; Mi.3. 4; Zee. 7. 13; 
Mat. 25.10; Lu.12.20; 19.44; Ac. 3.23; Ro. 
J3.12; 2 Co.6.2; He.3.7,13; 12.17; Re.2.22; 
—preached by John the Baptist, Mat. 3.2; 
Mar. 1.4; Lu. 3.3;—by Jesus, Mat.4.17; 
Mar. 1. 5;—by the apostles, Mar. 6.12; Ac. 
20.21;—ascribed to God, Ge. 6.6; De. 32. 
36; 1 Sa.15.1; 2 Sa.24.16; Ac. 11.18; 2 Ti.2. 
25;—Christ exalted to give, Ac. 5. 31;— 
through the operation of the Spirit, Zee. 
12.10; Jii.t 6.8;—not accomplished merely 
by judgments, Am.4.6-13; Re.9.20,21; 16. 
9;—nor by miracles, Lu. 16.30,31;—exem¬ 
plified: David, 2 Sa.12. xy—Manasseh, 2 
Ch. 33. 12, 13;— Nineveh, Jonah 3. 5-8;— 
Deter, Mat. 26.75;— Zacchens, Lu.19. 8;— 
thief, Lu. 23. 40, 41;—false, exemplified: 
Saul, 1 Sa. 15.24-30 ;—Ahab, 1 Ki.21.27- 
29;— Judas, Mat.27.3-5. 

Repetitions, in prayer, or saying the same 
thing over and over again, merely for the 
sake of length, condemned. Mat.6.9. 
Rephaim, re-fd'im [giants], an ancient tribe 
noted for their gigantic starfire. They had 
settlements in the land of Bashan, which 
was called ‘the land of the Rephaims,’ 
Ge.i4.5;De.3.n-i3; Jos.13.12. The coun¬ 
try of the Ammonites was also called ‘ the 
land of the giants’ (Rephaims). The val¬ 
ley of, or ‘valley of the giants’ (Jos. 15. 8; 
j 8. 16', lay between Jerusalem and Beth¬ 
lehem, in which the Philistines opposed 
David, after he was anointed king, and 
where he twice defeated them, 2 Sa. 5. 18, 
22; 23.13; 1 Ch.11.15:14-9:— il was fruitful 
in com, Is. 17.5. Has been identified with 
the plain called el-Bukaa. 

Rephidim, refi-dim [resting-places], an en¬ 
campment of the Israelites near to Horeb, 
where the people murmured, Ex.17.1: 19. 
2; Nu.33.14,15;—here Amalek fought with 
them. Ex. 17.8. 

Replenish, to fill with, Ge.1.28; Is.2.6; 23. 

2: Je.31.25; Eze. 26.2; 27.25. 

Repliest, answerest, R0.9.20. 

Reports, or rumours, of an ez’il kind, not 
to be lightly spread or credited, Ex. 23.1; 

Le.19.16; Ps.15.3; 1 Co. 13 7: Tit.3.2; Ja. 

4 * x * ,. . . 

Reproach, infamy or disgrace, sin is to any 

people, Pr. 14. 34;—censure, or slanderous 


ilih bi-tsLE STUDENT S ASSISTANT 


speech, how to be borne, Mat.5.11; 1 Co. 
4.12; 1 Pe.4.4; He.11.24-26; 13.13. 
Reprobate, not approven, as base metal, 
Je. 6. 30;—men of corrupt principles and 
practices, Ro. 1.28; 2 Co. 13.5-7;—‘ concern¬ 
ing the faith,’ unsound in the true faith, 2 
Ti. 3.8 castaway, 1 Co. 9. 27;-- rejected, 
He.6.8. 

Reproof, or rebuke, how to be given, Le. 
19.17; Pr.9.8; 24.25; 27.5; 1 Th.5.14; 2 Th. 
3.15; 1 Ti.5.1,20;—how to be received, Pr. 
10.17; ; 13.18; 15.5,10,31; 19.20; 27.5; 

28.23; 29.1; Ec.7.1. 

Reprove, to blame, Job 6. 25; Ps. 50.8; Jn. 
16.8; Ep.5.11. 

Reputation, or good character, its value, 
Pr.22.1; Ec.7 1;—a little folly injurious to. 

Repute, to reckon or account, Job 18. 3; 
I- )a - 4 - 35 - 

Request, to ask, pray for, or solicit, Ju.8. 
24; Ne.2.4; Es.4.8;—an entreaty or peti¬ 
tion, 2 Sa. 14.15,22; Ezr.7.6; Es.5.3; Ps.21. 
2; Phi.4.6. 

Require, to ask as a favour, Ezr. 8.22;—to 
demand as a debt, Ge. 31. 39; De. 10. 12; 
Lu.19. 23;— to call to account for, or to 
avenge, Ge. 9.5; De.18.19; 23.21; Lu. 11. 
5 °- 

Requite, to repay, or to recompense, Ge. 
50.15; De.32.6; Ps. 10.14; Je. 51.56; 1 Ti. 
5 - 4 - 

Rere - ward, the last body or troop of an 
army, Nu. 10.25; Jos.6.9,13; Is.52.12; 58.8. 
Rescue, to save from danger, De. 28. 31; 
1Sa.14.45; 30.18; Da.6.27; Ho.5.14; Ac. 
23.27. 

Resemble, to be like to, Ju.8.18;—to liken 
or compare to, Lu.13.18. 

Resen, re'sen [a bridle], a ‘great city’ of 
Assyria founded by Nimrod. It stood on 
the banks of the Tigris between Calah 
( Nimriid) and Nineveh, Ge. 10.12. 
Reserve, to keep in store, Je. 3. 5; 50. 20; 
2 Pe.2.9. 

Residue, the remaining part, or what is 
left, Ex.10.5; Ne.11.20; Is.21.17; Mar.16. 
13; Ac.15.17. 

Resignation, or snbmission without dis¬ 
content to the will of God, under trials, 
our duty, He. 12.9; Ja.4.7;—commanded, 
Ps.37.7; 46.10;—motives and obligations to 
it are, that nothing can befall us without 
the knowledge and appointment of God, 
Da. 4.35; Mat.10.29-31;—our trials are all 
merited by us, La.3.39; Mi. 7.9;—are less 
than we have deserved, Ezr. 9.13; Ps.103. 
10;—are intended for our good, Ro. 8.28; 
2 C0.4.17; He. 12.11;—shall soon all termi¬ 
nate, Ps. 102.11; He. 10.37;—shall be fol¬ 
lowed by unspeakable and eternal bliss, 
Ro.8.18; 2 Co.4.17. 

- TO THE Divine will, exam¬ 
ples of: in Aaron, Le.10.3;—in Eli, 1 Sa.3. 
18;—in Job, Job 1.20;—in David, 2 Sa.15. 
26; Ps.39.9;—in Hezekiah, 2 Ki.20.19;—in 
Mary, Lu. 1.38;—in Jesus, Mat.26.42; Mar. 
14.36; Lu.22.42; Jn. 18.11;—in Paul, Phi. 
4.11. 

Resist, to oppose, or to fight against. Zee. 
3.1; Mat.5.59; Lu.21.15; Ac.6.10; 7.51; Ja. 
4.7; 1 Pe 5.9. 

Resolution, or courage in the discharge 
of duty, Ep.6.10; 2 Ti.2.1; He.3.6; 1 Pe.5. 
9;—in the case of Job, Job 2. 10;—Shad- 
rach and his companions. Da. 3. 16;—of 
Daniel, Da.6.10;—of the apostles, Ac.4.19; 
—of Paul, 20.24; 21.13. 

Resolutions, or fixed determinations; good 
ones. Job 13.15; 27.6; 34.31; Ps.17.3; 119. 
7,8, &c. 

Resort, to have recourse, to repair to, Ne. 

4.20; Ps.71.3; Mar.2.T3; 10.1; Jn. 10.1,41. 
Respect, to regard or esteem, Le. 19. 15; 
Nu.16.15; De.1.17; 16.19. 

-, attention or reverence, how and 

when to be shown, Pr.25.6; Lu.14.10; Ro. 
12.10; ?hi.2.3; 1 Pe.2.17; 3.8. 

Respite, a reprieve, pause, or interval, Ex. 
8.15; 1 Sa.11.3. 

Rest, from labour, to be given to man and 
beast on the Sabbath, Ex. 16.23: 20.10; 31. 
15; 35.2; Le. 23.3,32;—a future promised to 
Christians, He.4.9. 

Restitution for injuries, or the restoring 
of anything lost or taken away, enjoined, 
Ex.22.5; Le.6.4; Nu.5.7; 1 Sa. 12.3; Job20. 
18; Eze.33.15; Lu.19.8;—of all things, Ac. 

3.21. 

Restoration of the Jews foretold. See Is¬ 
raelites. 

Restore, to give back, Ge. 20. 7; Ex. 22.1; 
Lu.19.8: Ac. 1.6: Ga.6.1. 

Restrain, to withhold, or to keep back, 


Ge.8.2; 11.6; Job 15.8; Ps.76.10; Is.63.15; I 
Ac. 14.18. 

Resurrection, the rising of the body from 
the dead to new life, and union with the 
soul. Job’s hope of. Job 19.25;—David’s, 
Ps. 16.10; 49.15;—Isaiah’s prediction of, Is. 
26,19;—of the dry bones, representing the 
restoration of the Jews, Eze. 37.1, &c.;— 
mentioned to Daniel, Da.12.2,13;—preach¬ 
ed by Jesus, Mat.17.23; 22.31; Jn.5.21,28; 
—his own foretold. Mat. 12.40; 16.21: Mar.9. 
31; 14.28; Jn. 2.19;—Paul’s account of, 1 
Co. 15.i,&c.; iTh.3.13;—denied bytheSad- 
ducees, Mat.22.23; Ac.23.8;—not incredi¬ 
ble, Mar. 12.24; Ac.26.8;—not contrary to 
reason, Jn. 12. 24; 1 Co. 15. 35-44;—proved 
by Christ’s resurrection, 1 Co. 15.12-20;— 
accomplished by Christ’s power, J11.5.28, 
29; 6.39; 40.44;—the first, 1 Co. 15.23; iTh. 
4.16; Re.20.5. 

- of Christ is proved by the 

great number of witnesses who saw and 
conversed with him after he had risen, 1 Co. 
15.6;—the frequency of his interviews with 
many of them, Mat. 27.9,10; 28.16,17; Mar. 
16.9; Lu.24.13-31,34,51 ;Jn.2o. 19,20,26; 21. 
1-15;—their very incredulity and slowness 
in believing, Mar.9.10; L11.24.1-12;—their 
deep conviction and assurance of its truth, 
manifested by their publication of it before 
his murderers and their persecutors, Ac. 
2.22-24;—they could have no motive to at¬ 
tempt an imposture, 1 Co. 15.19;—without 
deviation or exception they all continue to 
agree in their testimony, though exposed 
to suffering and death, Ac. 2.32;—the mira¬ 
cles which they performed in the name of 
Christ, and in confirmation of their testi¬ 
mony, 2.43; 5.12;—its necessity, Lu.24.45, 
46; Ro.4.25; 8.34; 1 Co.15.14,17,19;—attri¬ 
buted to power of God, Ac.2.24; 3.15; Ro. 
8.11; Ep.1.20; Col. 2.12;—also to his own 
power, Jn. 2.19; 10. 18;—first-fruit of the 
resurrection, of believers, Ac. 26.23; 1 Co. 
15.20,23. 

Retain, to hold fast, or to keep, Job 2.9; 

Pr.4.4; 11.16; Jn.20.23; Ro.1.28. 
Retaliation, or the act of returning like 
for like, laws and observations concerning, 
Ex.21.24; Le.24.20; De.19.21; Pr.24.29; 
Mat.5.38; Ro.12.17; 1 Co.6.7; iTh.5.15; 1 
Pe. 3.9;—threatened to the unmerciful, Mat. 
7.2; Mar.4.24; 2 Co.9.6. 

Retire, to retreat, or to withdraw, Ju. 20. 

39; 2 Sa.11.15; 20.22; Je.4.6. 

Return, to come or go back, repay, Ge.3. 

19; Ps.6.4; Mat.12.44; Ac.15.16. 

Reuben, ru'ben [behold a son], the eldest 
son of Jacob by Leah, Ge. 29.32;—brought 
mandrakes to his mother, 30.14;—lost his 
birthright on account of a grievous sin, 35. 
22; 49.3,4;—kept his brethren from killing 
Joseph, 37.21;—rent his clothes when he 
found him not in the pit, 29;—reminded 
his brethren of their cruelty to him, 42.22; 
—offered his two sons to his father for the 
safety of Benjamin, 37;—his father’s last 
words to him, 49.3,4;—his sons and de¬ 
scendants, Nu. 26.5-11; 1 Ch. 5.1-3;—the 
tribe of, was the least distinguished in 
nearly every respect. 

Reubenites and Gadites, &c., apply for 
leave to settle beyond Jordan, Nu.32.1;— 
granted, 33; De. 3.12; Jos. 1.12; 13.15;— 
sent thither after the conquest of Canaan, 
Jos. 22.1;—their number and conquests, 1 
Ch.5.18:—Moses invoked a prophetic bless¬ 
ing on Reuben, De.33.6;—the Reubenites 
reproved for not aiding the western tribes 
against Sisera, Ju.5.15,16;—their territory 
invaded by the Syrians under Hazael, 2 
Ki.10.32:—about a century later were car¬ 
ried captive to Assyria, 1 Ch.5.6,26; 2 Ki. 
15.29. 

Reumah, ru'mah [high, elevated], concu¬ 
bine of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, Ge. 
22.24. 

Reveal, to disclose, Job 20.27; Je.33.6; Da. 
2.47; Mat. 11.27. 

Revelation of God’s will to men, different 
modes of, Ge.3.9; 4.9:6.13; 15.1:31.24; 
40.8; Ex.3.2; 28.26; 1 Sa.28.6; Da.2.19; 
Joel 2.28; Mat.10.19; Lu.1.11,26,67; 2.26; 
Ac. 2.1; 9.4; 1 Co. 14.30;—all Scripture is 
given by revelation from God, 2 Ti.3.16; 1 
Pe. 1.11; 2Pe. 1.21.— Book of, commonly 
called the Apocalypse, written by John in 
Patmos about a.d. 95 or 96. 

Revellings, luxurious feasting, and wanton 
behaviour, Ga.5.21; 1 Pe.4.3. 

Revenge, or return of evil for an injury or 
affront, to be refrained from, Le.19.18: Pr. 
20.22; 24.29; Mat.5.39: R*-!2.19: 1 Th.5. 
15; 1 Pe.3.9;—reproved by Christ, Lu.9. 


54,55;—Christian revenge is to well-intreat 
tne enemy', Pr.25.21,22; Ex.23.4,5; Mat. 
5.44; Ro. 12. 20; —examples of revenge: 
Simeon and Levi, Ge. 34. 25 ; — Samson, 
Ju. 15. 7, 8;- Joab, 2 Sa. 3. 27:— Jezebel, 1 
Ki. 19.2;— Ahab, 22.26;— Hainan, Es.3.8- 
15:— Herodias, Mar.6.19-24. 

Revenue, income, or annual profits, Ezr.4. 

13; Pr.8.19; 15.6; 16.8; Is.23.3: Je. 12.13. 
Reverence, veneration, humble and sub¬ 
missive respect, 2 Sa.9.6; 1 Ki. 1.31; Es.3.2; 
Ps.89.7; He. 12.9,28. 

Reverse, to repeal or overturn, Nu. 23.20; 
Es.8.5,8. 

Reviling, reproaching, or speaking abusive¬ 
ly of, forbidden, Mat.5.22; 1 C0.6.10; 1 Pe. 
2.23; 3.9; 2 Pe. 2.11; Jude 9;—examples of: 
Joseph's brethren, Ge. 37. 19;— Goliath, 1 
Sa. 17. 43;— Michal, 2 Sa. 6. 20;— Shimei, 
16. 7, 8;— Sennacherib, Is. 37. 17, 23, 24;— 
malefactor, Lu.23.39. 

Revive, to return to life, Ro. 14. 9:—to 
quicken and render lively' and active, Ge. 
45.27; Ju.15.19; Ps.85.6; 138.7; Is 57.15: 
Hab.3.2. 

Revolt, to fall away from one to another, 
as men do who rebel against their king, 2 
Ki.8.20; 2 Ch.21.10; Is.1.5; 31.6; Je.5.23. 
Rewards, great, promised to the righteous, 
De.28.1, &c.; Ps.1.1, &c.; 50.23; 84.12; 
112.1; Pr.3.33; 10.6,17; 12.2,28; Is.3.10; 
48. 18;—of a temporal nature, Ps. 37. 29; 
Pr.2.21; 3.2,7,16; 10.3,30; 13.25; 22.4; Is. 
33.15;—compared to crowns and kingdoms, 
Mat.25.34: Lu. 12.32; 22.29; 2 Ti.2.12; 4.8; 
He.12.28; Ja.1.12; 1 Pe.1.4; 5.4; Re.2.10; 
3 ”- 

Rezin, re'zin [holding together, dominion], 
last king of Syria, confederate with Pekah, 
king of Israel, against Judah, slain by 
Tiglath-pilezer, 2 Ki.15.37; I 6-5: Is.7.1; 8. 
4 - 7 - 

Rezon, re'zon [prince], the son of Eliadah, 
revolts from Hadadezer, and opposes Solo¬ 
mon, 1 Ki. 11.23. 

Rhegium, re'ji-um [a breach], a city on the 
south-west coast of Italy', opposite Messina 
in Sicily;—here Paul landed on his way to 
Rome, Ac. 28. 13. Its modern name is 
Reggio, the capital of Calabria, with a 
Popish population of about 10,000. 

Rhesa, rg'sah, the father of Joanna in the 
ancestry of Christ, Lu.3.27. 

Rhinoceros. See Unicorn. 

Rhoda, ro'da [a rose], a young woman, a 
convert to Christianity, Ac. 12.13. 

Rhodes, an island of the Mediterranean, 
about 75 miles east of Crete, and about 
120 miles in circumference. The city of 
Rhodes was celebrated for the colossus, a 
brazen statue of Apollo 105 feet high which 
was erected over the entrance of the har¬ 
bour. Paul touched at, on his return 
voyage from his third missionary journey 
(a.d. 58 , Ac.21.1. The population of the 
island is about 20,000. 

Riblah, rib'lah [fertility], a city in the 
country of Hamath, about 12 miles north¬ 
east of the fountain of the Orontes and on 
the right bank of that river. Here Pharaoh- 
Necho deprived Jehoahaz of his crown, 
and gave it to Jehoiakim, 2 Ki.23.33,34;— 
here Nebuchadnezzar abode while his 
army besieged Jerusalem, 25.6;—here king 
Zedekiah’s sons were slain, and his own 
eyes put out, Je.39.5; 52.9-11. 

Ribs, bones in the sides of animals, Eve 
formed of one, Ge.2.21,22;—figuratively, 
the kingdoms of Lydia, Babylon, and 
Egypt, Da. 7.5. 

Riches, their vanity' and uncertainty. Job 
36.19; Pr.11.4,28; 15.16; 23.5; Ec.5.12; 6.1; 
Je.9.23; Eze.7.19; Zep.1.18; Mat.6.19: Lu. 
12.16, &c.; Ja.5. 1; Re.18.16;—cannot re¬ 
deem or deliver man’s soul, Ps.49.6-9; 1 
Pe. 1. 18; Zep. 1. 18; Re. 6. 15-17;—not to 
trust in them, Job 31.24; Ps.62.10; Je.9.23; 
1 Ti. 6.17;—folly of thus trusting, shown, 
Lu.12.16-21;—the dangers to which they 
expose men, Pr. 18.11; 28. n: 30.8; Ec.5.12; 
Mat.13.22; Ja.2.6: 5.5;—no mark of divine 
favour, Ps.73.12: Mat.5.45; Lu.i.53; Ja.5. 
1;—the fate of ill-gotten ones, Job 20.15: 
Pr.io. 2; 16. 8; 20. 21; 21.6: 22.16; 28. 8, 22; 
Je.17.11;—to be acquired by honest labour 
and industry, Pr. 10.4; ia.ii; 13- 4 : **-*9; 
28.19;—uses for which they should be em¬ 
ployed, 1 Ch. 29. 3: Mat. 19. 21: Lu. 16.9; 1 
Jn. 3. 17:—if well used, a blessing, Pr. 14. 
20; 19.4:22.7: Ec.7.12; Lu.16.9: iTi.6.19: 
—the duty of those who are possessed of 
them, Ps. 62:10: 1 Ti.6.17; Ja.1.10:—what 
are true riches, Mat.6.19; Lu. 12.33; 1 Ti. 
6.18; Re.2.9; 3.18. 















tri tjj O 


ihBI.K AUXILIARY 


--- ^V v t-STITT 

Rid, to set free or clear from, Ge.37.22; Ex. | 
6.6; Le.26.6; Ps.82.4; 144.7,11. 

Riddance, a complete removal of, Le.23.22; 
Zep 1.18. 

Riddle, something intricated or compli¬ 
cated, an enigma, or dark and puzzling 
question;—Samson’s, Ju. 14. 12-19;—Eze¬ 
kiel’s, Eze. 17.2. 

Rifle, to rob or plunder, Zee. 14.2. 
Righteous, those who are just and upright 
in heart and practice, both towards God 
and man;—their character described, Ps. 
112.5, Pr.12.10; 13.5; 21.12; Mat.12.35; J n - 
1.47; -under several characters, 2 Ch.34.2; 
Ps.i5.i, &c.; 37. 21; ii2. 5; Pr.10.20; 12. 5, 
10; 13.5; 15.28: 21.26; 28.1; 29.7; Eze.18.5, 
&c.; Mar. 6.20; Lu. 1. 6; Ac. 10.1, &c.; 11. 
24; Ro.5.7. 

-and wicked compared, Ps. i. 

xxxvii. xlix. Iviii. lxxiii.; Pr.4.16; 14-9; 28. r, 
ike. ; Is. 3. 10:—have oft the same fate in 
this world, Ec.7.15; 8.14:9.2;—their happi¬ 
ness and privileges, Ps.37.23; Pr. 12.2; 13. 
22: 14.14; 28 5: Is. 33.15; Ro.2.10; 5. 7; 10. 
5,9; 2 Co.3.18; Ep.2.19: C0I.T.12; 3. 4; He. 
12.14; 1 Jn.3.2; Re. 2.7,11,17,26,28; 3.5,12, 
21: 22. 14:—salt of the earth, and light of 
the world, Mat. 5.13,14;—sons of God, Ro. 

8.14, &c.; 1 Jn.3.1,2;—one with Christ and 
the Father, Jn.17.11,21;—temple of God, 

1 Co. 3. 16;—free from trouble, Ps. 91. 14; 
Pr. 1.33; 16. 7; Is.32.17; Re. 7.16; 21.4;—to 
be remembered with respect, Ps. 112.6: Pr. 
10.7;—to be blessed 111 their posterity, Ex. 
25. 5, 6; De. 4. 40; 12. 25; Ps. 37.26; 103.17; 
Pr. 11. 21; 12. 7; 14. 26; 20. 7; Lu. 1. 50;—to 
inherit eternal life. Da. 12.2; Lu. 18.30; J11. 
3.15; 4.14; Ro.2.7; 1 Ti.6.19; Tit.1.2; 1 Jn. 
2.25; Jude 21. 

Righteousness of God, as the governor of 
the world, asserted, Ps. 11. 7; 36. 6; 48. 10; 
71.19; 97.2; 111.3; 119.137,142; 14517; Je. 
9.24; Da.9 7; Re. 16.5;—certain character¬ 
istics of it, Ps. 48.10; 71.15,19; 97.2; 111.3; 
119.142;—things wherein it is shown, De. 
4.8; Ju.5.11; 1 Sa.12.71 Ps.19.9; 96.13; 119. 
7,62,123,138; 145.17;—how saints should 
treat it, Ps. 22.31:35. 28; 40.10; 71.16; 145. 

7; Da.9.*6- 

- of Christ, his perfect obe¬ 
dience to all the .demands of the divine 
law, and his endurance of its penalty, in 
the room, and for the justification, of his 
people; and which is often called the 
righteousness of God, because appointed 
and accepted by God;- called sometimes 
the righteousness of faith, because appre¬ 
hended by faith, Ro. 4.13; 9. 30; 10. 6;— 
wrought out by him, who is truly God in 
our nature;—and exhibiting a bright dis¬ 
play of God’s righteousness, Je.23.6; 33.16; 
Mai.4.2; Ro.1.17; 3. 22; 10. 3; 1 Co.i.3o; 2 
Co.5.21; Phi.3.9; 2 Pe. 1.1. 

-—— -of the Saints consists in 

Christ's righteousness imputed to them, 2 
Co.5.21; Phi. 3.9;— in principles of right¬ 
eousness implanted in them, Ep.4.23,24;— 
and in righteousness of life exemplified by 
them, Ep.2.10; Tit.2.14. 

Rigour, strictness and severity. Ex. 1.13; 
Le.25.43. 

Rimmon, rim'mon [a pomegranate apple], 
ii An idol worshipped by the people of 
Damascus, 2 Ki. 5. 18.—(2! A steep rock 
north-east of Geba and Michmash which 
served as a fortress to the Benjamites, Ju. 
20.45.—(3) A city of the tribe of Simeon, 
Jos.15. 21,32; 1 Ch.4.32; Ne.11.29.—(4) A 
city of Zebulun, 1 Ch.6.77. 

Ringleader, the head of a mob or party, 
Ac. 24.5. 

Rings, used as ornaments for the ears, 
hands, fingers, &c., were very ancient, Ge. 
24-22,30,47; 41.42; Nu.31.50; Es.3.10; 8.2; 
Lu.15.22; Ja.2.2. 

Rinsed, washed, Le.6.28; 15.11,12. 

Riot, wild and loose mirth, Ro. 13.13; Tit. 
1.6; 1 Pe.4.4. 

Riotous, intemperate, luxurious, wanton, 
Pr.23.20; 28.7; Lu.15.13. 

Riphath, ri'fath, a son of Corner the son 
of Japheth (Ge.10.3l, founder of a Cim¬ 
merian tribe, the Celts who marched across 
the Riphaean Mountains, i.e. the Car¬ 
pathians, into Europe. 

Rites, laws, customs, ceremonies, Nu.9.3. 
River, a name sometimes given by the 
Hebrews to seas, such as the Red Sea and 
the Mediterranean, Ps.74.15; Hab.3.8; Is. 
2 3 - 3 :— river of God, showers, Ps.65.9;— 
one to rise from Jerusalem, and to flow 
into the Great and the Dead Sea, Eze.47. 

2; Zee. 14. 8 —of life in Paradise, Re. 22.1; 
~~°JEgypt. This expression is found eight 


times in the Old Testament. In Ge.15.18 
the Hebrew word is nahar, and it means 
the river Nile. In the other instances the 
Hebrew is nakhal, which means a winter- 
stream, and the reference is to IV,ady el- 
Arish, which was the boundary between 
Egypt and Canaan, as in Nu.34.5; Jos.15. 
4,47; 1 Ki.8.65. 

Robbery, or theft, forbidden and threat¬ 
ened, Le.19.13; Ps.62.10; Pr.21.7:28.24:1s. 
61. 8; Eze. 18.10; Am. 3.10; Ne. 3.1;—how 
punished, Ex.22.1; 2 Sa.12.5; Pr.6.31. 
Robes, long and ornamented garments, 
worn by persons of rank, 1 Ki.22.10,30; 2 
Ch.18.9,29; Eze. 26.16; Lu.20.46;—of the 
redeemed, Re.6.n; 7.9,13,14. 

Rocks, noted ones in a mountainous coun¬ 
try, as Canaan was, were many, of Adul- 
lam, 1 Ch.11.15;—Bozez and Seneh, 1 Sa. 
14. 4; — Engedi, 24. 1, 2; —Sela-hammah- 
lekoth, 23. 25, 28;—Horeb, Ex. 17.1—6;—- 
Meribah, Nu.20.1-n;—Oreb, Ju.7.25; Is. 
10.26;—were often used as places of retreat 
or fortresses, Ju. 15.8:20.45 ;i Sa.23.25;! Ch. 
ii. 15;—water caused miraculously to flow 
from, Nu. 20.8,11; Ne.9.15; Ps.78.20; 114. 
8; Is.48.21. 

Rod, of Moses changed into a serpent, Ex. 
4.3; 7.10;—of Aaron budded, Nu. 17.1, &c.; 
—one to chastise, 1C0.4.21;—figuratively 
for Christ, Is.ii.i;— the tribes of Israel, Ps. 
74.2; Je. 10.16;—power and authority, Ps. 
2.9; 110.2; 125.3. 

Rods, prepared by Jacob, Ge.30.37. 

Roe, a species of deer, the smallest known 
to us, 1 Ch. 12.8; Pr.5.19; 6.5; Is.i3"i4. 
Rogelim, ro-ge'lim [fuller’s place], a town 
in Gilead, where lived Barzillai, 2 Sa. 17. 
27; 19.31. 

Roll, a piece of skin or parchment, written 
sometimes on both sides, and rolled to¬ 
gether, instead of being bound in cut 
leaves, Ezr.6.2; Is.8.1; Je. 36. 2, 6,23,29;— 
one flying, in a vision of Zechariah, Zee. 
5 -i- 

Roman, or freed matt, citizen of Rome, 
Paul was, Ac. 16.37; 22.25,27,29. 

Rome, rome, the capital of Italy, on the 
river Tiber, about 15 miles from its mouth, 
long the mistress of the world; was founded 
about 748 B.c., and increased to such an 
extent that it covered seven hills, whence 
it was called urbs septicolis, ‘city of the 
seven hills.’ In Nero’s reign (a.d. 64} 
about two-thirds of it was destroyed by 
fire, but it was rebuilt with great splen¬ 
dour. In the reigns of Vespasian and Tra¬ 
jan the population was about 2,000,000. 
Rome is not mentioned in the O. T.; but 
the empire of Rome is referred to by 
Daniel, under the name of the ‘fourth 
kingdom,’ Da. 2. 40; 7.7,17,19; 11.39,40. 
The population of the Roman empire in 
the time of Christ is estimated at 85,000,000. 
Strangers from, at Jerusalem on the day 
of Pentecost, Ac. 2. 10;—from it all Jews 
were commanded to depart, 18. 2;—Paul 
was carried to it a prisoner, 28. 16;—re¬ 
mained there two years preaching, 30.31;— 
sent an epistle to the saints there, written 
from Corinth, a.d. 57,58, Ro.15.15; comp. 
Ac.20.2,3,16;—it is called ‘that great city 
which reigneth over the kings of the earth,’ 
Re. 17. 18. For centuries this great city 
has been the capital of the ‘ States of the 
Church,’ where the pope had sway as a 
temporal prince. In the month of Sept., 
1870, the troops of Victor Emanuel entered 
Rome, and in a few days the ‘ States of the 
Church ’ ceased to exist. The pope was 
deprived of all his temporal power, and 
permitted to reside in Rome only as the 
spiritual overseer of the church which owns 
his authority. 

Root, Christ is called the, Is.11.10; Re.5.5; 
22.16. 

Rotten, putrid, not sound. Job 13. 28; 41. 
2 71 Je.38.11,12; Joel 1.17. 

Roughly, rudely, boisterously, Ge.42.30; 1 
Sa.20.iQ; Pr. 18.23. 

Rouse, to stir up from rest or quiet Ge 

49 - 9 - 

Rovers, wandering and plundering robbers, 

I Ch. 12.21. 

Royal, kingly, Ge. 49.20; Jos. 10.2; Ac 12 
21; Ja.2.8. 

Ruby, a precious stone, second only to the 
diamond in hardness, of a red colour 
mixed with purple, Job 28.18; Pr 3 15- 8 
11:20.15:31.10. 

Rudder, the helm, or part which steers a 
ship, Ac.27.40. 

Ruddy, approaching to red, 1 Sa.16.12 - Ca 
5-10; La. 4.7. 


[ Rudiments, elements or first principles of | 
science, Col.2.8,20; Ga.4.3,9. 

Rue, a small garden plant. This word is 
found only in Lu.11.42. In the parallel 
passage, Mat.23.23, anise (= dill) is used. 
Rufus, ru'fus [red], the son of Simon the 
Cyrenian, Mar. 15. 21;—he, or one of the 
same name, is saluted by Paul, Ro. 16.13. 
Ruhamah, ru-ha'mah [having obtained 
mercy], the name Israel would still bear, 
if she returned to God, Ho. 2.1. 

Ruinous, fallen to ruin, 2Ki.19.25; Is.17.1; 
37.26. 

Rulers, or civil magistrates, to be respected 
and obeyed, Ro. 13.1-7; Tit. 3.1; 1 Pe. 2.13, 
14;—the devil and his agents so called, 
Ep.6.12. 

Rump, the buttock, Ex.29.22; Le. 3.9:8. 

25: 9 - 19 - 

Running the Christian race, directions for, 

1 Co.9.24; He. 12.1. 

Rush, a well-known plant (Job 8. it; Is. 9. 
14; 19. 15) found in marshy places; trans¬ 
lated ‘hook,’Job 41. 2; ‘bulrush,’ Is.58.5. 
The ‘bulrush’ in Ex.2.3; Is.35. 7; 18.2, is 
a different word in Heb. denoting the 
Egyptian papyrus. 

Rushed, entered with violence, Ju.9.44; 20. 
37; Ac. 19.29. 

Rust, earthly riches liable to, Mat. 6.19;— 
of their riches, a witness against avarici¬ 
ous rich men, Ja.5.3. 

Ruth, rooth [beauty], accompanies her 
mother-in-law from the land of Moab to 
Bethlehem, more than 100 years before 
the time of David, Ru. 1.16;—gleans in the 
fields of Boaz, 2. 1, &c.;—claims the right 
of relationship to him, 3,8;—married to 
him, 4.10. Book of, has been placed by 
the Jews in the Hagiographa. It was pro¬ 
bably written by the author of the Book 
of Judges, and belongs to the period of 
about the middle of the judges. 

Rye, a well-known bearded grain, Ex.9.32; 

Is. 28. 25. In Eze. 4.9 the same word is 
rendered ‘fitches.’ 


S. 


Sabachthani, sa-bak-tha'ni, the Syro-Chal- 
daic of the Hebrew word quoted by Christ 
from Ps. 22. 1, and which signifies hast 
thou forsaken met Mat.26.46; Mar.15.34. 
Sabaoth, sab-a'oth, hosts or armies, Ro. 9. 
29; Ja.5.4. 

Sabbath [rest], so called because God rested 
on it from his work of creation, and ap¬ 
pointed it for rest to man and beast, Ge.2. 
2;—charge to keep it. Ex. 16.23; 20.8,10; 
23.12; 31.12; 34.21; 35.2; Le.23.3; De.5.12; 
Je. 17. 21;—a day in which specially to re¬ 
member God’s goodness, De. 5.15;—to be 
spent in worshipping God, in reading and 
hearing his word, &c., Le. 19.30; 26.2; Is. 
58.13; Eze.46.3; Mar.6.2; Lu. 4.16, 31; 13. 
10; Ac. 13.14,15,27,42,44; 15.21; 17.2,3; 18. 
4;—uo manner of work to be done on it, 
Ex.20.10; Le.23.12; 34.21; 35.2,3; De.5.14, 
15; Je. 17.21;—promises to them who keep 
it, Is. 56. 2, 4-7; 58. 13, 14;—threatenings 
against those who break it, Ex. 31.14,15:35. 
2 ;Je. 17.27; Eze.22.8,14,26,31;—offeringson 
it, Nu.28.9;—a breaker of it stoned, 15.32; 
—the violation of it corrected by Nehe- 
miah, Ne. 13.15-22;—the superstitious ob¬ 
servance of it censured, and works of charity 
and mercy to be done on it, Mat. 12. 1,11; 

Mar.2.23,27; Lu. 13.15; Jn.7.23;—instances 

of its having been dishonoured. Ex. 16.27; 
Nu. 15.32; Ne.13. 16; Je. 17.21-23;— its pro¬ 
fanation the cause of natural judgments, 
Eze. 20. 15, 16; 23. 38, 47. Sabbath-day's 
journey, Ac.i. 12, a distance of 2000 cubits, 
measured from the wall of the city in which 
the traveller lived; about six-tenths of a 
mile. 

- , change of, from the seventh to 

the first day of the week, arguments for: 
—Christ rose from the dead on the first 
day, which has ever since been kept sacred 
to the memory of this event, Mat. 28. 1; 
Mar. 16.1;—Christ honoured this day, by 
often meeting with his disciples, Jn.20.19, 
26;—it is called the Lord’s day, namely, 
the Lord Christ’s day, Re. 1. 10;—on this 
day the apostles received the Holy Ghost, 
to qualify them for their work, Ac. 2. 1, 
compared with Le. 23. 15;—on this day 
Paul preached to the disciples, who had 
met to eat the Lord’s Supper, Ac. 20. 7;— 


the directions which Paul gives to the 
church at Corinth plainly allude to their 
religious assemblies on this day, 1 Co. 16. 
1,2. 

Sabbath, the Christian, ought to be sanc¬ 
tified as a day of rest from worldly labour 
and care, though not from works of mercy 
and charity, Ex. 20.10; Mat. 12.12;—a day 
of remembrance of Christ’s finishing his 
humiliation by rising from the dead, 1 Co. 
15. 20;—a day of meditation and prayer. 
Re. 1.10;—a day of ptiblic worship, and 
commemoration of the sacrifice of Christ, 
Jn.20.19; Ac. 20.7;—a day of holy joy, Ps. 
118.24; Is.58.13;—a day of anticipation of 
the heavenly rest, He.4.9. 

Sabbatical Year, the septennial rest for 
the ground from all cultivation, &c., Ex. 
23.10; Le.25.1; De.?5.i. 

Sabeans, sa-be'ans, (1 A tribe of marauders 
who inhabited Arabia, descended from 
Sheba, grandson of Keturah, carried away 
Job’scattle, Job 1.15.—(2) The descendants 
of the eldest son of Cush, who inhabited 
Ethiopia, 15.43.3:45.4.—(3) Descendants 
of a son of Joktan inhabiting Arabia Felix, 
Joel 3.8. 

Sabtechah, sab'te-kah [dark-coloured], the- 
name of a son of Cush, also of a tribe de¬ 
scended from him, and of the region they 
inhabited on the east of the Persian Gulf 
in Carmania, Ge.10.7; 1 Ch.1.9. 

Sackbut, a musical wind-instrument in use 
among the Chaldeans, the form of which 
is uncertain, Da.3.5,7. 

Sackcloth, coarse apparel, made commonly 
of black goats’ hair, used for sacks, Ge.42. 
25; Le. 11.32;—and also worn as a sign of 
mourning, Ge.37.34: Job 16.15; Jonah 3.5; 

2 Sa.3.31; Es.4.1,2; Ps.30.11. 

Sacrifice, by shedding the blood of animals, 
as an acknowledgment that the life of the 
offerer was forfeited, and a supplication 
for pardon, was of very early appointment, 
as appears from those of Cain and Abel, 
Ge.4.3, &c.;—of Noah, 8.20;—of Abraham, 
15.9; 22.13;—of Job, Job 1.5. 

-, to be without blemish, Le.22.19; 

—its age, 26;—how to be eaten, 29,30;— 
for morning and evening, Nu.28.3;—of the 
meat and drink offering, 15.1, &c.;—on the 
Sabbath, 28.9;—on the new moons, 11;— 
at the passover, 16, &c.;—on the offering 
of the first-fruits, 26;—to be in one place, 
De.12.5. See Offerings. 

-, insignificant without true piety, 

1 Sa.15.22; Ps.50.8; 51.16; Is. 1.11; Je.6.20; 
Am.5.21; Mi.6.6; Ho.6.6; Mar.12.33. 

-, Christ gave himself a sacrifice 

for our sins, 1 Co.15.3; Ep. 5. 2; Ga.1.4; 1 
Ti. 2. 6,14; He. 7. 27; Ro. 5. 6-8; 1 Pe. 3.18; 

4 -i. 

Sacrilege, the crime of profaning or violat¬ 
ing anything dedicated to divine worship, 
forbidden and censured, Pr.20.25; Mai.3. 
8,9; Ro.2.22. 

Saddle, a seat put on a horse, mule, or ass, 
Ge.22.3; Nu.22.21; Ju.19.10; 2 Sa.16.1; 17. 
23 - 

Sadducees, siid'du-seez [just or righteous 
ones], one of the three noted sects among 
the Jews, in the days of our Lord, who 
maintained that the soul of man is material, 
like his body, that there is no other spirit 
besides God, that there is no resurrection 
of the dead, and all the rewards of virtue, 
and punishments of vice, reach only to 
this present life;—their opinions reproved 
by our Lord, Mat. 16.1-12; 22.23-34; Mar. 
12.18-27; Lu.20.27-38;—join the priests in 
persecuting the apostles, Ac.4.1-3; 5.17;— 
divided against the Pharisees who had 
joined them in accusing Paul, 23. 6-8. 
They rapidly disappear from history after 
the first century, and the opinions of the 
Pharisees predominate among the Jews. 
Sadness of the countenance, or mourning 
under trials, makes the heart better, Ec.7.3. 
Safe, those are who trust in the Lord, Pr. 
29.25. 

Saffron, an odoriferous herb, of the crocus 
family, Ca.4.14. 

Sailors, mentioned among those who mourn 
the fate of Babylon, Re. 18.17. 

Saints, or holy ones, the genuine people 
of God, who are sanctified by his Word 
and Spirit, 1 Sa. 2. 9; 2 Ch. 6.41; Ps. 16. 3; 
37.28; Ro. 1.7; 8.27, &c. In De. 33.2 and 
Jude 14 the word probably means angels. 
Salamis, sal'a-mis [shaken, beaten], a city 
in the island of Cyprus, on its south-east 
coast;—here Paul and Barnabas preached, 
Ac. 13.5. 3 V* Cyprus. 

Salathiel, sa-la'thi-el [asked of God], the 
















THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


(Sa—Sc) 6 60 


son of Jeconiah, and father of Zerubbabel, 
i Ch.3.x7; Mat.1.12; Lu.3.27. 

Salem, sa'lem [peace], supposed to be the 
original name of J erusalem, in the days of 
Melchizedec, Ge.14.18: He.7.1; Ps.76.2. 
Salim, sa'lim [peace], an ancient city, near 
which Jacob pitched his tent, Ge.33.18;— 
it stood about six miles north-east of Jeru¬ 
salem, near the river Jordan, where John 
is said to have baptized many, Jn.3.23;— 
called Shalem, Ge.33.18;—Shalim, 1 Sa. 
9.4. 

Salmon, sal'mon [shady], the name of a 
hill, Ps.68.15;—called Zalmon, Ju.9.48. 
Salmone, sal-mQ'ne, the eastern promon¬ 
tory of the island of Crete, Ac. 27. 7. See 
Crete. 

Salome, sa-lo'me [peaceable], the wife of 
Zebedee, and mother of James and John, 
Mar.15.40; 16.1, with Mat.27.56; supposed 
to have been the sister of the Virgin Mary. 
Salt, to be used with every burnt-offering, 
Le.2.13;—Christians compared to it, Mat. 
r 5. 13; Mar. 9. 49; Lu. 14. 34;—covenant of, 
Nu.18.19; 2 Ch.13.5. 

- (City of), one of the six cities in the 

wilderness of Judah, Jos. 15.62. 

Salt Sea, the name of that lake at the 
south-east of the Holy Land, which separ¬ 
ated it from the country of the Moabites, 
Ge.14.3; De. 3.17;—it is called also the Sea 
of the Plain, De.4.49;—the Sea, Eze.47.8; 
the East Sea, Joel 2. 20;—the Asphaltic 
Lake. The Arabs call it the Dead Sea, 
and the Sea of Lot (. BahrLUt >. It is about 
46 miles long and a little more than 10 miles 
broad, although these dimensions vary ac¬ 
cording to the season of the year. Its great¬ 
est depth is about 1300 feet. Its surface 
is 1289 feet below the level of the Mediter¬ 
ranean. Its waters contain 26]^ per cent, 
of saline particles, while those of the ocean 
contain only 4 per cent. Its specific 
gravity is 1172, so that a traveller floated 
in it ‘easily in an upright position, with 
head and shoulders above the water. ’ The 
land around it is gloomy and barren, and an 
awful silence hangs over the whole scene. 
Salt Valley of), a place where the army 
of David slew 18,000 Edomites, 2 Sa.8.13; 
1 Ch. 18.12. See also 2 Ki. 14.7; 2CI1.25. 
xi. Its position is not known. 
Salutations, friendly compliments, whether 
by words, letters, or kisses, Mat. 5.47; 10. 
12; Lu. 1.29,41; 1 Co.16.21; Col.4.18. 
Salvation, temporal safety, preservation, 
or delivera?ice, is from God only, Ps.3.8; 
Is.43.11; Ho.13.4; Jn.2.9; Ac.7.25; 27.34; 
He.11.7; 1 Ti.4.10. 

-, deliverance from sin and hell. 


and the final enjoyment of heavenly bliss, 
is through Christ, Mat. 1.21; Lu.1.69; 2.30; 
Jn.3.16,17; 10.9; Ac.4.12; 5 - 3 1 ! i 3 - 2 3 ; T 5 * 
11; 16.31; R0.10.9; Ep.1.3,7; iTi.1.15; 2 
Ti. 1. jo; Tit. 3.5; He.2.10; 5.9; 7 - 2 5 :—is 
offered freely to all, Is.45.22; 51.1; Mat. 
11.28; Jn. 7.37; Re. 22. 17;—is of grace, 
Ep. 2. 5, 8 ; 2 Ti. 1. 9; Tit. 2. 11 ; —and 
not of works, Ro. 11.6; Ep.2.9; 2TL1.9; 
Tit. 3.5;—is through faith in Christ, Mar. 
16.16; Ac.16.31; R0.10.9; Ep.2.8; 1 Pe.1.5. 
See Saviour. . . 

Samaria, sa-ma'ri-a [watch-height], in Heb. 
Shomeron, corrupted by the Greeks into 
Samaria, (1) The capital city of the 
Ephraimites, situated about 42 miles north 
from Jerusalem, and called after the name 
of the original owner (Shemer) of the 
hill on which it was built, about b.c. 925, 
by Omri the sixth king of Israel, 1 Ki. 
16.24;—a grievous famine there, 2Ki.6.24; 
—relieved by the flight of the enemy, 7.6; 
—a mixture of different nations settled in 
it, 2 Ki.17.24; Ezr.4.9,10. For two centu¬ 
ries it was the capital of the kingdom of 
Israel till the carrying away of the ten 
tribes by Shalmaneser (b.C. 720), 2 Ki. 18. 
3,5. The site of the city is now covered 
with terraced vineyards and corn-fields, 
amid which are groups and long ranges 
of columns. On one section of it stands 
the small village of Sebustieh, a corruption 
of the Greek Sebaste, comp. Mi. 1. 6; Ho. 
13.16.—(2) The country of the Ephraim¬ 
ites, 1 Ki. 13.32;—in the New Testament, 
it always means the country between 
Judea and Galilee, west of Jordan, which 
belonged to the tribes of Ephraim and 
Manasseh, Lu. 17. u; Jn- 4 - 4;—Christians 
were scattered through, by persecution, 
Ac 8 , ; —Philip preached Christ to its in¬ 
habitants, 5;—they received the Word, 14. 

Samaritans, sa-mar'i-tans, inhabitants ol 
the country of Samaria. After Shalman¬ 


eser, king of Assyria, had carried away | 
captive the ten tribes of Israel, he re- 1 
peopled Samaria with a colony of Baby¬ 
lonians, Cuthians, and other idolaters, 2 
Ki. 17.24. These, after a time, quitted the 
worship of idols, embraced the Jewish re¬ 
ligion, and built a temple on Mount Ge- 
rizim; and their offspring, mixed with 
apostate Jews, are called Samaritans;— 
their enmity to the Jews, Lu.9.52,53; Jn. 
4.9;—their name used by the Jews as a 
reproach, 8.48. At present the Samaritans 
are only about 200 in number, they reside 
in Nablous, the ancient Shechem, and still 
with scrupulous minuteness observe the 
passover on a sacred spot on Mount Ge- 
rizim. 

Samos, sa'mos, an island in the east of the 
Mediterranean, about 9 miles from the 
coast of Asia Minor, a few miles south of 
Ephesus, Ac. 20. 15. It is about 72 miles 
in circumference. It contains about 12,000 
inhabitants. 

Samothracia, sam-o-thra'shj’-a, a small 
island in the north-east part of the Aegean 
Sea, about 30 miles distant from the coast 
of Thracia. 1 1 is 17 miles in circumference; 
—here Paul visited on his way from Troas, 
Ac. 16. it. It is now called Samothraki, 
and contains only a single village. 

Samson, sam'son [sun], the son of Manoah, 
bom, Ju.13.24;—marries a Philistine, 14.1; 
—his riddle, 12;—kills thirty Philistines, 
19;—burns their corn, 15.3;—kills a thou¬ 
sand men with a jaw-bone, 14;—escapes 
from Gaza, 16.1;—seduced by Delilah, 4, 
&c.;—taken by the Philistines, and his eyes 
put out, 21;—recovers his strength before 
his death, and destroys many of the Philis¬ 
tines, 22, &c.; — was for twenty years a 
judge of Israel. 

Samuel, sam'u-el [asked of, and lent to 
God], the son of Elkanah, by Hannah, 
bom, 1 Sa. x. 20;—devoted to God, 24;— 
who speaks to him when very young, 3.1, 
&c.;—was the first of a series of prophets 
that continued in unbroken succession till 
the close of the Old Testament, Ac.3.24;— 
was early known as ‘the seer,’ 1 Sa.9.18;— 
persuades the Israelites to abandon idola¬ 
try, at Mizpeh, 7.3;—his sons misbehave, 

8, i; —explains the customs of kings, 10;— 
—receives Saul, 9.11;—anoints him, 10.1; 
—asserts his own integrity, 12.1;—reproves 
Saul, 13.11; 15.12, &c.;—deserts him, 35;— 
anoints David, 16. ti, &c.;—dies, 25. 1;— 
appears to Saul after his death, 28.9, &c. 
Sanballat, san-bal'lat [strength, heroic 
courage], a native of Horonaim beyond 
Jordan, Ne.2.10;—was probably governor 
over the Samaritans;—was grieved that 
the city and temple of Jerusalem were to 
be rebuilt, Ne.2.10; - opposes the Jews, 6. 
1, &c. 

Sanctification, the progressive conformity 
of the heart and life to the will of God, 1 
Th. 5. 23;—it includes both dying to sin, 
and living in holiness, 1 Pe.2.24;—in its 
nature it is a divine work, lit.3.5; 1 Pe. 
1.2;—referred to the Father, 1 Th. 5. 23; 
He. 13.20,21;—to the Son, Ep.5.25,26; Tit. 
2.14;—to the Holy Ghost, 1 Co.6.11; 2'll!. 
2.13;—a progressive work. Job 17.9; Pr 4. 
18;— an internal work, Ep.4.23;—a work 
always visible in its effects, Ac.11.23; Ro. 
7 . 4 ; — a work which is never left till it 
be perfected, Phi. 1.6;—a work necessary 
to our peace, usefulness, and eternal hap¬ 
piness, R0.6.20-22; Ep.5.26,27; He.12.24; 
—accomplished through Christ’s suffer¬ 
ings, He. 10.10; 13.12;—by instrumentality 

of the Word, Jn. 17.17,19; Ep. 5 - 2 6 ;—:its 
evidences are, freedom from sin, Ro.6.2,6, 
jg;—the love and practice of holiness, Ps. 
5 i.’ 7 ,10; Ro. 6. 22;—humility, Job 42. 5, 6; 
Ep.3.g;—deadness to the world, Ga.6.14; 
—patient submission to the will of God 
under afflictions, Job 2.10; Ps.39.9;—grow¬ 
ing desires after heaven, 2 Co. 5.4-8; Phi. 


Sanctify, to make holy, to treat as holy, 
or to set apart for holy services, Ex. 19.10; 
22.23; 30.29; De.5.12; Is.8.13; 29.23; Ep.5. 
26; 1 Th.5.23. 

Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, Le.4.6; 
the temple at large, 2 Ch. 20. 8;—the one 
place of national worship for the Israelites, 
D e . I2 .5;—David longs to attend it, Ps.42. 
2 • 63.1; Ixxxiv.;—its place after the restora¬ 
tion of the Jews, Eze.48.8;—heaven, He. 
g 2:—a place of refuge and shelter so' 
called, Is.8.14: Eze.n. 16. 

Sandals, at first, were only soles of leather 
or wood, fastened on the feet with strings 


or thongs; afterwards they were covered | 
like shoes by the richer, but the Hebrew 
slaves went barefoot, Mar.6.9; Ac. 12.8;— 
commonly rendered ‘shoe,’ Mat.3.11; 10. 

10; Mar. 1. 7; Lu. 3. 16; 10. 4, &c. See 
Washing. 

Sanhedrim, or Senate, san'he-drim, the 
supreme council of the Jewish nation, 
composed of seventy or seventy-two judges, 
and said to have taken its rise from the 
seventy elders appointed to assist Moses;— 
Christ was brought before it, Mat.27.1; Jn. 
11.47;—Stephen, Ac. 6.12,15;—Peter and 
John, 4.5-7;—the apostles, 5.21,27. 
Sapphire, a precious stone, second only to 
the diamond in lustre, hardness, and value; 
and of a pure blue, or deep azure colour, 
Ex.24.10; 28.18; Job 28.16; La.4.7; Eze.1. 
26; Re.21.19. 

Sarah, sa'rah [lady, or princess], the wife 
of Abraham, Ge. 11. 29; 12. 5;—her name 
changed from Sarai Imy princess], 17.15; 

—bare Isaac when she was above ninety 
years, 21. 2;—died at Hebron, aged 127 
years, 23.2;—buried, 19. Isaiah (51.2) is 
the only prophet who makes mention of 
her. See Abraham. 

Sardine, or Sardius, a gem of a deep red, 
or bloody colour, of the chalcedony family. 
Ex.28.17; Eze.28.13; Re.4.3; 21.20. 

Sardis, sar'dis, capital of the ancient king¬ 
dom of Lydia in Asia Minor, situated at 
the foot of Mount Tmolus, in the plain 
watered by the river Pactolus. Here was 
one of the ‘seven churches’ to which John 
addressed an apocalyptic message, Re. 3.1. 
Its modern name is Sert-Kalessi, consist¬ 
ing of only a few miserable cottages amid 
the ruins of former grandeur. 

Sardonyx. See Onyx. 

Sarepta, sa-rfip'tah, Lu. 4. 26, a Gentile 
town on the shores of the Mediterranean 
between Tyre and Sidon. .SV* Zarephath. 
Sargon, sar'gon, a King of Assyria, Is. 20.1. 
Satan, si'tan [an enemy], the devil, appears 
in the presence of God, Job 1. 6; 2. 1;— 
tempts Joshua the high-priest. Zee. 3.1;— 
tempts Jesus, Mat.4.1; Mar. 1.13; Lu.4.2; 
—the prince of the demons, Mat. 9.34;— 
Judas so called, Jn.6.70;—Peter so called, 
Mar.8.33;—seen by Jesus as lightning fall¬ 
ing from heaven, Lu. 10. 18;—his syna¬ 
gogue, Re. 2. 9;—bound for a thousand 
years, 20.2. See Devil. 

Satiate, to satisfy, to fill, or to glut, Je.31. 
14,25; 46.10. 

Satisfying, contenting, Ps.103.5; Pr. 13.25; 
Col.2.23. 

Satyr, a fabulous being, a hairy shaggy 
monster, half man, half goat, a species of 
demon, Is.13.21; 3414; rendered ‘devils,’ 
Le.17.7; 2Chrn.is: ‘goat,’ 4.24; 16.8. 
Saul [asked], (1) The son of Kish, of the 
tribe of Benjamin, and first King of Israel; 
sent to find his father’s asses, 1 Sa. 9.1;— 
applies to Samuel, 18;—prophesies, 10. 9; 
—chosen king, 17;—the restriction under 
which he held the sovereignty, 25;—de¬ 
livers the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead, 11. 

11;—arms the people against the Philis¬ 
tines, 13. 3;—defeats them, 14.20;—makes 
a rash vow, 24;—sacrifices without waiting 
for Samuel, 13.8;—his success against the 
enemies of Israel, 14.47;—his family, 49; 
deserted by Samuel, 15. 35; —-sends for 
David, 16.19;—endeavours to kill him, 18. 
10; 19.10,11;—prophesies, 19.22; —pursues 
David, 22. 6;—orders the execution of the 
priests of Nob, 11;—spared by David in 
the cave, 24.1, &c.;—also at Hachilah, 26. 
4;—consults a witch at Endor, 28.7;—slain, 
31.2; 1 Ch. 10.2;—seven of his sons put to 
death by the Gibeonites, 2 Sa. 21.8;— 
buried by David, 12;—his descendants, 1 
Ch.8.33; 9.39.—(2) Of Tarsus. See Paul. 
Saviour, one who delivers from danger and 
misery, as God does by his providential 
care, Ps.106.21; Is.45.15,21; Je.14.8; iTi. 
4 . 10 . 

, our Lord Jesus Christ, Lu.2.n; 


Jn.4.42; Ac.5.31; 13 23; Ep- 5 - 2 3 ; Phi- 3 - 2 °; 
—he saves from sin, Mat. 1.21;—from the 
thraldom of Satan, He. 2. 14; 1 Jn. 3. 8; 
from the world, Ga. 1.4;—from the sting of 

death, 1 Co.15.55-57;—frop 1 the S rave > Ha 
13. 14; 1 Co. 15.22,23; Phi. 3.20,21;—from 
hell, 1 Th. 1.10;—and brings to the enjoy¬ 
ment of eternal bliss in heaven, Mat. 25. 
34; i Pe.1.3,4; 2Pe.i.n. 

-, Christ is, able to save to the 


uttermost. He. 7. 25;—and he is willing to 
save all who come to him. Mat. 11.28; Jn. 
6.37. 

Savour, scent, odour, or smell, Le. 26. 31. 


Nu.15.3; 28.13; Ec.10.1; Joel 2. 20; 2 C0.2. 

15; Ep.5.2. 

Saws, for cutting wo<*d or stones, 1 Ki.7.9; 

Is. 10.15;—the Ammonites tortured under, 

2 Sa. 12. 31; 1 Ch. 20. 3;—ancient worthies 
put to death by, He. 11.37. 

Scabbard, the sheath of a sword, Je.47.6. 
Scaffold, a temporary gallery, 2O1.6.13 
Scales, the covering of fishes, Le.11.9,10; 
De. 14.9,10;—a skin or film on the eye, Ac. 
9.18;—balances for weighing, Is. 40.12. 

Scall, a disease incident to the hairy parts 
of the body, as the head or beard, Le. 13. 
30 - 36 - 

Scalp, the top or crown of the head, where 
the hair divides itself, Ps. 68.21. 

Scape goat, a type of Christ, Le. 16.22; Is. 
53.4; 1 Pe.2.24. 

Scarcely, hardly, Ro.5.7; 1 Pe.4.18. 

Scare, to affright or terrify. Job 7.14. 

Scarlet, a beautiful bright red, much wom 
by great men, 2 Sa.1.24; Pr.31.21; La.4.5; 
Da. 5. 7 •—figuratively, sins of deep enor¬ 
mity, Is. 1.18;—emblem of luxury. Re. 17. 
3,4;—of honour or prosperity, Pr.31.21. 
Scatter, to disperse or drive into different 
places, Ge.11.9; 49.7: Le.26. 33;—to over¬ 
throw or destroy, Ps.68.14; 89.10; 92.9. 
Scent, smell, odour, Jobi4.9;Je.48.n;Ho. 

14 - 7 - , . . . 

Sceptre, a rod or staff of authority in the 
hands of kings, governors, or rulers, Ge. 
49.io;Nu.24.i7; Es.5.2;—a ‘right sceptre’ 

= just government, Ps.45.6. 

Sceva, se'vah, a Jew who resided at Ephe¬ 
sus, of the priestly order, whose seven 
sons went about pretending to exorcise or 
cast out devils, Ac. 19.14-16. 

Schism, a breach, rupture, or division in 
the Christian church, 1C0.1.10; 3.3; 11.18; 
12.25; 2 Co.13.11. 

Schoolmaster, the law a, or pedagogue, or 
tutor, to bring to Christ, Ga.3.24. 

Schools, or colleges of prophets, instituted 
by Samuel, the great reformer and organ¬ 
izer of the prophetical order, at Ramah, 

1 Sa. 19. 19;—Bethel, 2 Ki. 2. 3;—Jericho, 

5;—Gilgal, 4. 38. In these institutions 
young men were trained for the propheti¬ 
cal office. School of Tyrannus, Ac. 19.9. 
Scorpion, a venomous reptile, somewhat 
resembling a lobster, with eight legs, and 
a long slender tail, armed with a sting; 
and it is generally about 3 or 4 inches 
in length, though in very hot countries it 
is much larger. They are of diverse co¬ 
lours, De.8.15; 1 Ki.12.11; Eze.2.6; Lu.io. 
19; 11.12; Re.9.3,5,10. 

Scourging, a punishment among the Jews, 
who were prohibited to give above forty 
stripes at once, Le.19.20; De.25.2; 2 Co.11. 
24;—by the Romans, Mat. 10.17; 27.26; 
Ac. 5.40;—no Roman citizen could be sub¬ 
jected to, Ac.22.25,26. 

Scribe, an officer of state, who wrote the 
king’s letters, and drew up his decrees, 
&c., 2 Ki. 12. 10; 25.19; 2 Ch. 24.11; Is.33. 
18;—after the exile this name was given to 
those who copied the law, and were skilled 
in its interpretation, Je.8.8; Ezr.7.6,12;— 
Ezra organized a body of such men, of 
whom he was chief, Ne.8.1,4,9,13; I2>2 6;— 
to this order belonged Jonathan, David’s 
uncle, 1 Ch. 27. 32;—Baruch, the secretary 
of Jeremiah, Je. 36. 26;—and those who 
lived in the days of Christ, Mat. 5. 20; 7. 
29; 16. 21; 17.10; 20.18; 23.2; 13.14; 26. 3, 
& c., 

Scrip, a small bag or wallet; and it was 
used for food or for money, 1 Sa. 17. 40; 
Mat.io.io; Mar.6.8; Lu.22.35,36. 
Scriptures [writings], applied by way of 
eminence to those which are contained in 
the Bible, and which are given by inspira¬ 
tion, 2 Ti. 3.16 (see Inspiration); —ought 
to be read and studied by all men. Mat. 
21.42; Jn.5.39; Ac. 17.11; Ro. 15.4: l6 - 26; 
1 Co. 10.11-—should be read and studied 
with holy reverence, Ps. 85. 8;—with faith 
in their divine authority, 119.66;—with 
meek and humble docility of mind, 33; Ja. 
1.21;—with prayer for the teaching of the 
Holy Spirit, Job 34.32: Ps- 25 - 4 * I2 . 

jg; —various important ends for which they 
are given, 2TL3.16;—promote the sancti¬ 
fication, edification, and comfort of be¬ 
lievers, J11.17.17,19; Ac. 20. 32; Ro. 15.4: - 
producing illumination, Ps.119.130;- spiri¬ 
tual cleansing, Ps.119.9; Jn.15.3; Ep.5.26; 

yielding joy, Ps. 19. 8; 119. in. 162;— 
making wise, 19. 7;— danger of reject¬ 
ing them. Mar. 16.16; Lu. 10. 16: Jn.3.36; 
12. 48; He. 2. 3; 10. 28; 12.25;—to be fre¬ 
quently meditated upon, De. 6. 6; 11. 18; 

























63 o 


(Sc—Sh) 


THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


Ps.i. 2 : 119.97: Jn.5.39; 2 Pe.3.2:— a priv.- | Seir, sfi'ir [rough, bristly], (1) The father of 

the ancient Horites, Ge. 36. 20. 12) ihe 


lege of the Jews, Ro.3.2;—the advantage 
of the study of them, Ps. 19.7; 1x9 9 i 7 2 >98> 
103: Ro. 15.4; Ep.6.17; 2T1.3.15: Ja. 1.25: 
-to be preserved entire, De.4.2; Pr.30.6; 
Re. 22.18. 

Scriptures of the Old Testament quoted or 
referred to in the New, Mat. 1.23: 2.5,6, 
15; 3. 3; 4. 14; and in above 300 other 
places. 

I Scroll, a writing rolled up, Is. 34. 4: Re.6. 

14. 

Scum, the wicked, Eze.24.6,11,12. 

Scurvy, a disease, scabbed, Le.21.20; 22. 
22. 

.Scythians, syth'i-ans, a nomad people who 
dwelt near the Euxine and Caspian seas. 
They were probably descendants of Ma¬ 
gog. In Col. 3. 11 the name is used as a 
general term for the rude, ignorant, de¬ 
graded. 

Sea. The Heb. word ( y&m) rendered ‘sea’ 
is applied to the ocean, Ge. 1.2,10:—lakes, 
Job 14. 11;—great rivers as the Nile, Na. 
3.8: Is. 19.5; Am. 8.8:—the Euphrates, Je. 
51.36;—the Sea of Gennesareth or Galilee, 
Mat. 4. 18;—the sea of Jazer, beyond Jor¬ 
dan, near the city of Jazer, Je.48.32;—the 
Dead or Salt Sea, Ge. 14.3;—the Great Sea 
1 called also the 'hinder,' i.e. the western 
sea, Da. 11.24; Joel 2. 20), the Mediterran¬ 
ean, which washes the whole western shore 
of Canaan, Ps. 104. 25;—the molten laver, 
in the temple, 1 Ki. 7.23; 2 Ch. 4. 2;—the 
whole mighty ocean, which shall give up 
its dead. Re. 20. 13;—none in the new 
earth, 21 

Sealing, or marking with a stamp wax on 
letters or deeds, the antiquity and use of it, 
Ge. 38.18; Ex. 28.11; 1 Ki. 21. 8; Ne. 9. 38: 
Es. 3. 12; Da. 6. 17: Mat. 27. figura¬ 
tively, the stamping of the divine image 
on the soul, by the Holy Spirit, 2C0.1.22; 
Ep.1.13; 4.30. 

Seals Seven), opened, Re.6.1. 

Search, to examine carefully, as we are 
commanded to do the Scriptures, Jn.5.39; 
—as God does the hearts of men, 1 Ch.28. 

9; Je. 17.10. 

Seared, burned or cauterized, and thus 
rendered hard, callous, and unfeeling, 1 

Ti.4.2. 

Seasons, the lights of heaven appointed for, 
Ge. 1. 14; Ps. 104. 19;—certainty of their 
regular succession, Ge. 8. 22;—one given 
for every lawful purpose, Ec.3.1-8. 

Seat, the scribes and Pharisees sat in 
Moses’, Mat. 23. 2;—loved the uppermost, 
in the synagogues, Lu. 11.43. 

Seba. se'bah [man], a son of Cush, Ge.10.7; 
whose descendants formed a nation in the 
distant south, Ps.72.10. In Is. 45.14 they 
are called Sabeans. 

Sebat, se'bat [shoot], the fifth month of the 
Jewish civil year, and the eleventh of 
their sacred, from the new moon in Feb. 
to the new moon in March, the month 
when trees begin to shoot. Zee. 1.7. 
Secacah, sek'a-kah [inclosure], a city of 
the wilderness of Judah, near the western 
shore of the Dead Sea, Jos. 15.61. 

Secret, what is hidden; actions will be dis¬ 
covered, Ec. 12. 14; Mat. 10. 26; Lu. 8.17; 
12.2; 1 Co.4.5. 

Secretly, privately, Ge. 31. 27; De. 13. 6; 

Ps. 10.9; 13.10; Jn. 11.28. 

Secrets, of a lawful kind, not to be revealed, 
Pr.17.9; 25.9: Mi.7.5;—Samson’s betrayed, 
Ju.16.5,18. 

Sect, a party distinguished by some peculiar 
tenets: such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, 
and Herodians, Ac.5.17; 15.5; 24.5;—ren¬ 
dered ‘heresy’ in Ac.24.24. 

Security, from evil, how to be attained, 
Ps.15.1-5; Pr.1.33; 10.9; 2 Pe. 1.10. 
Sedition, rebellious tumult or insurrection 
against lawful government; condemned, 
Ac.24.5; Ga.5.20;—rendered ‘insurrection,’ 
Mar. 15.7; ‘dissension,’ Ac.15.2. 

Seducers, tempters or corrupters, not to be 
regarded, Pr.28.10; Mat.5.19; 23.15; 24.4, 
11; 2TL3.13. 

Seeds of different kinds not to be sown to¬ 
gether, De.22.9. 

Seer, a prophet, who had a foresight of the 
future, 1 Sa.9.9. 

Seethe, to prepare food in hot or boiling 
water, &c., forbidden to be done on Sab¬ 
bath, Ex. 16.23;—a kid not to be thus pre¬ 
pared in its mother’s milk, 23.19; 34. 26; 
De.14.21. 

Segub, se'gub [elevated], (1) A son of 
'Hezron, 1 Ch.2.21.—(2) A son of Hiel, 1 
Ki.16.34. 


name of the mountain district on the east 
of Arabah where his posterity dwelt, 14.6; 
De. 2.12;—was afterwards the possession of 
Esau and his posterity, Ge.32;3; 33.14,16; 
36.8,9. Hence Seir is often put for Edom 
or the Edomites, Eze.25.8. It extended 
from the Dead Sea to the Elanitic Gulf.— 
(3) A mountain named as one of the land¬ 
marks on the north boundary of Judah, 
Jos. 15.10. 

Sela, or Selah, sS'lah [a rock], the capital 
of Idumea, situated near the base of Mount 
Hor in the Wady Musa. It was taken by 
Amaziah, king of Judah, and named by 
him Joktheel [God-subdued], 2 Ki. 14.7; 2 
Ch. 25.11,12. This remarkable city is usually 
known by the name Petra, which is the 
Greek equivalent of Sela. It consists of 
dwellings cut out of the rock. It is now a 
lonely deserted ruin, according to the words 
of the prophets, Is. 34.5-15; Je.49.7-10,15- 
18; Eze.xxxv.; Joel 3.19. 

Selah, se'Iah, a term used seventy-one times 
in the book of Psalms, the import of which is 
not well known; though it is most generally 
believed to denote a pause in singing, or to 
excite and quicken attention, Ps. 3. 2, 4, 8; 
4.2,4; 7.5; 9.16,20; 32.5, &c.; Hab.3.3,9,13. 
Seleucia, se-lu'shi-a, a city of Syria, situ¬ 
ated on the shores of the Mediterranean, 
about 5 miles north of the river Orontes, 
and about 16 west of Antioch;—here Paul 
and Barnabas embarked for Cyprus, Ac. 
i 3 - 4 - 

Self-deception, the deceit which many 
practise on themselves by judging favour¬ 
ably of their state and character, 1 Co. 3. 
18; Ga. 6.3; Ja. 1.22,26;—sinners often given 
up to, Ps.81.11,12; Ho.4.17; 2Th.2.IO,II. 
Self-dedication. See Dedication. 
Self-denial, a Christian duty, Mat. 16. 24; 
Mar.8.34; Lu.9.23;—must be exercised in 
regard to every forbidden indulgence, how 
pleasant soever, or presently profitable, 
Mat.5.29,30; 18.8,9; Tit.2.12;—sometimes 
in things lawful, 1 Co.8.13; 9.20; 10.23;—in 
respect of our own righteousness, Is.64.6; 
Phi. 3.7-9;—our own wisdom, 1 Co. 3.18-20; 
—our own strength, 2 Co. 12.10;—our own 
will, Mat.6.10; 26. 39;—and our own life, 
16.24,25; Mar.8.34,35; Lu. 9.23,24;—a test 
of devotedness to Christ, Mat.10.37,38; Lu. 
14.27,33;—becomes pilgrims and strangers, 
He.n.13-15; 1 Pe.2.11. 

motives to excite us to the 


practice of: the express command of Christ, 
Mat. 16.24;—his eminent example, 2 Co.8. 
9; Phi. 2.5-8;—the encouragement he gives, 
Mat. 16. 25; 19. 29;- -the example of the 
saints, particularly Abraham, Moses, and 
Paul, He. 11.8,17,24-26; 2 Co. 11.23-27; Re. 
12.11. 

Self-examination. See Examination. 
Self-interest, or Selfishness, how it dis¬ 
covers itself, Mi.3.11; Mai. 1.10; Mat.20.21; 
Ro. 15.1; 1 Co. 10.33; Phi. 2.21; 2 Ti. 3.2; 1 Jn. 
3. 17;—characteristic of the natural man, 
Phi. 2.21;—not to make us disregard the 
interests of others, 1 Co. 10.24; Phi.2.21; 2 
Ti.4.10;—of Nabal, 1 Sa.25.10. 

Selling, frauds to be avoided in, Le.19.13, 
36; 25.14; Pr.11.1; 16.11; 20.10,23. 
Selvedge, the edge of a web of cloth. Ex. 
26.4; 36.11. 

Senate, the chief court of the Jews, con¬ 
sisting of the ‘elders of Israel,’ Ac. 4.8; 5. 
21. See Sanhedrim. 

Senators, members of the Sanhedrim, Ps. 

105.22. 

Seneh, sen'eh [thorn-rock], the name of a 
rock, the scene of Jonathan’s remarkable 
adventure against the Philistines, 1 Sa. 
14.8. 

Sennacherib, sen-n&k'e-rib [appearing like 
a lion], king of Assyria, invades Judah, 2 
Ki.18.13; 2 Ch.32.1; Is.36.1;—in one night 
his vast army was destroyed by ‘the angel 
of the Lord,’ 2 Ki.19.35; sCh.32.21; Is.37. 
36;—himself slain, Is.37.37; 2 Ki.19.37. 
Sense, (1) The meaning or signification of 
Scripture, Ne. 8. 8.—(2) Any one of our 
bodily organs of perception; namely, see¬ 
ing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling, 
He.5.14. 

Sensual, carnal, as opposed to spiritual, Ja. 
3.15; Jude 19. 

Sensuality, or devotedness to bodily plea¬ 
sures, censured, Am.6.4; Lu.16.19, &c.; 1 
Co.15.32; Ja.5.5. 

Sentence, the decision of a judge, acquit¬ 
ting or condemning, De. 17.9,10; Ps.17.2; 
Lu. 2 3.24;—God’s, pronounced against sin, 


not speedily executed, Ec. 8. 11; — that | 
which shall finally be passed on the right¬ 
eous, Mat. 25.34;—on the wicked, 41. 
Separate, to divide, or put asunder, Ge. 13. 
9; Je.27.12; Lu.6.22; Ro.8.35,39;—from the 
wicked, our duty, 2 Co.6.17. 

Sepharvaim, sef-ar-v&'im [the two Sip- 
paras], a city of Mesopotamia whence 
colonists were brought to Samaria. It 
stood on the Euphrates, above Babylon, 
on both sides of the river, 2 Ki. 17.24; 18. 
34; 19.13; Is.36.19; 37.13- 

Septuagint, an ancient Greek version of 
the Old Testament; an old but question¬ 
able tradition states that it was thus named 
because translated by seventy, or rather 
seventy-two Jews in the time of Ptolemy 
Philadelphus, king of Egypt, about the year 
285 before Christ; and from which both 
our Lord and his apostles frequently quote 
texts, rather than from the Hebrew, De.8. 
3, in Mat.4.4; De.6.16, in Mat.6.7; Ho.6.6, 
in Mat.9.13; Le. 19.18, in Mat. 19.19; Ps. 8. 
2, in Mat.21.16; Ps. 118.22,23, in Mat. 21. 
42; Ex.3.6, in Mat.22.32; Ps. 110.1, in Mat. 
22.44; Zec.13.7, in Mat.26.31, &c. &c. 
Sepulchres, or places for burying the dead, 
were usually hollow rooms dug into rocks, 
with an upright door to enter into them, to 
which a large stone was put, Ge.23.6; Ju. 
8. 32; 1 Sa. 10. 2; 2 Sa. 2. 32; Is.22.16; Mat. 
27.60. See Grave. 

Serah, se'rah [abundance], a daughter of 
Asher, the only female mentioned among 
those that went down into Egypt, Ge. 46. 
I 7 - 

Seraiah, ser-l'ah [warrior of Jehovah], (1) 
A high-priest of the Jews, was taken cap¬ 
tive, and, along with seventy others, put 
to death at Riblah, Je. 52. 24-27.—(2) The 
scribe or secretary of David, 2 Sa. 8. 17. 
There were several others of the same 
name. 

Seraphim, ser'ra-fim [brilliant ones], the 
plural of seraph, seen by Isaiah, Is.6.1-4. 
Sergius Paulus, serigi-us paul'us, the de¬ 
puty-governor of Cyprus, converted by 
Paul, Ac. 13.12. 

Serjeants, officers of the Romans_ called 
lictors, who carried a bundle of rods be¬ 
fore the magistrates, for whipping male¬ 
factors, Ac. 16.35,38. 

Serpent, deceives Eve, Ge.3.1;—fiery ones 
destroy many of the Israelites, Nu. 21. 4, 
&c.;—a brazen one made by Moses, 8;— 
abused to superstition, 2 Ki. 18. 4;—the 
erection of it declared to be typical of the 
crucifixion of Christ, Jn. 3.14;—the devil 
called ‘the serpent,’ Re. 12. 9, 14, 15;—an 
emblem of wickedness, Mat. 23. 33;—of 
cruelty, Ps.58.4;—of treachery, Ge.49.17. 
Serug, se'rug [shoot, tendril], the father of 
Nahor, and the grandfather of Abraham, 
Ge. 11.22-26; Lu.3.35. 

Servants, properly slaves, 06.9.25:27.37; 
Jn. 8. 34; Ro. 6.19;—among the Hebrews 
there were two kinds: the first were 
foreigners taken captive in war, or pur¬ 
chased; and these their masters kept, 
exchanged, or sold according to their 
pleasure, Le. 25. 44-46;—the second were 
Hebrews, who from poverty had sold 
themselves, or were delivered up by their 
parents, in a time of dire necessity, to 
satisfy the demands of an unfeeling credi¬ 
tor; and this class might either be redeem¬ 
ed at any time, or otherwise were bound 
to continue in servitude only till the seventh 
year, or the year of jubilee, when they 
were free if they chose, Ex.21.2-6; Le.25. 
47-55;—law respecting daughters sold to 
be, Ex. 5«i. 7-11;—fugitive, not to be de¬ 
livered up, De. 23.15;—not to be oppressed, 
24.14. 

--, their duty to be diligent and 

obedient, Ep.6.5-7; Col.3.22; 1 Ti.6.i;Tit. 
2.9; 1 Pe.2.18;—to be faithful, Lu. 16.10-12; 

1 Co.4.2; Tit. 2.10;—not topurloin,Tit.2.io; 

—not to be slothful or wasteful, Pr. 18.9; 
Jn. 6. 12;—should be content with their 
situation, 1 Co.7.20,21;—compassionate to 
their fellows, Mat. 18. 33. Examples of 
good servants: Eliezer,Gft.xx\\.\—Jacob, 
3 1 * 36-40; — Joseph, 39. 3; Ac. 7. 10;— 
David's servants, 2 Sa. 12. 18;—secants 
of Naaman, others, Mat. 

8.9; Ac.10.7. 

Servitor, an old word, meaning a servant, 

2 Ki.4.43. 

Seth, or Sheth [compensation, appointed], 
the third son of Adam, Ge.4.25; 5.3:—the 
father of Enos, 6;—his age and death, 8. 
Settle, fix, 1Ch.17.14; Eze. 36.11; Lu.21.14; 
iPe.5.10. 


Seven, regarded by the Jews as a number 
of perfection, because God rested on the 
seventh day, Ge. 2. 2;—their land rested 
from tillage every seventh year, Le.25.4,5; 
—used as a round number for many, 1 Sa. 
2.5; Job 5.19; Ps. 12.6; 119.164; Pr.26.16, 
25; Is.4.1; Je.15.9; Mat. 12.45; 18.21. 
Seventy Elders, appointed to relieve 
Moses, Ex.18.25; Nu. 11.16;—called up to 
the mount, Ex.24.1. 

- Disciples sent out by Jesus, Lu. 

10.1;—their return, 17. 

- Weeks, Daniel’s prophecy so 

called. Da. 9.24. 

Several, one by itself, 2 Ch.11.12; 26.21. 
Severity of God, his discarding one from 
a family in righteous judgment, Ro. 11.22; 
—manifested to Sodom, Ge. 19.24;—to the 
sons of Aaron, Le.io. 1, &c.;—to Miriam, 
Nu.12.10;—to the man who gathered sticks 
on the Sabbath-day, 15.32;—to Korah, 
&c., 16.31;—to Uzzah, 2 Sa. 6. 6;—to Ana¬ 
nias and Sapphira, Ac. 5. 1;—to Herod, 
12.23. 

Sewed, joined, Ge.3.7; Job 16.15. 

Sexes, male and female, to be distinguished 
by their dress, De.22.5. 

Shaalabbin, sha-al-ab'bin [city of foxes], a 
city of Dan, Jos. 19. 42; Ju. 1. 35;—called 
Shaalbim, Ju.1.35. 

Shaashgaz, sha-ash'gaz [servant of the 
beautiful], a Persian eunuch in the court 
of Ahasuerus, Es^2.14. 

Shadow, the law was, of gospel blessings, 
He. 10.1;—our days on earth compared to. 
Job 14.2; 17.7;— of death, means the gloomy 
darkness with which it is often attended, 
3.5; 10.21; 12.22; 16.16; 24.17; 34.22; Ps. 
23.4; 44.19; 107.10,14; Is.9.2; Mat.4.16; 
Lu.1.79. 

Shadrach, sha'drak [a royal one], the Chal¬ 
dee name of Hananiah, who, with his com¬ 
panions Meshach and Abednego, were ac¬ 
cused to Nebuchadnezzar, Da. 3. 12;— 
brought before him, and charged to serve 
his idol, 13-15; —their bold and firm reso¬ 
lution, 16-18;—were cast into the fiery fur¬ 
nace, 19-23;—were miraculously preserved 
and called forth by the king, 24-26. 

Shaft, a spire, an arrow, Ex. 25.31; Is.49.2. 
Shaharaim, sha-har-S/im [morning and 
evening dawn], a descendant of Benjamin, 
who resided in Moab, whose numerous 
posterity, by his two wives, is mentioned, 

1 Ch.8.8-28. 

Shahazimath, sha-haz'V-math, a city in the 
tribe of Issachar, Jos. 19.22. 

Shallum, shal'lum [retribution], (1) A son 
of Naphtali, and father of the Shillemites, 
Ge. 46.24; Nu. 26.49; 1 Ch. 7.13.—(2) The 
fifteenth king of Israel, the son of Jabesh, 
who murdered and succeeded Zechariah, 

2 Ki. 15.10;—after one month slain, 14.— 
(3) King of Judah, son of Josiah, Je.22.11. 

Shalmaneser, sh&l-ma-ne'zer, king of As¬ 
syria, subdued the kingdom of Israel, and 
obliged their king to pay tribute, 2 Ki.17. 
3;—imprisoned their king for conspiracy, 
4;—after three years’ siege, took Samaria, 
ravaged the fenced cities of Israel, mas¬ 
sacred the inhabitants, and carried the re¬ 
mainder captive (b.c. 721), 5,6; 18.9-12. 
Shambles, the flesh-market, 1 Co. 10.25. 
Shame, the offspring of sin, Ge.3.7;—just 
cause of it, Ps. 25. 3; Is. 1.29; 42.17;—un¬ 
reasonable, Mat.10.32; Mar.8.38; Lu.9.26; 
Ro. 1.16; 2 Ti.1.8;—from guilt, Ge. 38.26; 
Ezr.9.6; Pr. 13.5; Je.2.26; 3.25; Jn.3.20;— 
from disgrace, 2 Sa.10.5; Lu.13.17; 16.3;— 
from bashfulness, 2 Ki.2.17. 
Shamefacedness, modesty, iTi.2.9. 
Shamgar, sham'gar, the third judge of Is¬ 
rael, delivers the Israelites from the Philis¬ 
tines, Ju.3.31. 

Shammah, sham'mah [astonishment], (1) 
The third of David’s mighty men, who, 
along with Eleazar, routed the Philistines, 
2 Sa.23.11,12;—one of the three who broke 
through the host of the Philistines and 
brought water to David, 13-17.—(2) A 
brother of David, 1 Sa.16.9;—called Shim- 
eah, 2 Sa. 13. 3, and Shimma, 1 Ch.2.13.— 
(3) Another of David’s thirty champions, 
2 Sa. 23. 33.—(4) A third champion of the 
same name, called also Shammoth and 
Shamhuth, 1 Ch. 11.27: 27.8. 

Shaphan, sha'fan [sly, or prudent one], 
secretary of the temple in the time of Jo¬ 
siah, 2 Ki.22.8,9;—informed that king that 
the book of the law was found, 10,11; 2 Ch. 
34.14-18. 

Shaphat, shii'fat [judge], (1) One of those 
sent to spy the Land of Promise, Nu.13.5. 
—(2) The father of Elisha, 1 Ki^i9.i6.— 















THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


(3) Several others so named, 1 Ch. 3.22; 5. 
12; 27.29. 

Sharon, sha'ron [a plain], or Saron, Ac.9. 
35, (1) The fertile plain extending from 
Joppa toCesarea, rich in pasture, 1 Ch.27. 
29; 33- 91—and celebrated for its roses, Ca. 
2.1.—(2) A place in Gad on the other side 
of Jordan, iCh.5.16. 

Shashak, sh&'shak [assaulter, runner], one 
of Simeon’s posterity, 1 Ch.8.14. 

Shaveh, sha'veh [a plain], a valley where 
dwelt the Emims, called also ‘The King’s 
Dale,’ Ge.14.5; 2Sa.i8.18. 

Shaving, a rite of purification, Le.14.8;— 
by the Nazarites, Nu.6.9;—by Paul, Ac. 
18.18; 21.24;—a token of humiliation, Job 
1.20;—forbidden with respect to the cor¬ 
ners of the beard, Le. 19. 27; 21. 5;—of 
David’s ambassadors by Hanun, 2 Sa. 10. 
4 ;—the head, a disgrace to a woman, 1 Co. 
ix.6;—customary with the Egyptians, Ge. 

41.14. 

Sheaf, of the first-fruits to be presented to 
the Lord, Le.23.10,11;—bringing home of, 
on Sabbath, reproved, Ne. 13.15. 
Sb.ealtiel, she-al'ti-el [asked of God], father 
of Zerubbabel, Ezr.3.2,8; Ne.12.1. 
Shearers, those who clip the fleece from 
sheep with shears, Ge.38.12; 1 Sa.25.7,11; 
2 Sa. 13.23; Is.53.7. 

Shear-Jashub, she'ar-ja'shub [the remnant 
shall return], a son of the prophet Isaiah, 
Is.7.3. It is conjectured that it is a sym¬ 
bolical name like that of his brother Mahar- 
shalal-hash-baz. 

Sheath, scabbard of a sword, 1 Sa. 17. 51; 
1 Ch.21.27; Jn.18.11. 

Sheba, she'bah [covenant], or Seba, the 
name of several persons, (1) A son and also 
a grandson of Cush, Ge. 10.7; 1 Ch.1.9.— 
(2; A son of Joktan, Ge. 10.28; 1 Ch.1.22. 
His descendants inhabited south of Arabia. 
—(3) A son of Jokshan, and grandson of 
Abraham, Ge.25. 3; iCh.T.32.—(4) From 
the Sheba peopled by descendants of Jok¬ 
tan the queen came who visited Solomon, 

1 Ki. 10. 1; 2 Ch. 9. 1;—incense from, and 
merchants of, mentioned, Je.6.20; Eze.27. 
22; 38.13; Mat. 12.42. The kingdom of, 
comprehended the greater part of Arabia 
Felix—the Saba of profane history.—(5) 
A man who excited rebels against David, 

2 Sa.20.1;—slain, 22. 

Shebnah, sheb'nah [youth], a treasurer 
and secretary to Hezekiah, 2 Ki. 18. 18;— 
his death foretold, Is.22.15-19. 

Shechem, she'kem [shoulder, ridge], (1) A 
son of Hamor and prince of Shechem, de¬ 
bauches the daughter of Jacob, Ge. 34. 2; 
—made honourable proposals to marry 
her, 4. 12; — murdered by Simeon and 
Levi, 25.—(2) A town of the Canaanites, 
called also Sichem, Ge. 12. 6; and Sychem, 
Ac. 7. 16. It was situated in the valley 
between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, about 
34 miles north of Jerusalem, and 7 south 
of Samaria. It was called Neapolis by 
the Romans, a name which is still pre¬ 
served in its Arabic name Nabltis;— near 
it Jacob bought a piece of ground, in 
which Joseph was buried, Ge. 33. 19; 5°. 
13;—here Joshua assembled the Israelites 
before his death, Jos.24.1, &c.;—it became 
the capital of Samaria, and was called 
Sycltar , Jn.4.5;—it has about 8000 inhabi¬ 
tants, but only some 15 or 20 Samaritan 
families. 

Sheep, a well-known animal, of which 
some of the ancients had vast flocks, Job 
1. 3; 42. 12;—appointed to be offered in 
sacrifice, Le. 1. 10; 22. figura¬ 

tively, the people of God, Ps.79.13; 95.7; 
100.3; Jn. 10.2-4, & c - 

Shehariah, she-ha-rl'ah [Jehovah is the 
shining one], one of the posterity of Ben¬ 
jamin, 1 Ch.8.26. 

Shekel, (1) A weight among the Hebrews, 
= J 4 oz. avoirdupois, Ge. 24.22; Ex. 30.23; 
2 Sa. 14.26; Eze.4.10.—(2) A pieceof money 
of the above weight, valued in gold about 
£t, 5 s., Nu.7.14,20,26,32, &c.; Ju. 8. 26; 1 
Ki. 10.16;—in silver about 2 s. id., Ge. 23. 
15; Ex. 30.13,15; De. 22.19,29; 2 Ki.15.20. 
Shelemiah, shSl-e-ml'ah [Jehovah is re- 
compenser], a porter of the temple, 1 Ch. 

26.14. 

Sheleph, shS'lef [drawing out], the second 
son of Joktan, Ge. 10.26; 1 Ch.1.20. 
Shelomith, shel'o-mith, [peacefulness], a 
daughter of Zerubbabel, 1 Ch. 3. 19; the 
name also of several men, 1 Ch.23.18; 26. 
25; Ezr.8.10. 

Shelumiel, she-lfl'mi-el [peace of God], 
a prince of the tribe of Simeon, Nu.1.6. 


| Shem [name], the eldest son of Noah, Ge. 
5 -3 z :—he, with Japheth, modestly covered 
their father’s nakedness, 9.23;—his age, 
11.10;—his descendants, 10.21 (the word 
‘elder’ in this verse refers to Shem, and 
not to Japheth); 1 Ch. 1.17. 

Shema, she'ma [rumour], a city in the south 
of Judah, Jos.15.26. 

Shemaiah, shem-I'ah [whom Jehovah 
hears], (1) The prophet applies to Reho- 
boam, 2 Ch. 11. 3; 12. 5.—(2) Many others 
of this name, Ezr.8.13; Ne.3.29; Je. 36.12, 
&c. 

Shemida, she-mi'da [fame of the wise one], 
a son of Gilead, Nu.26.32. 

Sheminith, shem'i-nith [the eight], proba¬ 
bly denotes a musical instrument with 
eight cords, 1 Ch.15.21; Ps.vi.xii. title. 
Shenir, she'ner [coat of mail], a name of 
Mount Hermon, De.3.9. 

Shepham, shefam [a bare region], a place 
mentioned in the description Moses gives 
of the eastern boundary of Canaan, Nu. 
34.10,11. 

Shephatiah, shef-a-tl'ah [the Lord judg- 
eth], (1) A son of David, 2 Sa.3.4.—(2) A 
son of king Jehoshaphat, 2 Ch. 21. 22.—(3) 
Others so named, 1 Ch.9.8; 27.16; Je.38.1. 
Shepherd, Christ is, to his flock; he pur¬ 
chased them with his blood, Jn. 10. 11;— 
seeks them out and gathers them into his 
fold, Eze. 34. 11-13;—feeds them in his 
green pastures. Is. 40.11; Eze.34.14, 15;— 
leads and guides them, Jn. 10. 4:—heals 
their diseases, Eze. 34 16; Lu. 4.18;—pro¬ 
tects them from enemies, Jn. 10.12,13,27, 
28;—brings them at last to his heavenly 
fold. Re.7.16,17. 

Shepherds, representingprophets,reproved 
for their negligence, Eze.34.1, &c.; Zee. 
11.3,15; 13.7. 

Sheriffs, officers in the Chaldean empire, 
whose particular powers and functions we 
know not, Da. 3.2,3. 

Sheshack, she'shak [thy flax, thy joy], a 
name given to Babylon, Je.25.26; 51.41. 
Sheshbazzar, shesh-baz'zar [joy of the 
vintage, or joy in adversity], a prince of 
Judah, generally believed to be Zerubba¬ 
bel, to whose care Cyrus committed the 
sacred vessels sent back to Jerusalem, 
Ezr. 1.8,11; 5.14,16, compared with Zee. 
4.9. 

Shether-Boznai, she'ther-boz'ni [shining 
star], one of the Persian governors of 
Syria, who came to Jerusalem along with 
Tatnai, Ezr.5.3; 6.6. 

Shew, or Show, an appearance, a public 
sight, 1 C0.1r.26; Col.2.15; Ga.6.12. 
Shew-bread [bread of face, or of the pre¬ 
sence], twelve loaves which the priests 
placed anew every Sabbath on the golden 
table, before the Lord, Ex.25.30; Le. 24. 
5-8;—to be eaten afterwards by the priests 
only, 9. 

Shibboleth, shib'bo-leth [a stream], the 
Ephraimites were not able to pronounce 
this word, but called it Sibboleth, in con¬ 
sequence of which they were detected, 
and 42,000 of them slain, Ju.12.1-6. 
Shield, a piece of defensive armour, made 
of wood, and covered with leather, brass, 
or gold, 1 Ki. 10. 17; 14. 27; 2 Ch. 14. 8;— 
God is, to his people, Ge.15.1; De.33.29; 
Ps.33.20; 84.11;—faith so called, Ep.6.16. 
Shiggaion, shig-ga'yon [a song or hymn], 
according to some a dithyrambic song, 
according to others a plaintive song or 
elegy, Ps. vii. title. In Hab. 3. 1 the plur. 
form Shigionoth is used. 

Shihon, shl'hon [a ruin], a city of the tribe 
of Issachar, Jos. 19.19. 

Shiloah, shi-l 5 'ah [a sending], waters of, 
said to be the same as Gihon, Is.8.6. See 
Gihon and Siloam. 

Shiloh, shl'lo [peace], (1) A name of the 
Messiah, Ge. 49.10; comp. Mi.5.2,5, with 
Mat. 2. 6.—(2) A city of the tribe of Eph¬ 
raim, among the hills half-way between 
Bethel and Shechem: here Joshua divided 
that portion of Canaan westward of Jor¬ 
dan to the nine and a half tribes, Jos. 18. 
1,8,10;—here he fixed the tabernacle of 
God, and here it continued from the days 
of Joshua to the death of Eh, 18.1; 19.51; 
Ju.18.31; 21.19; 1 Sa.1.3,24; 1 Ki.2.27; 14. 
2,4. See Tabernacle. The modern name 
of Shiloh is Seilfin. 

Shimeah, shim'e-ah [fame, rumour], a bro¬ 
ther of king David, 2 Sa. 13. 3; called 
Shimma, 1 Ch. 2. 13; Shammah, 16. 9; 
Shammuah, 2 Sa.5.14. 

Shimei, shim'e-T [renowned, hearer], a Ben- 
jamite and a kinsman of Saul, curses 


David, 2 Sa. 16. 5;—pardoned, 19.18;—put | 
to death by Solomon for breach of en¬ 
gagement, 1 Ki. 2.36-46. 

Shimshai, shim'shl [Jehovah is splen¬ 
dour], a scribe in the time of Ezra, Ezr. 4. 
17.23. 

Shinar, shl'nar [perhaps, country of the 
two rivers], the extensive and fertile plain 
through which the Euphrates and Tigris 
flow, Ge.10.10; 11.23; 14.1,9; Is.ii.n;—to 
it Nebuchadnezzar carried the sacred ves¬ 
sels of the temple. Da. 1.2. 

Shiphrah, shif'rah [beauty], one of the 
Egyptian midwives who saved the Hebrew 
children, Ex.1.15. 

Shipmaster, the captain or owner of a 
ship, Jn.1.6; Re.18.17. 

Ships, probably originated from Noah’s 
ark, and were early employed in trade by 
the tribes of Zebulun and Dan, Ge. 49. 13; 
Ju. 5. 17;—Solomon built a navy of, 1 Ki. 

9 26;—Jehoshaphat, 22.48; 2 Ch.20.36,37. 
Shipwreck, the destruction of a ship by 
rocks, shallows, &c., 2 Co. 11. 25; — re¬ 
nouncement of a religious profession, and 
exposure to ruin, 1 Ti.1.19. 

Shishak, shi'shak, king of Egypt, plunders 
Jerusalem, 1 Ki. 14.25; 2 Ch.12. 2-9. Pro¬ 
bably the Sesostris of profane history. 
Shitrai, shit'rl [Jehovah is a decider], one 
set over David’s cattle, 1 Ch.27.29. 
Shittim, shit'tim [acacias], (1) A place in 
the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, 
where the Israelites encamped for the last 
time before crossing the Jordan, Nu.25.1. 
From thence Joshua sent the spies, Jos.2. 
1.—(2) A valley west of Jordan and near 
Jerusalem, Joel 3.18. 

Shittim-wood, used in making the taber¬ 
nacle and its furniture, was durable, in¬ 
corruptible in water, and became black. 
Ex.25.5,10,13,23; 26.15,26,32; 27.1. 
Shivers, small broken pieces, Re. 2.27. 
Shobach, sho'bak [expansion], a general of 
the king of Syria whom David slew, and 
routed his mighty army of 700 chariots 
and 40,000 cavalry, 2 Sa. to. 16-18. 

Shock of corn, sheaves set up in the field 
for winnowing, Ju.15.5; Job 5.26. 

Shocoh, shO'ko [branches, hedge], (1) A city 
in the low country of Judah, 2 Ch.28.18;— 
called Socoh, Jos.15.35;—Shoco, 2Ch.11. 
7;—Shochoh, 1 Sa. 17.1. It was about 13^ 
miles south-west of Jerusalem; near it 
David killed Goliath, _i Sa. 17. 1.— 2) A 
town in the mountains of Judah about 10 
miles south-West of Hebron, Jos.15.48. 
Shoe. The Hebrews used sandals {see San¬ 
dals) or shoes which covered their feet 
and legs when abroad; and women of 
quality wore shoes or gaiters of costly 
texture;—to put off, a mark of reverence. 
Ex.3.5; Jos.5.15;—taken off and given to 
another, a token of a surrender of one’s 
rights, De.25.9; Ru.4.7;—removed, atoken 
of subjection, 2 Sa. 15. 30; Is. 20. 2-4; Eze. 
24.17;—hence ‘cast over’ a country, a sign 
of its subjection, Ps. 60.8; 108.9;—to bear 
or unloose, the meanest office, Mat. 3.11; 
Mar. 1.7. 

Shophan, sho'fan [extension], a city of Gad, 
Nu.32.35. See Zaphon. 

Shoshannim, shosh'a-mm flilies], the title 
of Ps. xlv. lxix. and lxxx. Probably refers 
to a musical instrument. 

Shoulder, a burden on, means servitude 
and oppression, Ge.49.15; Is. 10.27;—to pull 
away, to rebel, Ne.9.29; Zec.7.11;—to be 
carried on, honour. Is. 49.22. 

Shovels, instruments for digging. Ex. 27.3; 
Nu.4.14. 

Shred, to cut in pieces, 2 K1.4.39. 

Shrines, small models of the temple and 
image of Diana, Ac. 19.24. 

Shroud, a shelter, Eze.31.3. 

Shubael, shu'ba-el [captive of God], one of 
the posterity of Levi, 1 Ch. 24. 20; called 
Shebuel, 23.16; 26.24. 

Shulamite, shu'lam-ite, the feminine form 
of the Hebrew word rendered Solomon, a 
name given to the spouse, Ca.6.13. 
Shunamite, shu'nam-ite, (1) A native of 
Shunem, Abishag so called, 1 Ki. 1.2.—(2) 
The hostess of Elisha, 2 Ki.4.12;—her son 
raised to life by Elisha, 32;—brought to 
the king, 8.1. 

Shunem, shu'nem [the two resting-places], 
a city of the tribe of Issachar, about 
3 miles north of Jezreel, where the 
Philistines encamped before Saul’s last 
battle, Jos. 19. 18; 1 Sa. 28. 4;—visited by 
Elisha, 2 Ki. 4. 8;—Abishag, David’s last 
wife, belonged to, 1 Ki.1.3. 

Shur, shur [a wall], a city on the confines 


(Sh—Si) 637 

of Egypt, somewhere near the modem 
Suez, and which gave name to the adjacent 
part of the desert, Ge.16.7; Ex. 15.22; 1 Sa. 
15 7: 2 7 - 8 . 

Shushan, shu'shan [a lily], called Susa by 
the Greeks, a city in the province of Elam, 
a fortress of the ancient Susiana or Cissia. 
It stood on the banks of the Choaspes. It 
is now a mass of ruins called Sus, lying be¬ 
tween the Shapur and the Dizful, Ne.1.1; 
Es.2.8; 3.15; 8.15; Da.8.2. 

Shuthelah, shu'the-lah [noise of breaking], 
a son of Ephraim, 1 Ch.7.20. 

Shuttle, shortness of life compared to the 
swiftness of its flight. Job 7.6. 

Sibbecai, sib'be-kl [thicket of Jehovah], 
one of David’s mighty men, 1 Ch.27.11. 
Sibmah, sib'mah [coolness], a town occu¬ 
pied by the Reubenites on the east of the 
Dead Sea, Nu. 32. 38; Jos. 13.19:—famous 
for its vines, Is. 16.8;—it was destroyed by 
the Assyrians and Chaldeans, Is. 16.8; Je. 
48. 32;—called Shebam, Nu. 32. 3;—Shib- 
mah, 38. 

Sick, to be visited, 2 Ki.8.29: Job 2.11; Mat. 
25.36;—to be prayed for and anointed with 
oil, as the token of miraculous recovery, 
Ja. 5- 14,15- 

Sickle, an instrument for cutting down com, 
De. 16.9; 23.25; Je. 50.16; Joel 3.13; Mar. 
4 - 29 - 

Sickness, why permitted, De.28.22; Job 2. 
7, &c.; 5.17; Ps. 94.12; Jn. 9. 3; 11.4; 1 Co. 
11.30;—threatened in punishment of sin, 
Le. 26.14-16; 2 Ch. 21.12-15;—how to be¬ 
have under it, Ge.50.24; 2 Ki.20.1; Ja.5.14. 
Siddim, sid'dim [open fields, plains], the 
broad plain in which Sodom and Gomor¬ 
rah lay. It was ‘full of slime pits,’ Ge.14. 
10. 

Sidon, sl'don, the Greek form of Zidon [a 
fishery], a renowned city, the capital of 
Phoenicia, situated on the shore of the 
Mediterranean, about 20 miles north of 
Tyre, and about 20 south of Beirfit; it was 
founded by Sidon, the eldest son of Ca¬ 
naan, Ge. 10. 15, 19;—judgments against, 
predicted, Eze. 28. 10;—frequently men¬ 
tioned in the gospel history, Mat.11.21,22; 
15.21; Mar. 3.8; 7.24,31; Lu.4.26; 6.17; 10. 
13, 14;—Paul, in his voyage to Rome, 
touched at, and found Christians there, Ac. 
27.3. It is now called Saida, a poor 
town, having a population of about 7000 
Moslems and 500 Jews. 

Sign, a mark, token, or proof, Ex. 3.12; 31. 
13; Ro. 4.11;—a miracle. Ex. 4.8,9,17,28; 
Jn.2.18; 20.30. 

Signet, a seal, often set on a ring, Ge. 38. 

18; Ex.28.11,21,36; Da.6.17; Hag.2.23. 
Signification, a meaning, 1 Co. 14.10. 
Signify, to mean, or declare, Ac.21.26; 23. 
15; 1 Pe.i.n. 

Signs, requested and given, Ge.9.13; 15.8; 
24.14; Ex.4.1; Jos.2.12; Ju.6.36; 1 Sa.10.2; 
14.8; 1 Ki.13.3; 2 Ki.20.8; Is.7.14; Mat.12. 
38; 16.1; Mar.8.n; Lu.n.16; Jn.2.18; 6.30. 
Sihon, sl'hon [sweeping away], the king of 
the Amorites, conquered, Nu.21.21, &c.; 
De.2.26. 

Silior, sl'hor [black], a name for the river 
Nile, so called from the black deposit of 
mud it leaves after the inundation, Is.23.3; 
Je.2.18; Jos.13.3; 1 Ch.13.5. 

Silas, sl'las (contracted for Silvanus, 2 Co. 
1.19), one of the most active primitive 
preachers, exhorts the Christians at Anti¬ 
och, Ac. 15.23;—accompanies Paul in his 
progress, 40; — imprisoned with him at 
Philippi, 16.19. 

Silence, or refraining from speaking, some¬ 
times commendable, Ps.39.2; Pr.11.12: 17. 
28; 26.4; Mi.7.5; 1 Ti.2.11; Ja.1.19;— figu¬ 
ratively, utter destruction. Is. 15.1;—death 
and the grave, Ps.94.17; 115- 17 - 
Silk is not mentioned in the Bible except in 
Eze. 16. 10, 13;—it probably means finest 
linen, for silk was not then known. 

Silly, weak, harmless, Job 5.2; Ho. 7.11; 2 
Ti.3.6. 

Siloam. si-l 5 'am [sent, sending], (1) A foun¬ 
tain of water rising in the southern part of 
the Tyropoean valley between the upper 
and the lower city of Jerusalem, whence 
it flowed past Zion and Moriah, called a 
‘pool,’ Ne. 3. 15 Siloah'; Jn. 9. 7-11;— 
spoken of as running ‘waters,’ Is. 8. 6. 
There were probably two pools, the upper. 
Is. 7. 3 ( Called also the king's pool , Ne.2.14', 
and the lower pool. Is.22. 9.— (a) A tower 
or high wall near the ‘pool,’ I.u.8.4. 
Silvanus, sil-vft'nus, a faithful preache* 
with Paul, 2 Co. 1.19; 1 Th. 1.1; 2TI1. x.i; 
1 Pe.5.12. See Silas. 














TIIE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


t>38 (Si—So) 

Silver, not mentioned before the flood, but | 
used in traffic in the time of Abraham, Ge. 

-L 15,10; -so abundant in the days of Solo¬ 
mon, that it was little valued, 1 Ki. 10.21; 

thirty pieces of, promised to Judas, Mat. 
26.15; 27.3-6,9;—were probably shekels, 
comp. Kx.21.32. 

Silverlings, pieces of silver, shekels, Is. 

7. 23. 

Silversmith, one who works in silver, Ac. 

I . 9 ' 24 ' 

Simeon, sim'e-on [hearing], 1 The second 
son of Jacob, Ge.29.33;—he and Levi mur¬ 
der the Shechernites, Ge. 34.25;—detained 
in Egypt, 42.24;- his inheritance, Jos. 19. x; 
—his descendants, 1 Ch. 4. 24;—his tribe 
conquers Gedor and the Amalekites, 39;— 
on the journey through the wilderness the 
tribe of, marched and encamped under the 
standard of Reuben, Nu.2.12; 10.18.—(2) 
A pious old man at Jerusalem who ear¬ 
nestly waited for the coming of Messiah, 
Lu.2.25;—it was revealed to him that he 
should see Christ, 26;—took Christ in his 
arms and blessed God, 28;—foretold Mary 
how she should be tried by witnessing the 
death of Jesus, 34, 35. — 3 An eminent 
teacher of the church, called Niger, or the 
Black, from his swarthy complexion, Ac. 
13.1. 

Similitude, a likeness or resemblance, 2 
Ch.4.3;—none of God seen, and none to 
be made, De. 4.12,15,16;—a comparison or 
simile in speech, Ho. 12.10. 

Simon, sl'mon [that hears], T) The son of 
Mary and Cleophas, and the brother or 
cousin-german of Jesus, Mat. 13.55; Mar. 
6.4- 2 The Cdhnanite, Mat. 10.4. This 

name is not to be interpreted as denoting 
his nationality, but is an Aramaic word 
meaning zeal, and therefore is of the same 
signification as Zelotes, Mar.3.18; Lu.6.15; 
Ac. 1.13.— 3! Surnamed Peter, theapostle, 
Mat. 10.2. See Petek. 4 The Pharisee, 
Lu. 7. 36, Sec . — 5 The leper, entertains 
Jesus at Bethany, Mat.26.7; Mar. 14.3.— 
{6 1 The fa ther of Judas Iscariot, J n. 6.71; 
12.4.—(7) The Cyreniatt, carries the cross 
of Jesus, Mat.27.32; Mar. 15.21; Lu.23.26. 
(8; The tanner , with whom Peter lodged 
at Joppa, Ac.9.43; 10.6,17,32.— ’9) Magus, 
at Samaria professes to believe the gospel, 
Ac. 8.9,13;—desires to purchase the gift of 
the Holy Spirit, 18. 

Simony, the crime of buying or selling 
church preferment; or of presenting any 
one to an ecclesiastical benefice for money, 
gift, or reward; so called from its resem¬ 
blance to the sin of Simon Magus, Ac. 
8.18. 

Simplicity, signifying meekness and inno¬ 
cence, Ps. 19.7; 116.6; Pr. 9.4;—ignorance 
and inexperience, Pr.1.22; 7.7; Ro. 16.18; 
—folly and wickedness, Pr. 1.32. 

Sin, moral offence against God, wherein it 
consists, Jn. 15.22; R0.3.20; 4.15; 1C0.15. 
56; Ja.1.15; 1 Jn.3.4; 5.17;—incident to all 
men, 1 Ki.8.46; Job 15.14; 25.4; Ps. 130.3; 
Pr.20.9; 24.16; Ec.7.20; Ja.3.2; 1 Jn.1.8;— 
comes from the heart, Mat. 15.19; Ja. 1.14; 
—how it should be dealt with: confessed, 
Le.5.5; Ju.10.10; Job 33.27; Pr.28.13; Ps. 
51.4;— hated, Ps. 97.10; 119.163; Pr. 8.13; 
Am. 5.15; Ro. i2.9;— mourned, Ps. 38.18; 
Je. 3. 21; 2 Co. 7. 9,10 guarded against, 
Ps.4.4; 39.1; 1 Co. 10.12; He. 12.1;— morti¬ 
fied, Ro.8.13; Col.3.5. 

- .presumptuous, the danger of, Nu.15. 

30; Ps.19.13; 59.5; Lu. T2.47;Ro. 1.32; He. 
10.26. 

- against the Holy Ghost, or the mali¬ 
cious ascription of Christ’s miracles, by 
those who saw them, to Satanic agency, 
unpardonable, Mat. 12.31; Mar. 3. 28; L11. 
12.10. 

-, meaning sin-offering. Ho.4.8; 2 Co. 5. 

21; He.9.26,28; 13.11. 

Sin [mire, clay], called ‘the strength of 
Egypt,’ 1) A city in the land of Egypt, 
the Pelusium [marsh town] of the Greeks, 
now called Damietta, Eze. 30.15.—(2) The 
wilderness of, into which the Hebrews 
entered as soon as they passed the Red 
Sea. Here the manna was first gathered, 
Ex. 16.1; 17.1. It is now called el-Kaa. 
Sinai, sin'I [bush of the Lord], a mountain 
in the desert of Arabia, situated in the 
peninsula formed by the two gulfs of the 
Red Sea. The area of the peninsula of 
Sinai is about 11,500 square miles. It lies 
between the Gulf of Suez on the west and 
the Gulf of Akabah {Sinus Aelaniticus on 
the east. ‘It is one of the most moun¬ 
tainous and intricate regions on the face 


of the earth. It is a desert of rocks, gravel, 
and boulders; of gaunt mountain gorges 
and arid valleys and plateaus. I he Israel¬ 
ites come thither, Ex. 19. 1;—the ten com¬ 
mandments delivered from it, 20. 1, &c.; 
De.5.4, &c.;—represents the law, Ga.4.24; 
— the terrors of it not affecting Christians, 
He. 12. 18, &c. Horeb was probably the 
name of the mountain group of which 
Sinai formed a peak. There is much dif¬ 
ference of opinion as to which of these 
peaks was Sinai; the peak of Sufsafeh, 
which rises abruptly from the plain of 
Rahah, answers most fully to the descrip¬ 
tions of Moses, and is in all probability 
the true * Mount of the Law.’ In the lib¬ 
rary of the famous ‘convent of Mount 
Sinai,’ Tischendorf found (4th Feb. 1859) 
the Codex Sinaiticus, which is the oldest 
and the only complete uncial MS. of the 
New Testament hitherto discovered. Ac¬ 
cording to him it was written in the fourth 
century by four different but contempor¬ 
ary scribes. 

Sincere, pure and unmixed with error, 1 
Pe.2.2;—single, candid, and upright, Phi. 
r. 10. 

Sincerity, singleness of heart, opposed to 
dissimulation or hypocrisy, required; Jos. 
24.14; jSa.12.24; 16.7; iCh.28.9; 29.17; 
Ps.32.2; 73.1; Mat.5.8; Ro.12.9; Phi.i.io; 
Col. 3.22. 

Sinews, tendons, muscles, or nerves, Ge. 

32.32; Job to. 11; 30.17; Eze. 37.6. 

Singers appointed by David, 1 01.25.1. 
Singing in divine worship, 1 Ch.6.32; 13.8; 
Ne. 12.28; Mat. 26. 30; Ac. 16.25;—recom¬ 
mended, Ps. 95. x; 96.1; xcviii.; 100.1; 1 Co. 

14.15, Sec. ; Ep.5.19; Cob 3.16; Ja.5.13. See 
Praise. 

Sinim, si'nim, Is. 49. 12, a distant eastern 
land, probably China. 

Sin-offering, rules relating to, Le. 5.1, &c.; 

6.24;—for wilful offences, 6.1, &c. 

Sion, sl'on [lofty], one of the names of 
Mount Hermon, De. 4.48;—it was called 
Sir ion by the Sidonians, and Shenir by 
the Amorites, 3.9. See Zion. 

Siphmoth, sifmoth [fruitful place], a city 
of Judah to which David sent his costly 
spoils, 1 Sa. 30.28. 

Sirion, sir'yon [breast-plate], the Sidonian 
name of Mount Hermon, De.3.9; Ps.29.6. 
Sisera, sis'e-ra [battle array], the general 
of the army of Jabin, king of Hazor, Ju. 
4.2;—killed by Jael, 18, &c. 

Sister, a term used by the Hebrews to all 
near female relations, Ge. 12. 13; 20.12; 
Mat. 12.50; 13.56. 

Sith, an obsolete word, meaning since or 
because, Je.15.7; 23.38; Eze. 35.6. 
Situation, a position, a place, 2 Ki. 2.19; 

Ps.48.2. 

Sivan, si'van, the third month of the Jew¬ 
ish sacred year, and the ninth of their 
civil, from the new moon in June to the 
new moon in July, Es.8.9. 

Skilful, knowing, 1 Ch.5.18; 15.22; Da. 1.4; 
Am.5.16. 

Skipped, passed with a leap, Ps.114.4; Je. 

48.27. 

Skirt, a part of the garment below the 
waist, De.22.30; Ru.3.9. 

Slack, or inactive, God is not, concerning 
his promise, 2 Pe.3.9. 

Slander, false or invective reproach; cen¬ 
sured, Ex. 23.1; De. 22.13; Ps. 15. 3; 50.19, 
20; 64.3; 101.5; Pr.10.18; R0.1.30; 2 C0.12. 
20; Tit. 3. 2; Ja. 4. 11;—includes bearing 
false witness, Ex.20.16; De.5.20; Lu.3.14; 
—tale-bearing, Le. 19. 16;—judging un¬ 
charitably, Ja.4.11,12;—a characteristic of 
the devil, Re. 12.10. 

Slaughter, in battle of great numbers, Jos. 
8-25; Ju. 1.4; 11.29, &c. ;i 2.6; 20.21,25,35,44; 
1 Sa. 4.10; 2 Sa. 8.5; 10.18; 1 Ki. 20.29,30; 2 
Ki. 14.7; 1 Ch. 18.12; 2 Ch. 13.17; 25.11; 28 
6; Es.9.16. 

Slave, a female captive; how to be treated, 
De.21.10;—a runaway not to be delivered, 

23.15. See Servants. 

Sleep, sweet to a labouring man, but oft 
withheld from the rich, Ec.5.12;—not to be 
indulged in too much, Pr.6.4,9; 20.13; 23. 
21 : 24.33;— spiritual indolence and security, 
Ep.5.14;—death, or the rest of the body] 
TTh.4.14. 

Slime, or Bitumen, a kind of clayey pitch, 
used in building Babel, Ge.11.3;—the vale 
of Siddim abounded with, 14.10;—the ark 
in which Moses was put was daubed with, 
F.x.2.3. 

Sling, an instrument formed of cords for 
throwing stones with the hand to a great 


distance, and with great force, Ju.20.16; 1 
Sa. 17.40,50; 2 Ki.3.25; 2 Ch.26.14. 

Slippery, unstable, ready to fall, Ps. 35. 6; 

73.18; Je.23.12. 

Slothfulness, laziness or indolence, cen¬ 
sured, Pr. 12. 24,27; 15. 19; 18. 9; 19.15, 24; 
21. 25; 22.13; 24. 30; Ec. 10. 18; Ro. 12.1 t ; 
He.6.12. 

Sluggard, a lazy and idle person, reproved 
and instructed, Pr.6.6,9,10; 10.26; 13.4; 20. 
4; 26.16. 

Sluices, dams for catching fish. Is. 19.10. 

Slumber, light and imperfect sleep, Ps. 121. 
3, 4; 132. 4; Pr. 6 4;—spiritual negligence 
and insensibility, Ro. 11.8. 

Smart, to suffer pain and loss, Pr. 11.15. 

Smith, a worker in metal, iron, copper, sil¬ 
ver, gold, &c.; 1 Sa. 13. 19; 2 Ki. 24.14; Is. 
44.12; 54.16; Ac. 19.24; 2 'I i.4.14. 

Smoke, of Sodom, Ge. 19. 28;—on Mount 
Sinai, Ex. 19. 18;—anger of God, or his 
judgments compared to, Ps.18.8; Is.14.31; 
Joel 2.30. 

Smyrna, smir'nah [myrrh], a city of Ionia 
in Asia Minor, on the east shore of the 
Archipelago, or Egean Sea, and about 50 
miles north of Ephesus;—Christ’s message 
to the church there, Re. 2. 8. It is now 
called Ismir by the Turks. Its population 
is estimated at about 130,000. 

Snare, Trap, or Gin, a device for catching 
fowls, beasts, &c., Ps.91.3; 124.7; Pr.7.23; 
Am. 3. 5;—whatever catches or entangles 
one to his hurt, Ex.23.33; 34.12; Lu.21.35; 
1 Co. 7.35; 1 Ti.3.7; 6.9. 

Snatch, to seize hastily. Is.9.20. 

Snorting, blowing through the nose, as a 
high-mettled horse, Je.8.16. 

Snow, vapours frozen in the air, 2 Sa.23.20; 
Job 9. 30; 37. 6; Ps. 147.16; 148. 8;—things 
compared to the whiteness of, Ex. 4.6; Nu. 
12.10; Ps. 51. 7; Is. 1.18; La. 4. 7; Da. 7. 9; 
Mat.28.3; Mar.9.3; Re. 1.14. 

Snuffers, an instrument for snuffing lamps, 
Ex.37.23; 2 Ki.12.13. 

So, a king of Egypt, of Ethiopian descent, 
reigned about 728 b.c.; — joins Hoshea 
against the Assyrians, 2 Ki.17.4. 

Soap, used for washing, Je.2.22; Mai.3.2. 

Sobriety, or a decent Christian conduct, 
commended, 1 Th. 5.6,8; Tit. 2. 2,4,6; 1 Pe. 
1.13; 4.7; 5.8. 

Socho, so'ko [branches], one of the posterity 
of Judah, 1 Ch.4.18;—also a city of Judah, 
J0s.15.48. See Shocoh. 

Socket, a kind of base or foot with a cavity 
in it, in which the end of a pillar rested, 
Ex.26.19,25,37; 27.10,12, &c. 

Sodden, seethed, or prepared for food in 
warm or boiling water, Ge.25.29; Ex. 12.9; 
Le.6.28: 1 Sa.2.15; La.4.10. 

Soder, or Solder, to cement or join pieces 
of metal, Is. 41.7. 

Sodom, sod'om [burning], a city in the 
‘ plain of Jordan,’ near by, or on the ground 
now covered with, the Dead or Salt Sea; 
on account of the extreme wickedness of 
its inhabitants it was consumed with fire 
from heaven, and swallowed up by an 
earthquake, Ge.13.10,13; T 4- 11,12,17; 18. 
20-25; 19. 1-29; De.29.23; Is. 1.9; Je.23.14; 
Mat. 10. 15; Lu.17. 29; 2 Pe. 2. 6; Jude 7;— 
used metaphorically, Re. 11. 8. Sodoma, 
the Greek form, Ro.9.29. 

Sodomites, persons who practised the sin 
of Sodom in the time of Rehoboam, 1 Ki. 
14.24; banished by Jehoshaphat, 22.46. 

Sodomy, the sin of Sodom, forbidden, and 
laws to punish it, Le.18.22; 20.13; De.23. 
17; Ro.1.27; 1 Co.6.9; 1 Ti.1.10. 

Sojourn, to dwell in a foreign country 
without any fixed abode or possession, 
Ge. 12. 10; 19. 9; 26. 3; Ex. 12. 48; Le. 17.8, 
See. 

Solace, to comfort or delight, Pr.7.18. 

Soldiers, warriors engaged to preserve the 
peace of a country, and to fight with its 
enemies, 2 Ch. 25. 13; Ezr.8.22; Is. 15.4;— 
truly pious ones, Lu. 7.1-9; Ac. 10. 1, 2;— 
their duty, Lu. 3.14;—Christian ministers 
so called, 2 Ti.3.3,4. 

Solemn, awful, Nu.10.10; Ps.92.3; Is. 1.13; 

La. 2.22. 

Solitary, remote from company, retired, 
gloomy, and desolate, Job 3.7; 3o.3;Ps.68. 
6; 107.4; Is. 35.1; Mar.1.35. 

Solitude, or retirement, used for devotion, 
Mat.6.6; 14.23; Mar.1.35; Lu.5.16; 9.28. 

Solomon, sol'o-mon [peaceable], the tenth 
son of David; his mother was Bathsheba, 
who had been the wife of Uriah, 2 Sa.5.14; 
12. 24;—made king, 1 Ki.1.38; 1 Ch. 23.1; 
2 9- 29;— sacrifices at Gibeon, 2 Ch. 1. 3; 1 
KI- 3 - 4 >—chooses wisdom in preference to 


| riches, Sec., 1 Ki.3.5; 2 Chi. 7;—his appli¬ 
cation to wisdom, Ec. 1. 13;- judges be¬ 
tween two harlots, i Ki. 3. 16;—his power 
and wealth, 2 Ch. 1. 13;—his gold, 9. 13; 1 
Ki. 10. 23;—his targets, 2 Ch. 9. 15 ;- his 
throne of ivory, 17:1 Ki. 10. 18;—his mag¬ 
nificence in several respects, 23; 2 Ch. 9. 

20, Sec. ;—his science, 1 Ki. 4. 29;—con¬ 
gratulated by Hiram, king of Tyre, 5.1; — 
his preparations for the building of the 
temple, 13;—applies to Hiram for assist¬ 
ance, 2 Ch. 2. 3;—builds the temple, 1 Ki. 
6.1, Sec.; 2 Ch.2.1; 3. r, Sec. :—the offerings 
of the heads of the tribes towards it, 1 Ch. 
29. 6;—his prayer at the dedication of it, 
2 Ch. 6. 12; 1 Ki. 8. 22;-—the sacrifices on 
that occasion, 2 Ch.7.4;—the glory of God 
fills it, 5.13;—God appears to him, and 
gives him a solemn warning, 7. 12; 1 Ki.6. 
11;—his covenant with him, 9.1;—hts other 
buildings, 2 Ch.8.1;— his own house, 1 Ki. 

7. 1;—builds the house of Lebanon for 
Pharaoh’s daughter, 8: — appoints the 
courses of the priests, 2 Ch. 8. 14;—sends 
ships to Ophir, 17: 9.21, Sec.; 1 Ki.9.26;— 
receives the queen of Sheba, 2 Ch. 9. 1; 1 
Ki. 10. 1;—gives some cities to Hiram, 9. 
11;—his wives and concubines, 11.1;— his 
idolatry, 4;—threatened for it, 9;—opposed 
by Hadad the Edomite, 14;—by Rezon 
the Syrian, 23;—and by Jeroboam, 26;— 
his acts and death, 41; 2 Ch. 9. 29; — a 
prayer for him, Ps.lxxii.;—a song for him, 
cxxvii. Song of Salomon, sets forth the 
union between Christ and his church under 
the symbol of the nuptial relation. 

Solomon's Porch, Jn. 10.23; Ac.3.11; the 
range of cloisters on the east side of the 
outer court of the temple. 

Son, a disobedient one to be stoned, De. 

21. 18;—not to be punished for the sin of 
his father, Eze.18.2, Sec. See Children. 

Son of God. a title given to Adam, Lu. 3. 
38;—in the plural, to angels, Job 38. 7;— 
to professing believers, Ge.6.2,4;—to genu¬ 
ine saints, Ho. 1. 10; Jn.i. 12; R0.8.14,19; 
Phi.2.15; 1 Jn.3.1,2. See Adoption. 

-, Christ emphatically so called, 

Mar. 1. 1; 3. 11; Lu.4. 41; Jn.1.34; 3 18; 5. 
25;—in relation to his mission, 10. 36;—his 
incarnation, Lu. 1. 35;—his resurrection as 
the first-born from the dead, Ac. 13. 32, 33; 
—his possession, as heir of all things, He. 

I. 2,5;—his claim to divine honour equally 
with the Father, Mat.28.19; He.1.6. Only 
on a few occasions did Christ take to him¬ 
self this title, Mat. 11. 27; J11. 5.25; 9. 35; 

II. 4. 

Son of Man, a title which Daniel gives to 
Messiah, Da. 7. 13;—used of Christ in the 
N. T. about eighty times, in sixty-one of 
which Christ applies it to himself, expressive 
of his being the promised seed, the Messiah, 
and truly a partaker of our nature, Mat. 

8. 20; 9. 6; 10. 23; 11. 19; 12. 8, &c.;—but 
though Christ takes this name to himself 
thus often in the gospel history, it is 
worthy of notice that none of his apostles 
give it to him, except John, in two in¬ 
stances, Re. 1.13; 14.14;—and Stephen the 
deacon once, Ac. 7. 56;—they speak of 
him by names more directly expressive of 
his divine dignity; such as the Son of 
God, Jesus, Christ, Lord, Saviour, Re¬ 
deemer, Sec. 

-, a name of the prophet Eze¬ 
kiel, used about ninety times in his book 
of prophecies. 

Songs sung in time of feasting and rejoic¬ 
ing, Ge.31.27; Pr.25.20; Eze.26.13. 

■-, spiritual , recommended, Ep. 5. 19; 

Col. 3. 16; Ja. 5. 13;—of Moses, Ex. 15.1, 
&c.; De. 32.1, Sec. ;—of the Israelites on 
finding water, Nu.21.17;—of Deborah, J11. 
5. 1, Sec. ;—of Hannah, 1 Sa. 2. 1, Sec.; —of 
David, 22.1, Sec. ;—of Mary, Lu. 1.46;—of 
Zacharias, 1.68. 

Soothsayer, one who pretended to foretell 
future events by the motions of the clouds, 
the positions of the planets, the flight of 
birds, or magical arts, Is. 2.6; Da. 2. 27; 5. 
7,11; Mi.5.12; Ac.16.16. 

Sop, a piece of bread put into sauce or 
liquor, Jn.13.26,27,30. 

Sorcerer, a magician, or enchanter, who 
pretended to perform wonders by charms, 
Ex.7.11; Is.57.3; Je. 2 7-9; Da.2.2; Mai.3.5; 
Re.21.8; 22.15. 

Sorek, soTek [choice vine], a valley in 
which Delilah lived, not far from Zorah, 
Samson’s native place, Ju.16.4;—its choice 
vines, ox yellowish grapes, Ge.49.11; Is. 5. 
12; Je.2.21. 

Sorrow, just causes of, Ps. 119. 136,158; 











THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


(So—st) 63 


Phi. 2. 27;—good effects of, Ps.51.17; 126. 

6; Ec. 7. 3: 2 Co.7.10;—bad effects of, Pr. 
12.25; I 5- I 3» I 5- 17.22;—not to be indulged 
in for the death of pious friends, 1 Th. 4. 
13;—none in heaven, Is.33.24; Re.7.17. 
Sorrow, godly , springs from views of the 
dishonour done to God by sin, Ps. 51. 4; 2 
Co. 7.10. See Repentance. 

Sosipater, so-sip'a-ter, a native of Berea, 
Paul’s kinsman, to whom he sent his salu¬ 
tations, Ro. 16.21;—thought to be the same 
person caller Sopater, w ho accompanied 
Paul into Asia Minor from Greece, Ac. 
20.4. 

Sosthenes, sos'then-es, the chief ruler of 
the Jewish synagogue at Corinth, when 
Paul was in that city on his second journey 
into Greece, and one of the earliest con¬ 
verts in that city, Ac. 18.17;—he appears 
to have left that city and accompanied 
Paul, 1 Co. 1.1. 

Sottish, dull, stupid, and addicted to liquor, 
Je.4.22. 

Soul, the spiritual, reasonable, and immor¬ 
tal part of man, which distinguishes him 
from beasts, and fits him for moral and 
religious duties, Ge. 2. 7; 35. 18; Le. 17. 11; 
De. 11.13; 13. 3; 1 Ki. 8. 48; 17. 21; 1 Ch.22. 
19; 2 Ch. 15.12; Ps. 19. 7; 49. 8; 57.1; 62.1,5; 
63.1; Is.55.3; 61.10; Je.31.12; La.3.25; Mi. 

6. 7; Mat. 10.28; 16. 26; Mar. 12. 33; 1 Th. 5. 
23; He.6.19; 10.39; 1 Pe.2.11;—exists after 
death in a state of happiness or misery, 
Ec.3.21; 12.7; Mat. 10.28; 22. 32; Lu.16.22; 
23.43; 2 Co.5.6,8; Phi. 1.23; Re.6.9; 20.4;— 
used for the whole person, sold and body, 
Ge.12.5; 46.15,18, 25,27; Ex.12 4; Le.4. 2; 
18. 29; 22.11; 23. 30; Nu.9.13; 19.15; Pr. 11. 
25; 27. 7; Ho.9. 4; Ac. 2.41,43; 3.23: 27.37: 
Ro. 2. 9; 13.1; Re.16. 3;—human life, 1 Sa. 
25.29: Job 33. 22; Ps. 33. 19; 40.14; 78.50; 
107.26; Pr.14.25; 22.23; Je.51.6; La.1.11; 
Eze. 13. 18; 1 Th. 2. 8; — affection, desire, 
appetite, Ge. 34. 3: 1 Sa. 18.1; 2 Sa. 13. 39; 
Job 33.20; Pr.13.4; 27. 7; Is.29.8; 66.3; Re. 
18.14. 

Sound, wholesome doctrine, 1 Ti.1.10. 
Sovereignty of God, his supreme right to 
dispose of his creatures and favours, ac¬ 
cording to his pleasure, Ps. 103.19; Pr.19. 
21: 21.30; Is.46.10;—is manifested in crea¬ 
tion, Re. 4.11; — in providence. Da. 4. 34, 
35;—and in dispensing the blessings 0/ 
his grace. Ex. 33.19; Ro. 8.28-30; Ep. 1.5, 
9:3.11; 2Ti. 1.9;—is essentially different 
from his justice . though often ignorantly 
or designedly confounded with it;— jjist.ce, 
and not sovereignty, gives what is merited, 
as is the future punishment of the wicked, 
Ro. 2. 6-11; Ga. 6. 7, 8; 2 Th. 1. 8, 9;—but 
sovereignty, and not justice, gives or with¬ 
holds what is nndeserr'ed and wholly of 
grace. Mat.11.25,26; Ep.1.3-7. 

Sow, to scatter seed in the earth for growth, 
Ge. 47. 23; Ex. 23.10; Le.19.19; Is.28.24;— 
figuratively, to perform actions good or 
bad, Job 4.8; Pr. 11.18; 22.8; Ho.io.i2;Ga. 
6.7,8. 

Sower, one who sows, the parable of the, 
Mat.13.3. 

■Spain, a large country in the south-west of 
Europe, which anciently included Portu¬ 
gal, and is surrounded by the sea except 
on part of the north, where it is joined to 
France. It is 700 miles long and 500 miles 
broad. In the time of the apostles it be¬ 
longed to Rome. Paul intended to visit 
it, but it is uncertain whether his purpose 
was ever carried into effect, Ro. 15.24,28. 
Span, usually reckoned 9 inches, Ex. 28. 
,6; 39 9 ;_Ood meteth out heaven with his, 
Is.40.12: 48.13. 

Sparingly, scantily, 2 Co.9.6. 

Sparrow, a well-known bird, which seems 
to have been sold for common food among 
the Jews, Ps.84.3; Mat. 10.29,31; Lu.12.6, 
7. In Ps. 102.7 the word ‘sparrow’ denotes 
probably a species of thrush which is often 
seen ‘alone on the house-tops warbling its 
svveePand plaintive strains.’ 

Spear, a long weapon armed with a sharp 
point of metal, anciently much used in 
war, and still the ordinary weapon of the 
wandering Arabs, Jos. 8.18; 1 Sa. 17.7; 26. 
7; 2 Ch.11.12; Jn.19.34. 

.Special, particular, De.7.6; Ac.19.11. 
Speckled, spotted with various colours, Ge. 

30.32; 31.8; Je.12.9; Zec.1.8. 

Spectacle, a public show, or gazing-stock, 

1C0.4 9. , D 

Speech, the proper government of. Ps.34. 
11; Pr. 4. 24; 15. 4: 17- 2 °: 18 6 * 7. 21: Ec. 
10.12,13; Mat. 12. 36; Ja. 1. 26; 3. 2, 1 Pe. 3. 
io;—not to be profane, Ep.4.29; 5.3; Col. 


3. 8;—not hasty or passionate, Pr. 18. 13; 
Mat. 5. 22; Tit.3.2;—not trifling, Pr.io. 10, 
19: 18. 2;—should be edifying, Ep. 4. 29; 
Col.4.6; 1 Th.5.11;—the benefit of it when 
seasonable, Pr. 12. 25; 15. 23; 16. 24; 25.11, 
I 5 - 

Speedily, with haste, 1 Sa. 21. i; Ps. 31. 2; 
79.8; Ec.8.11; Lu.18.8. 

Spices, vegetables or drugs fragrant to the 
smell, and hot or pungent to the taste; 
Ishmaelites traded in, Ge. 37. 25;—Jacob 
sent a present of, 43.11;—the ancients per¬ 
fumed their women, beds, and clothes with, 
Es. 2. 12; Pr. 7. 17; Ps. 45. 8;—embalmed 
their dead with, 2 Ch. 16.14; Mar. 16.1; Lu. 
23.56; Jn. 19.40.. 

Spider, a venomous, cruel, and crafty in¬ 
sect, Job 8.14; Is. 59.5; Pr.30.28;—in warm 
countries it is very large; one kind often 
measuring above 3 inches from the head 
to the extremity of the abdomen. 

Spies, sent to view the land of Canaan, Nti. 
13.2; De. 1.22;—those of them who brought 
an evil report punished, Nu. 14. 36; —sent 
by Joshua, Jos.2.1, &c. 

Spikenard, a plant of a very fragrant smell 
and strong taste, Ca.1.12; 4.14; Mar.14.5; 
Jn.12.3. 

Spindle, an instrument turned with the 
hand, in spinning with the distaff, Pr. 31. 
19 - 

Spirit (Holy\ the third person of the 
Trinity, Ro. 8. 26,27; Ep. 4. 30; 1 C0.2.10. 
See Ghost. 

- in Man, his immortal soul, Pr. 20. 

27; Lu. 23. 46; 1 Co. 5. 5; 6.20; 7. 34; Ac.7. 
59;—the temper of his mind, Pr. 14.29; 16. 
18; Ec.10.4; Je.51.11; Hag.1.14; Lu.9.55. 
Spirits, signifying pretenders to spiritual 
gifts, to be tried, Mat.7.15; 1 Jn.4.1; Re. 
2 . 2 . 

-, familiar, evil spirits or devils, with 


which some persons p retended to be fami 
liar; and by whose assistance they pro¬ 
fessed to reveal secrets, and foretell future 
events;—such persons were to be put to 
death, Le. 20. 27 ;—threatenings against 
those who consult them, 19.31: 20.6; De. 
18. 9-12;—put away by Saul, 1 Sa. 28. 3,9; 

— by Josiah, 2 Ki. 23. 24;—were consulted 
by Saul, 1 Sa.28.7,8; 1 Ch.10.13;—by Man- 
asseh, 2 Ki.21.6; eCh.33.6;—by the Egyp¬ 
tians, Is. 19.3. 

Spiritual Body, the body purified, refined, 
divested of all sensual and animal appe¬ 
tite, and brought into perfect harmony 
with the sanctified spirit, i Co. 15.44. 
Spiritual Gifts, or extraordinary and mi¬ 
raculous endowments bestowed on many 
during the first age of Christianity, are 
carefully to be distinguished from the 
saving operations and fruits of the Spirit; 
—the former consisted in gifts of tongues, 
working of miracles, See., 1 Co. 12.7-10; but 
the latter are love, joy, peace, Sic., Ga.5. 
22) 23; —the former were sometimes be¬ 
stowed on unbelievers, 1 Co. 13. 1,2; but 
the latter are produced in genuine be¬ 
lievers only, Ro. 8. 15, 16; Ga. 4. 6; the 
former were intended to continue in the 
church only for a time, and then to cease, 

1 Co. 13. 8; but the latter shall be given 
to the children of God in every age till 
the end of time, Is.59.20,21; He.8.10,11. 
Spiritual-mindedness, consists in a mind 
habitually impressed with the reality and 
importance of spiritual things, 2 Co. 4. 18; 

— in having the heart and affections set on 
them, Col. 3. 1,2;—in making them the 
theme of frequent meditation, Ro. 8. 5;— 
and in delighting in those exercises which 
are calculated to promote spiritual im¬ 
provement, Ps.84.1,2; 119.97. 

Spitefully, maliciously, with rancour and 
hatred, Mat.22.6; Lu.1S.32. 

Spitting upon one, an expression of the 
highest contempt, Nu.12.14: De.25.9; J 
30.10; Is.50.6; Mat.26.67: 27.30. 

Spoil, plunder or booty; how much taken 
from the Moabites, Nu. 31. 32;—from the 
Hagarites, 1 Ch. 5. 21;—from the Ammon¬ 
ites, &c., 2 Ch.20.25. 

-, how to be divided, Nu.31.27 

Spokesman, one who speaks for another, 
Ex.4.16. 

Sport, diversion, Ju.16.25,27; Pr.10.23; 26 

19. 

Spouse, a husband or wife, Ca. 4. 8, 9; 5. 1 
Hn.4.13,14. 

j Spouts. See Water-spouts. 

Sprinkling, of blood, blood and water, oil, 

; &c., much used in ceremonial purifica- 
I tions, Le. 14.7.16; 16.14; Nu 8 7. 19.18,19: 
_the purifying operations ot the blood and 


Spirit of Christ, Is.52.15; He.9.13,14; 12. 
24; 1 Pe.1.2. 

Spue, to vomit or cast out, Le.18.28; Je.25. 

27; Re.3.16. 

Spunge, a submarine substance, produced 
by insects which inhabit it; and it is soft 
and porous, remarkable lor sucking up 
water, Mat.27.48; Mar.15.36; Jn.19.29. 
Stability recommended, Ps. 17.4; Pr.24.21; 
Mat.7.21; Mar.13.13; 1 Co.15.58; Ep.4.14; 

1 Th.5.21; He.10.23; i3-9‘. Ja.1.6. 

Stachys, sta'kes, adiscipleat Rome men¬ 
tioned by Paul, Ro. 16.9. 

Stacte, a valuable and fragrant gum, one 
of the ingredients of the sacred incense, 
Ex.30.33. The word in the original means 
a drop (comp. Job 36. 7;; and this gum is 
so called, from its flowing out freely from 
the tree without the necessity of perforat¬ 
ing the bark, as in the case of the common 
myrrh. 

Stadium, a space of 600 feet, one-eighth 
part of a Roman mile. It is rendered 
furlong, Lu.24.13; J11.6.19; 11.18; Re. 14. 
20; 21.16. 

Stagger, to reel like one drunk, Job 12. 25; 
Ps.107.27; Is. 19. 14; 29.9;—to hesitate in 
doubt, R0.4.20. 

Stalls for horses or oxen, Solomon had 
40,000, 1 Ki. 4. 26; 2 Ch. 9. 25;—Hezekiah 
had them for all kinds of beasts, 32. 28;— 
Habakkuk’s song though no flock be in, 
Hab.3. 1 7- 

Stammering, speaking with hesitation and 
stuttering, Is.28.11; 32.4; 33.19. 

Stanched, stopped from running, I.u.8.44. 
Standard, an ensign or flag, Nu.1.52; 2.3, 
10,18,25; Is.49.22; 59.19. 

Stare, to gaze upon one as a spectacle, Ps. 
22.17. 

Stars, properly the fixed luminaries of hea¬ 
ven, distinct from the planets; though the 
Hebrews styled all the heavenly bodies 
stars, except the sun and moon see Si n 
and Planets'; Ge. 1. 16; Ps. 8. 3; 136.9; 
148.3; Je.31.35;—a remarkable one directs 
the wise men, Mat.2. 2,7,9,10: -figura¬ 
tively, rulers or conquerors, Nu. 24. 17; 
Da. 8. 10;—ministers of the gospel. Re. 1. 
20;—wicked apostates, Jude 13;-Rome 


received their name from the Stoa, or porch 
at Athens, where they were taught by 
Zeno 'born B.c. 360). They were ‘severe 
and lofty Pantheists, whose principle was 
that the universe was under the law of an 
iron necessity, the spirit of which was 
what is called the deity; and that a pas¬ 
sionless conformity of the human will to 
this law, unmoved by all external circum¬ 
stances and changes, is the perfection of 
virtue,’ Ac. 17.18. 

Stomacher, a piece of dre>s, worn either as 
an upper garment, or a kind of girdle, Is. 
3 - 24 - 

Stone, Christ called the tried. Sic., Is. z 3 . 
16;—cut out without hands, Da. 2. 34;- a 
living, 1 Pe.2 4;— a heart of, meaning one 
which is unfeeling and obdurate, Eze. 11. 
19; Zee. 7. 12;— a white one. given as the 
symbol of pardon or acquittal, Re.2.17. 
Stones taken out of the river Jordan, as a 
memorial of the Israelites having passed 
through it, J0S.4.T, &c.;—the law written 
on stone, 8.32;—heaps of, raised as a wit¬ 
ness or memorial, Jos.7.26; 8.29; 2 Sa. 18. 
17;—used as knives, Ex.4.25: Jos.5.2. 

precious, in the ephod. Ex. 28. 17, 
&c.;—in the foundation of the new Jerusa¬ 
lem, Re. 21. 19;—in the possession of the 
Tyrians, Eze.28.13. 

Stoning to death, a common punishment 
among the Jews, Le. 20.2,27; 24.14,16,23: 
Nu.15.35; De.13.10; 22.21,24; 1 Ki.21.13; 
Ac. 7.58. 

Stoop, to bow down, Ge.49.9; 1 Sa.24.8; 28. 
i4;Jn.8.6. 

Store-cities, built by Solomon, in which 
food, clothing, armour, and other necessary 
things were laid up, 1 Ki.9.19; 2 C h. 8.4,6. 
Stork, a bird of passage, Je.8.7, about the 
size of a crane; both white and black are 
found in Palestine. Its legs raise it to the 
height of from 3 to 4 feet, Le. 11.19; De. 
14.18;—builds its nest in trees, Ps. 104.17. 
Storms, tempests of wind or rain, or of 
both mixed, Ac.27.18,20;— remarkable and 
judicial ones in the destruction of Sodom, 
Ge. 19.24: in the plagues of Egypt, Ex.9. 
23;—in the battle against the five kings, 
Jos. 10.11. See Wind. 


papal, Re. 8. 10,11;—Christ the ‘morning Story, a history or account of events, 2 Ch 


star,’ 22.16. 

Stately, pompous, Eze.23.41. 

Stature, height or measure, Nu. 13. 32 
1 Sa.16.7; 2 Sa.21.20; Mat.6.27; Ep.4.13. 
Statute, a law, Ex. 15.25; 29.9; Le.3.17. 
Statutes, used not only for laws and ordi 
nances, but also for the whole word of 
God, Ps.19.8; 119.12,16,23,48,54, &c. 
Staves, plural of Staff, a word seldom now 
used, Ex.25.13; Nu.4.6; Mat. 10.10; 26.47, 

Steadfast, fixed or constant, Job 11. 15; 
Ps.78.8; Da.6. 26; 1 Co. 15.58; He. 6. 19; 1 
Pe -5 9 - 

Stealing, taking away unjustly what be¬ 
longs to others, forbidden. Ex.20.15; Le. 
19.11; Ps.50.18; Zee.5. 4; Mat. 15.19; 1C0. 
6.10; F.p.4.28; 1 Pe.4.15. 

Steel, iron combined with carbon. It is 
doubtful, however, if the Hebrews were 
acquainted with the process of making 
steel. The word so rendered properly 
means copper. The Chalybes, near the 
Euxine, far north of Palestine, mixed cop¬ 
per with brass, and thus formed a hard 
metal like our steel; alluded to, Je.15.12; 
—bows made of, 2 Sa.22.35; Job 20.24; Ps. 
18.34 . 

Stem of Jesse, the royal family of David 
his son, Is.ii.i. 

Stephanas, stef'a-nas [crowned], one of the 
first converts at Corinth, who, along with 
his family, was baptized by Paul, 1 Co. 1 


13.22; 24.27;—the floor of a building,where 
one room is above another, Ge. 6.16; Eze. 
41.16; 42.3; Am.9.6. 

Straight, even, plain, right forward, Jos. 
6.5; 1 Sa.6.12; Ps.5.8; Is.40.3; Mat.3.3. 
Strait, narrow, difficult, 2 Ki. 6. 1; Is. 49. 
20; Mat.7.13,14: Lu.13.24. 

Strangers, persons in a foreign country, 
Ge. 23.4;—foreigners resident among the 
Jews, Ex. 20. 10; Is. 14. 1;—laws for the 
protection and comfort of. Ex.22.21: 23 9; 
Le. 19. 34;—promises to, De. 10. 18; Ps. 

146.9- , , , 

Strangled Animals, or those choked or 
killed without the blood being discharged, 
not to be eaten, Ac. 15.20. 

Stratagems, or imposing artifices, practised 
at the taking of Ai, Jos. 8. 3, &c.; — of 
the Gibeonites, 9.2, &c.;—by Gideon, Ju. 
7. 16;—practised against Gibeah, 20. 29; 
—of Michal to save David, 1 Sa.19.13;—of 
David among the Philistines, 21.12;—by 
Jehu to decoy the priests of Baal, 2 Ki. 
10.18. 

Straw, to scatter or spread abroad. Ex. 52. 
20; 2Ch.34.4; Mat.21.8; 25.24;—the stalk 
on which corn grows, Ge.24.25; Ex.5.7,11; 
Is. 11.7. 

Stream, a running water, or brook, Nu.21. 

15; Job 6.15: Lu. 6.48;—of Egypt. Is. 27.12. 
Streets, the broad ways in cities and towns 
between the rows of houses, Ge.19.2; De. 
13.16: 2 Sa. 1.20; Mat.6.2,5. 


16;—he and others visited Paul at Ephe- Strength and stature, remarkable instances 
I7 I of: in Samson, Ju.xiv., &c.;—Saul, 1 Sa.9. 

7 ' ... 1 2 ._i s hbi-benob, 2 Sa.21.16:—a brother of 

Goliath, 19;—David’s mighty men, 1 Ch. 

11.10, &c. 

-continued to old age, in Moses, 

De.34.7;—in Caleb, Jos.14.11. 

. -, or ability for duty, and support 

under trials, promised, Job 17.9: Ps.27.14: 
29.11; 41.3; Is 40.29.31; 41. to; a Co. 12.9. 


sus, 

Stephen, stefen Ta crown], one of the first 
seven deacons, Ac. 6. 5;—is accused, 11; 
defends himself, 7.1, Sic .',—is stoned, and 
commits his soul to C hrist, 59: prais fir 
his murderers, 60. Was the ‘first martyr.' 
Stern, the hindmost part of a ship, Ac.27. 
29. 

Steward, one who manages the affairs of a 
superior’s family, particularly with respei.t 

to money, Ge. 15.2; 43.19: 1 .11.8.3: minis' 
ters of Christ so called, 1 Co.4.1,2: l it. 1 
7; 1 Pe.4.10. 

Stiff' necked, obstinate, stubborn, Ex. 32. 
9: 33.3; De.10.16: Ac.7.51. 

Stocks, an instrument of punishment, a 
bar of wood t<> which prisoners were chained 
by the feet, Ac 16.24. 

Stoics, a sect of heathen philosophers, v lu 


Stretcheth, extendeth, Job 15. 25; l v 

20; Is.40.22: 44 - 1 3 - 

Strife, contention or quarrelling. Ge 13.7: 
De.1.12: Lu.22.24; 1 Co.3.3; Ga.5.20:- to 
be avoided, Pr.17.1,14: 2°-.T 26.17; Ro 15. 
13. ]a.3.16:—whence it proceeds, Pr.io. 12; 
22.10; 26.20; 23.29,30:26.21:28.25; 1 11.6. 
aTi.2.23: Ja.4.1:—what'it may lead to. 
Halt. 1.3,4; Ga. 
mentioned, Ge. 


4: 


Le.24IO,Ii: EX. 21. l8,2 2 
3 15; Ja. 3.16. Example- 


























U4i> (St—Ta) 


Ju. 12.2; 2 Sa. 




13.7; 26.20; 31.36; Ex.2.13; J 
19.41-43; Ac.15.2; 1 Co.i.n; 6.6. 

Strike, to give a heavy and violent blow, 
De.21.4; Job 20.24; Mar.14.65;—to touch 
gently, 2 Ki.5.11. 

Striker, or one easily excited to come to 
blows; a minister of Christ must not be, 1 
Ti.3.3: Tit. 1.7. 

Striking, laws against it, Ex.21.18. 

Stripes, inflicted with a scourge, not to ex¬ 
ceed forty, De.25.1-3;- the Jews, lest they 
should transgress this law, inflicted only 
thirty-nine, 2 Co. 11.24. 

Stripling, a young man, 1 Sa. 17.56. 

Striving, or exerting with vigorous effort, 
required in the business of salvation, L11. 
13.24; Ro. 15.30; Phi. 1.27; Col. 1.29; He. 
124 . 

Struggling, earnestly exerting, Ge.25.22. 
Stubble, the short part of the straw, at¬ 
tached to the root, which is left on the 
field after the corn is reaped. Ex.5.12;— 
wicked men compared to, Job 21.18; Ps. 

83 13: Is.40.24; Mai.4.1;— false doctrine, 1 
Co .3.12. 

Stubborn, obstinate and incorrigible, De. 

21.18; Ju.2.19; Ps.78.8; Pr.7.11. 

Study, diligent application to books and 
learning, Ec. 12. 12 ; — earnestly to en¬ 
deavour, Pr. 15.28; iTh.4.11; 2 li.2.15. 
Stuff, household furniture or property, Ge. 
•jr.ay: 45.20; Lu. 17.31;—material for work, 
Ex'.36.7;—corn or provision, 1 Sa.10.22. 
stumbling-block, anything which may 
cause another to stumble or fall, Is. 57. 14; 
Eze.7.r9; Ro.11.9; 14.13; 1C0.1.23; 8.9; 
Re.2.14:—not to be put in the way of the 
blind. Le. 19.14. 

Stumbling-stone. Christ was to the Jews, 
the- humbleness of his appearance being so 
different from their false expectations, Is. 
S.14; R0.9.32,33; 1 Pe.2.8. 

Stump, the part of any solid body which 
remains after the rest is taken away, 1 Sa. 
5.4- Da.4.15,23,26. 

Subdue, to conquer or bring into subjec¬ 
tion, Ge. 1.28; 1 Ch. 17.10; Ps. 47. 3; Phi. 

Subject to, to be under, Lu.2.51; 10.17,20; 
R0.8.7; 13.1,5; Ep.5.24; Tit.3.1; 1 Pe.2.18; 

3 -'2; 5 - 5 - 

Submission to the Will of God, or the 
vielding up of ourselves wholly to his dis¬ 
posal; our duty, Ja. 3. 18; Job 1. 21; 2. 10; 
Ps.399; Mat,26.42; Mar.14.36; Lu.22.42; 
Ac. 21. 14 it includes acquies ence in bis 
sovereign right to give or withhold his 
favours, Job 1.21;—an acknowledgment of 
bis unerring wisdom, Ro. 11.33;—persua¬ 
sion of his love and care, Ps.103.13; 1 Jn.4. 
10;—diligent endeavour to know his will, 
Ro.12.2; Ep.5.10;- guarding against im¬ 
patience and despondency, He. 10. 36;— 
fully surrendering ourselves to his disposal, 

2 Sa.15.26;—for motives to this duty, see 
Resignation. 

-to spiritual guides, 1 Co. 16.16; 

He.13.7,17;—to rulers, Ro.13.1, &c.; Tit. 
3.171 Pe.2.13, &c. 

-, in some measure, to all men, 

R0.12.10; Ep.5.21; Phi.2.3; 1 Pe.5.5. 
Submit, to yield to the will and authority 
of another, Ge.16.0; 2Sa.22.45; Ps.66.3; 
68.30; Ep.5.22. 

Suborning, procuring by secret fraud or 
hire, Ac.6.11. 

Subscribe, to write the name under, for 
confirmation, Is.44.5; Je.32.10,12,44. 
Substance, that of which a person or thing 
consists, Ps.139.15,16;—a person's wealth, 
Ge. 12.5; 13.6; Dc.11.6. 

Subtilty, craftiness or cunning; of the ser¬ 
pent, Ge.3.1; — of Rebekah, 27.6;—of La¬ 
ban, 29.23;—of Rachel, 31.34:—of Joseph, 
42.7:—of Elymas, Ac.13.10. 

Suburbs, among the Jews, included both 
the buildings without the walls of a city, 
belonging to it, and the pasture grounds, 
Le.25.34; Nu.35.3,7; Jos.14.4. 

Subvert, to overturn, or to turn away from 
truth, La.3.36; Ac. 15.24; 2 Ti.2.14; Tit.i. 
11; 3.11. 

Succeed, to come into the place of another 
after he is dead or removed, De. 2.12,21; 
12.29; 2 5-6. 

Success, or worldly prosperity, Jos. 1.8. 
Succoth, suk'koth [booths], (1) A place in 
Egypt, where the Hebrews first encamped 
after their emancipation, Ex. 12. 37.— (2) 
I he name of a city or valley on the east of 
Jordan, and south of the Sea of Galilee, 
where Jacob pitched his tents, Ge. 33.17; 
Ps 60.6;—it belonged to the tribe of Gad, 
Jos. 13.27. Opposite the mouth of Wady 


mi: World’s bible auxiliary 

™,,. „„ the west bank of the Jordan, are | 


ruins called Sakut, which probably mark 
the site of Succoth. 

Succot’n-Benoth, suk'koth-be'noth [the 
tabernacles of daughters], an obscene deity 
which the Babylonians set up in Samana, 
2 Ki. 17.30. 

Succour, to relieve in distress, 2 Sa.8.5; 18. 
3; 21.17; 2 Co. 6.2; He. 2.18. 

Succourer, a helper, Ro.16.2. 

Suckling, an infant who sucks his mother s 
breasts, De.32.25; iSa.15.3; 22.19: Je.44. 
7;—praise to be perfected from, Ps. 8. 2, 
Mat. 21.16. 

Sudden, hasty and unexpected; the final 
ruin of the wicked shall be, 1 I h.5.3. 

Sue, to prosecute by law, Mat.5.40. 

Sufferings, or afflictions, how to be borne, 
2C0.1.4; 4.8,16; Ja.1.12; iPe.2.19; 314: 
4.12, &c. ^Affliction. 

of Christ, for our redemption, 


included the persecutions of his infancy, 
Mat. 2.13-15;—the poverty of his life, 8.20; 
—the reproach of his character, 11.19; 
the pains of his body, 26.67; 27.27-35: 
the desertion of his friends, 26. 56;—the 
assaults of devils, Jn.14.30; Col.2.15; the 
weight of his people s sins, Is.53.6; 1 Pe.2. 
24;—his agony of soul, and the hidings of 
hisFamer s tace, Lu.22.44; Mat.27.46. See 
Death of Christ. 

Suffice, to be enough or sufficient, Nu.it. 
22; De. 3.26; 1 Ki.20.10; Ru. 2.14,18; 1 Pe. 

Sufficiency, or competency, what is deem¬ 
ed such, Ge.28.20; Pr.30.8; 1 li.6.8. 

Suit, a set of clothes, Ju.17.10; Is.3.22;—a 
petition, Job 11. 19;—a controversy to be 
decided, 2 Sa.15.4. 

Sukkiims, suk'ki-ims [dwellers in tents], 
one of the three great nations of which the 
army of Shishak was composed, 2 Ch. 12. 3. 
Summer, that season of the year in which 
the days are longest and warmest; and 
during which, in Canaan, the days are in¬ 
tensely hot, and even the nights so warm 
that the inhabitants often slept on the 
house-tops in the open air, Ge.8.22; Ps.32. 
4; 74.17; Pr.6.8; 10.5;-fruits, a propheti¬ 

cal emblem, Am*8.i. 

Sumptuously, expensively and with deli¬ 
cacy and splendour, Lu.16.9. 

Sun, the great source of light and heat. Its 
diameter is about 883,000 miles. Its dis 
tance from our earth is 92 millions of miles 
so that light, which flies at the swiftness of 
2000 miles in a second, requires 8 minutes 
to reach our earth. Spots often appear in 
the sun, sometimes so large as to be visible 
to the naked eye; and their motions prove 
that it revolves on its own axis, in the 
course of about twenty-five days;—it and 
the moon created, Ge. 1.14;—described, Ps. 
19.5;—not to be worshipped, De.4.19; 17.3; 
Job 31. 26; Eze. 8.16,18;—stood stilly Jos. 
10.12;—went back, 2 Ki. 20.9;—darkened, 
Lu.23.44;—outshone by a greater bright¬ 
ness, Ac. 26.13;— figuratively, the civil and 
ecclesiastical state of the Jews, Joel 2.31 
See Planets and Stars. 

Sundry, several, various, He.1.1. 
Superfluity of Naughtiness, overflowing 
of malignant passions, Ja. 1.21. 
Superfluous, unnecessary, or more than 
enough, Le.21.18; 22.23; 2 C0.9.1. 
Superscription, a writing placed above, or 
on the outside; as the motto above the 
head on a coin. Mat.22.20; Mar.12.16; Lu. 
20.24;— or the crime for which anyone was 
crucified, which was written on a label, 
and placed above his head, on the cross, 
Mar. 15.26; Lu.23.38. 

Superstition, usually means the practice 
of religious rites not required, or abstain 
ing from what is not forbidden; censured, 
Ec.7.16; 11.4; Je. 10.2; Mar^.3; Ga.4.10; 
but in the New Testament it has a milder 
sense, and denotes simply religion, Ac 
25.19;—and superstitions means religious, 
17.22. 

Superstitious, or weak-minded and par¬ 
tially informed persons, tobe treated gently, 
Ro.14.1; 15.1; 1 C0.9.20-22. 

Supper, the last meal of the day, and com¬ 
monly the principal one among the Jews 
as well as the Romans, Mar.6.21; Lu.14.12, 
16; Jn.12.2;—the Lord's Supper, so called 
because instituted immediately after Christ 
and his apostles had eaten the paschal sup- 
per, Jn.13.2; 1 C0.11.2c;— 0/ the great Cod, 
the destruction of the enemies of the church, 
R e. 19.1 r—marriage stfper of the Lamb, 
the happiness of the church during the mil¬ 
lennium, 9. 


or to get into his place by stratagem, Ge. 

27-36: Je-9-4- . . _ 

Suppliants, humble petitioners, Zep. 3. 10. 
Supplication, a petition or prayer humbly 
presented, 1 Sa. 13.12; 1 Ki.8.28,30,33, &c., 
Ac. 1. 14; Ep. 6. 18; Phi. 4- 6; 1 I1.2.1, 5 - 5 * 
He. 5.7. # . 

Supply, to furnish what is wanting, 1 Co. 

16.17; 2 Co.11.9; Phi.2.30; 4.19. 

Support, to uphold or assist, Ac. 20. 35; 1 

Th.5.14. . . . , 

Suppose, to imagine or take for granted, 
without examination or proof, 2 Sa. 13- 3 2 > 
Lu.12.51; 13.2; Ac.2.15. 

Supreme, the chief or highest, 1 Pe.2.13. 

Sur [a turning, yielding], the name of one 
of the gates of Solomon’s temple, 2 Ki.n. 

6;—called ‘gate of the foundation,’ 2 Ch. 
23.5. 

Surety, one who is bail or security for an¬ 
other, Ge. 43.9; 44-32: Ps. 119.122;—Jesus 
was, of the new covenant, He. 7.22. 
Suretyship, the office of a surety; the 
danger of it, Pr.6.1; 11.15; 17.18; 20.16; 
27- 13 - . 

Surfeiting, eating to excess, Lu.21.34. 
Surmisings, suspicions of something bad, 

1 Ti.6.4. 

Surname, the after name, or name which 
a person commonly takes from his family, 
Mat. 10.3; Mar.3.16; Lu.22.3; Ac.i. 23; 12. 
12. 

Surprise, to take unawares, Is.33.i4;Je. 
48.41: 5 I 4 i- 

Susannah, su-san'nah, a pious woman who 
ministered to Christ, Lu.8.3. 

Susi, su'si [a horseman], the father of Gaddi, 
one of the twelve spies, Nu.13.11. 

Sustain, to uphold, or to supply with pro¬ 
vision, Ge.27.37; 1 Ki.17.9; Ne 9.21; Ps.55. 
22; Pr.18.14. 

Sustenance, support or provision, Jin'S. 4; 

2 Sa.19.32; Ac.7.11. 

Swaddle, to put on the dress of new-born 
infants, La.2.22; Eze.16.4; L11.2.7. 

Swallow, a well known bird of passage; 
knows its time of migration, Je. 8. 7;—its 
twittering alluded to, Is. 38.14. >. 

Swan, a large water-bird, frequents lakes 
and rivers; was unclean according to the 
law, Le.11.18; De.14.16. 

Swarm, a great number of flies, one of the 
plagues of Egypt, Ex. 8.21;—of bees in the 
carcass of a lion, Ju.14.8. 

Swearing Rashly and Unlawfully, cen¬ 
sured and forbidden, Le.19.12; Mat. 5. 34; 
Ja. 5. 12;—hateful to God, Zee. 8. 17;-— 
saints abstain from, Jos. 9. 20; Ps. 15. 4;— 
punishment for, Ps.59.12,13; 109.17,18. 
Swearing Lawfully, before a court of 
justice, ought always to be with solemn 
awe of the name of God, by which we 
swear, De.6.13;—in truth, judgment, and 
righteousness, Je.4.2;—and that some im¬ 
portant end may be served, He.6.16. See 
Oaths. 

Sweat, man to earn his subsistence by, Ge. 

3.9;—Christ’s, as of blood, Lu.22.44. 
Sweep with the besom of destruction, with 
hail, &c., completely to ruin, Pr. 28. 3; Is. 
14.23; 28.17. 

Swerve, to wander, to deviate, 1 Ti.1.6. 
Swine, a well known animal, the use of 
which was forbidden to the Hebrews, Le. 
11.7; De.14.8;—devils permitted by Christ 
to possess a herd of them, and to destroy 
them, Mat. 8. 30; Mar. 5. it; Lu.8. 32;—to 
‘cast pearls before swine,’ Mat.7.6. 

Swoon, to faint, La.2. it. 

Sword, a well known instrument of war, 
Ge. 34.25; Ju.8.10;—the symbol of war and 
judgment, Le. 26. 25, 33; Je. 42. 16; — the 
word of God, Ep.6.17; He.4.12. 

Sycamine, a tree common in Syria and 
Egypt, the black mulberry, Lu. 17.6. 
Sycamore, the jig mulberry , Ps.78.47; Is. 

, 9.10. Its fruit resembled the fig, but was 
woody and indigestible. It is lofty and 
shady, Lu. 19.4;—its wood of little value, 
1 Ki.10.27; 2Ch.1.15;—to be distinguished 
from the English sycamore, which is a 
species of maple. 

Sychar, sl'kar [falsehood], Jn. 4. 5. The 
Shechem of the O. T. 

Syene, si-e'ne [opening or key], an ancient 
city in the southern frontiers of Egypt, on 
the east of the Nile, and about 500 miles 
south of Alexandria, Eze.29.10. The mo¬ 
dern city of Aswan stands near its ruins. 
Sympathy, or fellow-feeling and compas¬ 
sion, recommended, Ec.7.2,4; Ro.12.15; 1 
Co.12.26; Ga.6.2; He.13.3; 1 Pe.3.8. 
Synagogues, places in which the Jews as¬ 


sembled for religious worship; namely, for 
prayer, reading the Scriptures, and for 
teaching and exhortation. They were 
built in every place where a sufficient 
number of persons could be found to form, 
a congregation; and, to preserve order in 
them, every one of them had its stated 
governors and presidents, Ps.74.8; Mat.4. 
23; 6.2,5; 10.17; I2 - 9 : * 3 - 54 : 2 3-6, &c. 
Syntyche, sin'ti-ke, a woman of note men¬ 
tioned by Paul, Phi.4.2. 

Syracuse, sir'a-kuse, a noted city on the 
south-east coast of the island of Sicily; 
here Paul tarried three days, Ac. 28. 12. 
In the modern town, which is a place of 
some importance, are to be found some 
ruins of the ancient city. 

Syria, sir'Y-a, an ancient kingdom, situated 
on the north frontiers of Canaan; and of 
which Damascus, for a long time, and 
afterwards Antioch, was the capital. It 
was known to the Hebrews under the 
name of A ram ;—conquered by David, 2 
Sa.8.3,6; 10.6,16;—its king distresses Ahaz, 
2 Ch.28.5;—Christ’s fame spread through, 
Mat.4.24;—letters sent to the brethren in, 
Ac. 15.23;—Paul went through, 41; 18.18; 
21. 3; Ga. 1. 21;—prophecies regarding it 
which have been fulfilled, Is.7.8-16; 8.4— 
7; 17.1-3; Je. 49. 23-27; Am.1.3-5; Zec.9.1. 
The Euphrates, Orontes, Barrady, &c., 
rendered it a delightful country. 
Syro-Phenician, sl-ro-fi-nish'i-an. The 
Phoenicians of Syria are distinguished from 
those of Africa, the Carthaginians. The 
woman commended for her faith is called 
in Mar. 7.26 a Syro-Phenician, and in Mat. 
15.22 a Canaanitish woman. 


T. 


Taanach, ta-a'nak [sandy soil], a royal city 
of the Canaanites, Jos. 17. 11 ; 21. 25;— 
Barak’s victory gained near, Ju.5.19;—it 
was situated on the south-west border of 
the plain of Jezreel (=Esdraelqn), 4 miles 
south of Megiddo, Ju. 1.27; 5.19. 
Taanath-Shiloh, ta-a' nath-shl' loh [ap¬ 
proach to Shiloh], a place mentioned in 
Jos. 16.6; probably identical with Shiloh. 
Tabeal, ta-be'al [God is good], a person 
mentioned by Isaiah, Is.7.6. 

Taberah, ta-be'rah [a burning], an encamp¬ 
ment of the Israelites in the wilderness, 
where judgment by ‘the fire of the Lord’ 
was inflicted on the Israelites for their 
murmuring, Nu.11.3; De.9.22. 

Tabering, beating the breast, as one does 
a drum, Na.2.7. 

Tabernacle, a movable tent or lodging, 
formed of poles covered with cloth or skins, 
Nu.24.5; Job 11.14; 12.6; Mat. \-j.w—figu¬ 
ratively, the body in which the soul lodges, 
as in a tabernacle, 2 Co.5.1,4; 2 Pe. 1.13, 
i 4 - 

---, that beautiful and costly tent 

erected for the worship of God, while 
Israel were in the wilderness; ordered to 
be built, Ex.25.2;—its curtains, 26.1;—its 
boards, 15; 36.20;—its vail, 26.31; 36.35;— 
its door, 26. 36; 36. 37;—its courts, 27. 9; 
38.9;—free gifts for, 35.5, &c.;—the sum 
offered by the heads of the tribes for, 
38.21;—set up, 40.1;—the ark of the cove¬ 
nant put in it, 3;—anointed, 9;—a cloud 
covers, 34 ; — the offerings at its dedica¬ 
tion, Nu. 7. 1, &c.;—of testimony. Ex. 38. 
21;—of witness, Nu. 17. 7,8, i.e. the law 
which was laid up in the tabernacle, and 
testified to God’s holiness, &c. The taber¬ 
nacle continued at Shiloh all the period of 
the judges; became again movable after 
it had lost the ark of God; under Saul was 
settled at Nob, 1 Sa. 21. 1-6;—found its 
way to Gibeon, 1Ch.16.39;—after erection 
of a new tabernacle at Jerusalem, in which 
was the ark, 2 Sa.6.i7; iCh.21.9, the old 
tabernacle still remained at Gibeon, where 
Zadok the high-priest officiated, 1 Ch. 16. 
39. The two tabernacles continued all the 
days of David, and till the temple was 
built, when they were either taken down, 
or left to natural decay. 

Tabernacles (Feast of), Le.23.33; De. 16. 
13;—lasted for seven days, but was fol¬ 
lowed by a day of holy convocation; during 
this feast the Jews dwelt in booths formed 
of the bdughs of trees, &c.—offerings on, 
Nu. 29.12, &c.;—kept after the captivity, 
Ne.8.16;—to be observed by all nations in 




























THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


future time, Zee. 14. 16;—called the ‘feast | 
of ingathering,’ Ex. 23.16: 34.22. 

Tabitha, tab'i'-tha [gazelle], the Aramean 
name of a female disciple at Joppa;—called 
Dorcas in Greek, Ac.9.36,42. 

Tables, for meals, the posture of the an¬ 
cients at, was not that of sitting, as with 
us, but of reclining , by resting on the left 
elbow on a couch, Lu. 7. 36,38; Jn. 13.12, 
* 3 - 

-of Show bread, a part of the furni¬ 
ture of the tabernacle, on which the show- 
bread was placed, Ex.25.23. See Show- 
bread. 

of Stone, containing the ten com 


mandments, Ex. 31.18; De. 10.1;—broken, 
Ex. 32.19;—renewed, 34.1. 

Tablets, valuable ornaments, or boxes for 
perfume, or tippets. Ex. 35. 22; Nu. 31. 50; 

Is. 3.20. 

Tabor, ta'bor [mound, quarry], (1) A cele¬ 
brated mountain in Palestine, on the con¬ 
fines of Zebulun and Issachar, and 6 miles 
east of Nazareth. It rises on the northern 
side of the plain of Esdraelon, and has 
a graceful rounded summit. Its height 
above the sea is 1865 feet Here Barak 
assembled his army, and defeated Jabin, 
Ju.4.6,14,15;—supposed, but probably on 
insufficient grounds, to be that on which 
Christ was transfigured, and which is called 
by Peter (2 Pe.1.18; the holy mount , Mat. 

17.1; Mar. 9.2; Lu.9.28.—(2) A city of the 
Levites in Zebulun, at the foot of the 
mountain, 1 Ch. 6. 77;—probably identical 
with Chisloth-Tabor.—(3) An oak or grove 
of oaks in Benjamin, 1 Sa.10.3. 

Tabret, a kind of small drum usually beat 
on as an accompaniment to the pipe, &c., 
Ge.31.27; 1 Sa.10.5; 18.6; Job 17.6; Is.5.12; 
24.8; 30.32. 

Tabrimon, tab'ri-mon [pleasing to Rim- 
mon], the father of Benhadad, king of 
Syria, 1 Ki. 15.18. 

Taches, hooks, clasps, or loops and buttons, 
Ex.26.6,11,33; 36 T3; 39 - 33 - 
Tachmonite, tach'mo-nite, chief among the 
captains, 2 Sa. 23. 8;—called ‘Jashobeam 
the Hachmonite,’ 1 Ch.n.n. 

Tackling, the ropes of a ship, Is. 33.23; Ac. 
27.19. 

Tadmor, tad'mor [palm-tree], a city once 
in great renown, built by Solomon, in the 
midst of a desert, about half-way between 
Damascus and the Euphrates, at the foot 
of a range of chalky hills, 1 Ki.9.18; 2 Ch. 
8.4. It retained this name till the con¬ 
quest of Alexander the Great, when it was 
changed to Palmyra. Its ruins, which 
have been visited by several travellers, 
exhibit innumerable and most magnificent 
specimens of architecture, covering several 
miles. The natives give to the place the 
name of Tadmor. 

Tahapanes, ta-hap'a-nes, an ancient city of 
Lower Egypt, to which the rebellious Jews 
under Johanan, retired; and which Nebu¬ 
chadnezzar soon after took, Je.2.16;—called 
Tehaphnehes, Eze.30. i8;-Tahpanhes, Je. 
43.7; 44.1; 46.14;—and Hanes, Is. 30.4. 
Tale bearing, or officious or malignant 
carrying of stories from house to house, 
censured, Le. 19.16; Pr. 11.13; 17- 9 > ® 

20.19; 26.20,22; 1 Ti.5.13; 1 Pe.4.15. 
Talent, a weight among the Jews equal to 
3 ooo shekels, 93 lbs. 12 oz. avoirdupois; 
and consequently the value of a talent of 
silver, at 2J. id. a shekel, will be £312, jos. 
sterling; and one of gold twelve times as 
much, or ^ 375 °, Ex.25.39; 38.24,27; 2 Sa. 
12. 30; i Ki. 16. 24; 20. 39; Mat. 18. 24; 25. 

Talitha Cumi, tal'i-thah ku'mi, two words 
in the Syriac or Aramaic language then 
spoken in Palestine, meaning Damsel, 
arise,’ Mar. 5.4. 

Talkers, praters, Eze. 36.3; Tit. 1. 10. 
Talmai, tal'mT [full of furrows], (1, bon ot 
Anak, of the race of giants, destroyed by 
the Israelites, Nu. 13. 22; Jos. 15.14,—2) 
King of Geshur, was the father of Maacah, 
whom David married, and by whom he 
had Absalom and Tamar, 2 Sa.3.3. 

Tamar, ta'mar [a palm-tree], 1 The daugh¬ 
ter-in-law of Judah, by whom she had 
Pharez and Zarah, Ge. 38.6-30.—(2) 1 he 
daughter of David , ravished by Amnon, 
2 Sa. 13.1, &c.—(3) The daughter of A bsa- 
lom, of great beauty, 2 Sa. 14- 27 —.4 A 
city of Judea, about the southern point of 
the Dead Sea, Eze.47.19: 48-28;— thought 
to be the same with Engedi. . 

Tamrnuz, tam'muz, /1 A Syrian idol, the 
tame with the Phoenician Adonis;—mourn¬ 


ing for him, Eze. 8. 14.—(2) The fourth 
month of the Jewish sacred year, and the 
tenth of their civil, beginning with the new 
moon in July. 

Tanhumeth, tan-hu'meth [comfort], father 
of Seraiah, 2 Ki.25.23. 

Tanner, one who prepares hides for use, 
Ac.9.43; 10.6,32. 

Tapestry, cloth beautifully figured in the 
loom, or with the needle, used to cover 
beds, to hang rooms, &c., Pr.7.16; 31.22. 
Taphath, ta'fath [ornament], the daughter 
of Solomon, 1 Ki.4.11. 

Tappuah, tap'pu-ah [an apple], (1) A city 
on the frontiers of the tribe of Manasseh, 
though it belonged to that of Ephraim, 
Jos.17.8.—(2) A town in the tribe of Judah, 
not far from Hebron, now called Tejfiih, 
Jos. 15.34. 

Taralah, taria-lah [reeling], a city of Ben¬ 
jamin, Jos. 18.27. 

Tares, a kind of pulse or darnel, hurtful to 
corn;—the parable of. Mat, 13.24-30. 

Target, a kind of buckler, less than a 
shield, worn in war for defence on the left 
arm, 1 Sa.17.6; 1 Ki.10.16; 2 Ch.14.8. 
Tarpelites, taripel-ites, a people of Assyria 
sent to colonize Samaria, Ezr.4.9. 

Tarry, to abide, or stay behind, Ge.19.2; 
45. 9;—God and his salvation do not, Ps. 
40.17; 70.5; Is.46.13; He.10.37. 

Tarshish, tar'shish [hard], 1 The second 
son of Javan, and supposed to have founded 
Tarshish, or Tarsus, Ge.io. 4; 1 Ch. 1. 7.— 
(2) ‘ An old celebrated, opulent, cultivated, 
commercial city, which carried on trade in 
the Mediterranean, and with the seaports 
of Syria.’ This was probably the city of 
Tartessus in Spain, a Phoenician colony, 
Ps. 72. 10; Jonah r. 3; 4. 2;—Solomon sent 
fleets to, 1 Ki.10.22; 2 Ch.9.21; 20.36,37. 
Tarsus, tar'sus, the capital of Cilicia in 
Asia Minor, on the banks of the river 
Cydnus, the native place of Paul, Ac. 21. 
39. As a seat of Greek philosophy and 
literature it ranked with Athens and Alex¬ 
andria. 

Tartak, tar'tak [hero of darkness], an idol 
of the Avites, introduced by them into 
Samaria, 2 Ki.17.31. 

Tartan, taritan [commander-in-chief], an 
Assyrian general who stood in rank next 
to the king, and commanded the army in 
his absence, comp. Is.20.1; 2 Ki.18.17. 
Task-masters, overseers who appoint to 
others their task, or the work required of 
them, Ex. 1.n; 3.7: 5 - 6-I 4 - 
Tatlers, idle and foolish talkers, reproved, 
iTi.5.15. 

Tatnai, tat'nl [gift], a governor of Samaria; 
obstructs the rebuilding of the temple, Ezr. 
5.3;—writes to Darius against the Jews, 6. 
Taunt, a common byword, scoff, or re¬ 
proach, Je.24.9; Eze.5.15; Hab.2.6. 
Taverns The Three , a place on the Ap- 
pian Way about 33 Roman miles south of 
Rome;—some of the ‘ brethren’ came thither 
from Rome to meet Paul, Ac.28.13-15. 
Tax, money or goods exacted from subjects 
by their governors, 2 Ki.23.35; Da.11.20;— 
the telos, a tax on merchandise and travel¬ 
lers Mat. 17. 25 \—phoros, the annual tax 
on property, Lu.20.22; 23 2 \—kenson, the 
poll-tax, Mat. 17.25; 22.17; Mar. 12. Hl-and 
the temple-tax, the didrachma=% shekel 
paid by every male of twenty years old 
and upward. Mat. 17.24-27, comp. Ex. 30. 


put into God’s bottle, 56.8;—they who sow 
in, shall reap in joy, 126.5;—none in hea¬ 
ven, Re.7.17; 21.4. 

Teats, breasts or paps, Eze.23.3,21;— figu¬ 
ratively, prosperity, Is.32.12. 

Tebaliah, teb-a-ll'ah [Jehovah is protector], 
one of the porters of the temple, 1 Ch.26.11. 
Tebeth, te'beth [winter, the cold month], 
the tenth month of the Jewish sacred year, 
and the fourth of their civil, commencing 
with the full moon in December, Es. 2.16. 
Tedious, wearisome, Ac. 24.4. 

Teil-tree, the same as the lime or linden. 
Its leaves resemble the laurel, and it has 
flowers like the olive, Is. 6.13;—rendered 
‘elm,’ Ho.4.13; ‘oak,’ Ge.35.21. 

Tekoa, or Tekoah, te-ko'ah [a pitching of 
tents], a city of the tribe of J udah about 6 
miles south of Bethlehem;—a widow from, 
persuaded David to recall Absalom, 2 Sa. 
14.2;—repaired and fortified by Rehoboam, 
2 Ch.11.6;—near it Jehoshaphat’s enemies 
massacred one another, 20.20;—Amos the 
prophet was a herdsman of. Am. t. ij—its 
ruins bear the name of Teku'a. 

Tel-abib, tel-a'bib [a heap of grain], a city 
of Chaldea on the river Chebar, where the 
Jews were kept prisoners, Eze. 3.15. 
Telassar, te-las'sar Tthe hill of Asshur], a 
city of Asia, conquered by the Assyrians, 
2 Ki.19.12; Is.37.12. 

Tel-harsa, tel-harisah [forest-hill], a city of 
Chaldea, Ezr.2.59; Ne.7.61. 

Tema, te'mah [south], (1) A son of Ishmael, 
Ge.25.15; 1 Ch.1.30.—(2) The place where 
his descendants lived, called after his name. 
Job 6.19; Is.21.14; Je.25.23. 

Teman, te'man [on the right, the south], 
(1) The grandson of Esau, by his son Eli- 
phaz, and parent of the Temanites, Ge. 36. 
11,15; iCh.1.53.—(2) The land of Edom 
thus called, Je. 49. 20; Eze. 25.13; Am. 1. 


Teach, how God does his people. See In¬ 
struct. 

Teacher, a tutor, master, or instructor, 1 
Ch.25.8--a minister of the gospel, Ep.4. 
11; 1 Ti.2.7; 2Ti-i.11. 

Teachers, false, foretold, Mat. 24. n, 24; 
Ac. 20. 29; 1T1.4.1; 2 Pe. 2.1; ijn.2.18; 
Jude 17 — their character desenbed, and 
Christians warned against them, Mat. 7.15; 
24.4; Ro. 16.17; 2Co. 11.13; Ga. 1.7; Col.2.8, 

18; 1 Ti. 1.7: 4 2: 6.3: 2 Ti.3.2-5,13: Phi. 3 . 

2; He.13.9: 2 Pe.2.1, &c. 

Teaching of the Holy Spirit, may be 
distinguished from all merely human in¬ 
struction;—it humbles the heart, 2 Sa. 7. 
18-21; Job 40.4,5: Is. 6.5’-transforms the 
soul into the divine image, 2 Co. 3. 18 ;— 
powerfully and abidingly influences the 
practice, Ja. 1. 22-25 ;-produces a desire 
after a greater acquaintance with divine 
things, Ps. 119. 18-20;—awakens concern 
for the spiritual instruction of others, 34.8; 
Jn.4.29. 

Tear in pieces, or utterly destroy, rs.7.2; 

50.22; Ho.5.14. . , w , - 

Tears, the couch watered with, rs. 0. o, 


Temanite, an inhabitant of Teman, as was 
Eliphaz, Job’s friend, Job 4.1; 15.1; 42 - 9 - 
Temper, to mix properly, Ex. 29. 2; 30. 35; 

1 Co. 12.24; Eze. 46.14. 

Temperance, moderation in eating and 
drinking, and the restraint of our affec¬ 
tions and passions, recommended, Pr.23.1; 

1 Co.9.25; Ga.5.23; Ep. 5.18; Tit. 1.8; 2.2; 

2 Pe.1.6;—it is conducive to health of body, 
Pr.3.2,8;—advantageous to the powers of 
the mind, 1 Pe. 2. 11;—profitable to the 
worldly estate, Ps. 112. 3; Pr. 3.16;—a de¬ 
fence against many temptations and evils, 
Pr.23.29-35. 

Tempest, violent wind, either with or with¬ 
out rain, hail, or snow, Jonah 1.4; Mat.8.24; 
Ac. 27. 18, 20;— -figuratively, heavy afflic¬ 
tion, Job 9. 17 : Is. 54- 11 ;—terrible judg¬ 
ments on the wicked, Ps. 11.6; 83.15; Is. 
30.30. 

Tempestuous, boisterous, Ps. 50. 3; Jonah 
i.ii; Ac.27.14. 

Temple, that magnificent house tor the 
worship of God, built in Jerusalem on 
Mount Moriah, 2 Ch. 3. 1; Ps. 132. 13.14- 
The preparations for it were immense. 
David and his princes contributed 108,000 
talents of gold and 1,017,000 talents of silver. 
About 184,600 men were employed seven 
years in building it: proposed to be built 
by David, 1 Ch.17.1;—his preparations for 
it, 22.3;—built by Solomon, 1 Ki.6.1, &c. ; 
—the dedication of it, 8.1;—at what time 
from leaving Egypt, 6.1; — repaired by 
Joash, 2 Ki. 12. 4;—burned by the Chal¬ 
deans B.c. 588, after it had stood for 424 
years, 25.9; 2 Ch.36.19;—the foundation of 
a new, laid after the captivity, Ezr. 3-8:— 
finished B.C. 515, Ezr.6.i 5 ; the dedication 
and feast on the occasion, 16;—the treasure 
in it weighed, 8. 33 ;-the chambers in it 
cleansed, Ne. 13. 9:—the people reproved 
for neglecting to build it, Hag.1.2, &c.;— 
encouraged in building it by Zechanah, 
Zee. 8.9;—its glory to exceed that of the 
former, Hag.2.9;—a future one desenbed 
in vision to Ezekiel, Eze.xl.;—in the vision 
of John, Re. 11.1;—the tabernacle so called, 

1 Sa. 1.9; Ps.27.4; 29.9. The second temple, 
after it had stood for about 500 years, was 
repaired by Herod the Great. The whole 
work of the repair occupied forty-six years, 
Jn 2 20. Was destroyed by the Romans 
a.d. 70-71, Je.26.18: Mat.24.2. Its site is 
occupied by a Turkish mosque. 

_ , figuratively, Christ’s body, Jn.2. 

19,21;—-the church, Ep. 2.21 —heaven, Ps. 
11.4; Re.7.15. 

Temporal, not eternal, 2C0.4.18 
Tempt, to try for their improvement, as 
God does his people, Ge.22.1; to try for 


(Ta-Th) 

| their hurt, as Satan does mankind, 1 Ch.. 
21.1; 1 Th. 3.5:—to try the patience of God*, 
as men do by sinning boldly, Ex. 17.2; Nu. 
14.22; De.6.16; Ps.78.18; 95.9; 106.14; Is. 
7.12; Mat.4.7; 1 Co. 10.9. 

Temptation, or Trial, the remarkable one 
of Jesus, Mat.4.1; Mar. 1.13; Lu.4.1. 
Temptations, whence they arise, Ja.i.i3, 

14; Pr.28.20; 1 Ti.6.9;—Satan the author 
of, 1 Ch.21.1; Mat.4.1; 1 Th.3.5;—present¬ 
ed by poverty or prosperity, Pr. 30. 9:— 
saints enabled to bear, 1 Co. 10.13;—tojje 
guarded against, Mat.6.13; 26.41; Ep.6.10* 
&c.; 1 Pe.5.9. 

Tempter, one of the names of Satan, Mat. 

4.3; 1 Th.3.5. 

Tender hearted, easily affected, 2 Ch.13.7; 

Ep.4.32. 

Tenons, the ends of pieces of timber cut to 
be fitted into others, Ex.26.17.19; 36.22,24. 
Tenor, or Tenour, sense or purport of a 
speech, Ge.43.7; Ex. 34.27. 

Tent. See Tabernacle. 

Tenth-deal, a tenth part of an ephah, the 
same as an omer, Le.23.17. 

Terah, tg'rah [turning or wandering], the 
father of Haran, Nahor, and Abraham, 
Ge. 11. 24, 26, 27;—though originally an 
idolater, yet, when God called his son 
Abraham, he accompanied him to Haran 
in Mesopotamia, where he died (b.c. 1921', 
aged 205 years, Ge.11.31,32. 

Teraphim, ter'a-fim [maintainers, nourish- 
ers], a kind of tutelary deities, penaies, or 
household gods, objects of idolatrous wor¬ 
ship: of Laban, Ge.31.34;—of Micah, Ju. 
17.5: 18.14;—used to favour the escape of 
David, 1 Sa. 19.13. 

Terraces, flat roofs, or raised ascents, balus¬ 
trades, 2 Ch.9.11. See Houses. 
Terrestrial, belonging to the earth, 1 Co. 
15.40. 

Terrible, dreadful, frightful, Ex. 34.10; De. 

1.19; 7.21; Job 37.22; Hab.1.7; He.12.21. 
Terrify, to make afraid, Job 3. 5; 9.34: 3 1 - 
34; Lu.24.37; 2 Co. 10.9. 

Terror, great fear, or dread, Ge. 35. 5; Ps. 
91.5; Ro.13.3: 2 Co.5.11. 

Tertius, ter'shi-us [the third], the name of 
the person who wrote, from Paul's dicta¬ 
tion, the epistle to the Romans, thought 
to be the same as Silas, Ro. 16.22. 
Tertullus, ter-tul'lus, a Roman lawyer or 
‘orator,’ employed by the Jews to conduct 
the prosecution of Paul before Felix, Ac. 
24.1,2. 

Testament, the deed or will of a person, 
by which he determines how his property 
shall be disposed after his death. The 
original word, thus rendered several times 
in the New Testament, occurs very fre¬ 
quently, and is commonly translated cove¬ 
nant, Mat. 26.28; Mar. 14. 24; Lu.22.20; 1 
Co. 11. 25; 2 Co. 3. 6-14; He. 7. 22:9.15-20; 
Re. 11.19. It ought to have been always 
thus translated understanding by the word 
arrangement, economy, or order of things). 
Thus translated the appropriate name of 
the Bible is, the Old and the New Cove¬ 
nants; namely, the Mosaic and the Chris¬ 
tian, Mat. 26. 28; Mar. 14- 24; Lu. 22.20; 1 
Co.11.25; He.7.22; 9.15-20; Re.11.19. 
Testator, one who leaves a will ; but the 
original term, thus rendered, ought to have 
been translated victim, or appointed sa¬ 
crifice, He.9.16,17. See Testament. 
Testify, to witness or certify, Nu. 35. 50; 

Lu.16.28; Ep.4.17: Re.22.16. 

Testimony, evidence or proof, Ac. 14- 3:— 
the ten commandments, and the book of 
the law, -which testify of God’s will and 
man’s duty, Ex.25.16,21; 2 Ki.11. i2;-the 
ark in which the law was deposited. Ex. 
16.34; 30.6;—the whole Scriptures, Ps. 19. 
7; 119.2,14,22,24,36,46,59,78,88; the gos¬ 
pel of Christ, 1 Co.1.6; 2.1; 2 TL1.8; Re 1. 


2 , 9 . _ 

Tetrarch, a person who has the fourth 
part of a province or state committed to 
his government, without wearing the dia¬ 
dem or assuming the title of king. There 
are three to whom this title is applied 111 
the N. T., Herod Antipas, Mat. 14.1; Lu. 
3.1,19:4.7; Ac. 13.1—Philip and Lysanias, 

Lu.3.1. ,. , 

Thaddeus, thad’eus.a surname of the apostle 
Jude, also called Lebbeus, Mat. 10.3: Mar. 

3. 18; Lu. 6. 16. . 

Thankfulness, a state of being thankful. 

Ac.24.3. 

Thank-offerings. See Offerings. 
Thanksgiving to God for his mercies to 11*. 
and others, a duty. De. 8.10; Ps. 51 .14 >69. 
30: 92.1; 139.14; 1471: ls.25.1, Ac.. C0I.3. 




















THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


842 (Th—Tr) 


tively charged, or has less than its natural J 
share; the flash is called lightning, and 
the report thunder. Remarkable, in the 
plagues of Egypt, Ex. 9. 23; Ps. 78.48;—at 
Mount Sinai, Ex. 19.16; 20.18;— at the de¬ 
feat of the Philistines, 1 Sa. 7. 10;— seven, 
in the vision of John, Re. 10.3;—called the 
voice of the Lord, 2 Sa. 22.14; Job 37.5; Ps. 
18.13; 104.7;—its awful majesty, and power¬ 
ful effects, 29.3-9. 

Thyatira, thi-a-tl'iah, a city of Lydia, in 
Asia Minor, about 27 miles north of Sar¬ 
dis, and 56 north-east of Smyrna;—Lydia 
was from, Ac. 16.14;—Christ’s message to 
the church there, Re. 2. 18. Its modern 
name is Ak-Hissar [white castle], with 
a population about 15,000, between 300 
and 4Q0 of whom are nominal Christians. 
Thyine-wood, the wood of an evergreen 
resembling the cypress, the citrtis or 
citron-wood of the Romans; is aromatic, 
and very hard, Re. 18.12. 

Tiberias, ti-be'ri-as, (1) A city on the 
western shore of the Lake of Gennesareth. 

It was built by Herod Antipas, the mur¬ 
derer of John the Baptist, in honour of the 
emperor Tiberius, and during the Roman 
supremacy was the metropolis of Galilee. 

It was noted for several centuries after the 
destruction of Jerusalem for its rabbinical 
academy. Here the Jewish Mishna was 
completed. The modern city is called 
Tubarieh. In 1837 it was nearly destroyed 
by an earthquake, 600 of the inhabitants 
perishing in the ruins. It contains about 
2000 inhabitants, of whom a few are Chris¬ 
tians, 800 Jews, and the rest Mahomme- 
dans. It is one of the four holy cities of 
the Jews (the others being Jerusalem, He¬ 
bron, and Safed), in which prayers are 
offered for the world twice every day.—(2) 
The lake, called the ‘Sea of Tiberias,’ Jn. 
6.1,23. 

Tiberius, tl-be'ri-us, Caesar, the third Ro¬ 
man emperor, stepson and successor of 
Augustus, Lu. 2. 1;—John the Baptist 
preaches in his reign, 3.1. 

Tibhath, tib'hath [extension, level], a city 
of Syria, 1 Ch. 18.8. See Betah. 

Tibni, tib'ni [an intelligent one], son of 
Ginath, proposed for king in a time of 
civil war, 1 Ki. 16.21,22. 

Tidal, ti'dal [splendour, renown], one of 
the allied kings whom Abraham conquer¬ 
ed, Ge.14.1. 

Tidings, news or reports, Ex. 33.4; 1 Sa. 4. 
19; 11.4;— glad, the gospel, Lu. 1.19; 2.10; 
8.1; Ro. 10.15. 

Tiglath-Pileser, tig'lath-pi-le'zer [mighty 
prince of the Tigris], king of Assyria, in¬ 
vades Israel, 2 Ki. 15. 29;—called Tilgath- 
Pilneser, 2Ch.28.20. 

Tiles, used to cover houses, were broad 
stones or bricks, Eze.4.1; L11.5.19. 

Till, to turn over or plough the ground, 
Ge.2.5; 3.23; 2 Sa.9.10. 

Tillage, the act of ploughing and manuring 
land, 1 Ch.27.26; Ne.10.37; Pr.13.33. 
Timbrel, a musical instrument resembling 
the modem tambourine. Ex. 15.20. 

Time, to us is short, Job 14.1; Ps. 89.47; 102. 

3, 11;—uncertain, Pr. 27.1; Ja. 4.14;—to be 
improved, Ec. 12.1; Mat. 5. 25; Lu. 19. 42; 
Jn.9.4; 12.35; Ro.13.11; 2 Co. 6. 2; Ga. 6. 9; 
Ep. 5.16; Col. 4. 5;—for several purposes, 
Ec 3.1. 

Times, and seasons, respecting the Mes¬ 
siah’s kingdom, not to be curiously inquired 
into, Ac. 1.7;— of the restitution (regula¬ 
tion, or consummation) of all things, at 
the end of the world, 3.21. 

Timnath, tim'nath [portion assigned], a 
city of the tribe of Judah, called also 
Timnah, Jos. 15. 10, 57. In the time of 
King Ahaz it was occupied by the Philis¬ 
tines, 2 Ch. 28.18. It is represented by the 
modern village of Tibneh, about 2 miles 
west of Bethshemesh.—The residence of 
Samson’s wife, Jos. 14.1. 

Timnath-Serah, tim'nath-se'rah [a portion 
of abundance]; called also Timnath- 
Heres [portion of the sun], a city of the 
Ephraimites, where Joshua was buried, 
Jos. 19.50; 24.30; Ju.2.9. 

Timon, tl'mon [honourable], one of the first 
seven deacons of the church, Ac.6.5. 
Timothy, tim'oth-y [honoured of God], a 
noted evangelist, whose father was a Greek 
and his mother (Eunice) a Jewess, born at 
Derbe or Lystra, Ac. 16.1;—circumcised, 

3 —sent by Paul to Philippi, Phi.2.19;— 
exhorted to diligence, 1 Ti.4.13; 6.11; 2 Ti. 
x.6:-advised to drink wine for his health, 

11 i. 5. 23;—his mother and grandmother 


(Lois) commended, 2 Ti. 1.5;— two epistles | Tolerable, what may be borne or endured, 
addressed to him by Paul, 1 li. 1.2; 2 li. 

1.2. 

Tin, a white metal, harder than lead, 
lighter than almost any other metal;—an 
article of Tyrian commerce, Eze. 27.12 ;— 
first mentioned, Nu.31.22. In Zec.4.10 the 
same Heb. word denotes an instrument for 
measuring, a plummet. 

Tingling, feeling in the ear, a sharp pain, 

1 Sa.3.11; 2 Ki.21.12; Is.3.16; 1 Co.13.1. 

Tiphsah, tif'sah [a passing over], (1) A city 
of the tribe of Ephraim, which shut its 
gates against Menahem; but was taken 
and put to the sword, 2 Ki. 15.16.—(2) A 
large and opulent city on the west bank of 
the river Euphrates. It is identical with 
the Thapsacus of the Greeks and Romans, 
which is probably marked by the modern 
Suriyeh, 165 miles above De'ir. It was 
the frontier of Solomon’s kingdom, x Ki. 

4-24- 

Tire, a dress for the head, 2 Ki.9.30; Is. 3. 

18; Eze.24.17,23. 

Tirhakah, tir-ha'kah, a king of Cush or 
Ethiopia, came to assist Hezekiah, but 
was defeated by Sennacherib, 2 Ki. 19.9. 

Tirshatha, tir'sha-tha [august], an officer 
ofstate, a Persian title borne by Nehemiah 
and Zerubbabel, Ezr.2.63; Ne.7.65,70; 8.9. 

In Ne.5.14,18; 12.26 the title ‘governor’ is 
a translation of the Heb. pecha, a word 
also of Persian origin represented by the 
modern pasha. 

Tirzah, tir'zah [delight], (1) An ancient 
royal city of the Canaanites, Jos.12.24;— 
the principal residence of Jeroboam, 1 Ki. 

14.17;—its site was noted for its beauty, 

Ca.6.4. Has been identified with Tellu - 
zah, a town 6 miles north-east of NablAs. 

—(2) A daughter of Zelophehad, Nu.27.1. 

Tishbite, tish'bite, an inhabitant of Tishbe, 
a city of Naphtali, which is supposed 
to have been the birth-place of Elijah, 1 
Ki.17.1. 

Tisri, or Tizri, the first month of the Jew¬ 
ish civil year, and the seventh of their 
sacred, answering to our September- 
October. In 1 Ki.8.2 it is called Ethanim, 
i.e. the month of streaming rivers. 

Tithes, or tenth parts from the produce of 
their fields, gardens, vineyards, and herds, 
to be given to religious purposes;—given ' 
by Abraham to Melchizedec, Ge.14.20;— 
vowed to God by Jacob, 28. 22; — the 
Mosaic laws concerning them, Le. 27. 32; 

Nu.18.26; De. 12.6. 

•- of the third year, De. 14.28;—to be 

eaten at the place of public concourse, 22; 

—dedication to be made at fhe presenta¬ 
tion of it, 26.12. 

-, were to be conscientiously paid 

when due, De.14.22; Ne.10.37; 13.10; Mai. 

3.8; Mat.23.23; Lu.11.42;—no law respect¬ 
ing them in the Christian church, 1 Co. 

9- 14- 

Title, a name, character, or inscription, 2 
Ki.23.17; Job 32.21,22; Jn.19.19,20. 

Tittle, the least part or point, Mat. 5.18; 

Lu.16.17. 

Titus, tl'tus, an eminent evangelist, a Gen¬ 
tile by birth, and Paul’s assistant, 2 Co.8. 

23;—left in Crete, Tit. 1.5;—not circum¬ 
cised, Ga. 2. 3;—exhorted to be diligent, 

Tit. 2.1;—his affection for the Corinthian 
Christians, 2 Co. 7.13; 8.16;—equally dis¬ 
interested with Paul, 12.18;— Paul sent an 
epistle to him. Tit. 1.4. 

Tob [good], a small district in the south¬ 
east of Syria, to which Jephthah withdrew 
when expelled from Gilead, Ju. 11.3,5;— 
called Ish-Tob, 2 Sa. 10.6,8. 

Tobiah, to-bl'ah [the Lord is good], a 
Samaritan, strenuously opposed the Jews 
in their attempts to rebuild the temple, 

Ne.2.10; 4.7; 6.1,12,19. 

Tochen, to'ken [a measure], a place in the 
tribe of Simeon, 1 Ch.4.32. 

Togarmah, to-gar'mah, the third son of 
Gomer, and grandson of Japheth, Ge.10.3; 

1 Ch. 1. 6;—his descendants traded with 
Tyre, Eze. 27.14. 

Tohu, to'hu [humility, modesty], an ances¬ 
tor of the prophet Samuel, 1 Sa.1.1. 

Toi, to'i [error, erroneous way], the king of 
Hamath in Syria, sent his son with pre¬ 
sents to David, 2 Sa.8.9-11. 

Toil, labour or fatigue, Ge.5.29; 41.41. 

Token, a sign or mark, or memorial, Ge.9. 

12; x7.ii; Ex. 3.12; 12.13; Ps. 86.17; Mar. 

14-44; 2 Th.3.17. 

Tola, to'lah [worm], (1) The eldest son of 
Issachar, Ge. 46. 13; 1 Ch. 7. 1.—(2) The 
tenth judge of Israel, Ju.10.1. 


17; 1 Th.5.18; i Ti.4.4; He.13.x5; 1 Pe.2.9, 

&c. 

Theatre, the only mention of, is in connec¬ 
tion with the popular outbreak at Ephesus, 
Ac. 19.29,31;—a place of amusement where 
public assemblies were held. -* 

Thebez, the'bez [brightness], or Thebes, a 
city of the tribe of Ephraim, situated near 
to Shechem and 13 miles south-west of 
Bethshan;—at the siege of which Abime- 
lech was killed by a woman, Ju. 9. 50-54. 
It is represented by the modern village of 
T ubds. 

Theft, or the act of stealing, forbidden, Ex. 
20.15; De.5.19; Ep.4.28;—laws relating to, 
Ex. 22. x; Nu.5.5. 

Theophilus, the-ofPi-lus [lover of God], an 
eminent Christian to whom Luke addresses 
his Gospel history, and the Acts of the 
Apostles, Lu. x. 3; Ac. 1.1;—styled ‘most 
excellent,’ probably as denoting official 
dignity, Ac.23.26; 24.3. 

Thessalonica, thes-a-lo-nl'ka, the capital 
city of Macedonia, situated on the Ther- 
maic Gulf (Gulf of Saloniki . It was an¬ 
ciently called Therma. Here Paul, Silas, 
and Timothy planted a church, Ac. 17.1-5; 
—to the Christians here Paul sent two 
epistles, 1 Th. 1.1; 2 Th. 1. x. Its modern 
name is Saloniki, with a population of 
about 70,000. 

Theudas, theu'das, an impostor, who, along 
with 400 followers, were put to death, Ac. 

5-36. 

Thimnathah, thim'na-tha [a thing allotted, 
a possession], a city in the tribe of Dan, 

Jos. 19.43. 

Thirst, to feel want of drink, J11.4.13;—ar¬ 
dently to desire, Ps. 42. 2; 63.1; Is. 55.1; 
Mat. 5.6; Jn.7.37. 

Thistles, well-known weeds, a part of the 
curse, Ge. 3.18;—parable of one, 2Ki.i4.9; 
2 Ch. 25. 18;—an emblem of wicked men. 
Mat.7.16; Lu.6.43. 

Thomas, tom'as [a twin], called Didymus, 
one of the twelve, Mat. 10.3;—his observa¬ 
tion on the sickness of Lazarus, Jn. 11. 16; 
—asks the way to the Father, 14. 5;—his 
disbelief of the resurrection of Jesus, 20. 
24,25;—his subsequent confessionand ador¬ 
ation, 28;—sees Jesus at the Sea of Gali- 
I lee, 21.2. 

Thorns, a general name for many kinds of 
prickly shrubs, Ge.3.18;—in Ps.58.9 it de¬ 
notes the Rhamnus or buckthorn;—used to 
inflict punishment, Ju. 8. 7, \b —figura¬ 
tively, great difficulties and impediments, 
Ho.2.6;—the ‘thorn in the flesh,’ 2 Co. 12. 
7-9, was some corporeal infliction sent to 
keep the apostle from spiritual pride. 
Thoughts, of men, known to Christ, Mat. 
9 4; 12. 25; Lu. 5. 22; 6. 8; 9. 47; 11. 17;— 
govern the actions, and therefore to be 
attended to, Pr.4.23; 23.7; Mat.5.28, &c.; 
15.18; Ac. 26.9; R0.2.15; 2 Co. 10.5; 1 Ti. 1. 
13 - 

Thousands, ten thousands, &c., are 
sometimes put for great numbers in gene¬ 
ral, Le.26.8; De.32.30; Ps.68.17; Is. 30.17; 
60.22; 2 Pe.3.8. 

Threatenings of Men, or denouncements 
of evil against persons, Ac. 4.17,29; 9.1;— 
to be forborne, Ep.6.9; 1 Pe.2.23. 

-*- of God, though averted 

when men turn from sin, yet certainly exe¬ 
cuted against the impenitent, Is.46.xx;Je. 

I. 12; 39. 16; 51. 29; La. 2.17; Eze. 12.25; 2 
Pe.3.4-10. 

Three-Taverns, a place on the Appian 
Way, about 33 miles south of Rome, where 
some brethren from the city met Paul, Ac. 
28.15. 

Thresh, to beat out corn from the ear or 
pod, Is.41.15;—to punish, Je.51.33. 
Threshold, an entrance or gate, Ju. 19.27; 

1 Sa.5.4; Eze.9.3; Zep. 1.9. 

Throne, that chair of state, richly adorned, 
and covered with a canopy, on which so¬ 
vereign princes usually sit to receive the 
homage of their subjects, to give audience 
to ambassadors, and to dispense justice, 

1 Ki.2.19; 10.18,20;—heaven is God’s, Ps! 

II. 4; Is.66.x; Ac.7.49;—Christ is set down 
in, Re.3.21. 

Throng, a crowd, Mar. 3.9; Lu.8.45. 
Throughly, exactly, fully, Ex. 21. 19; Job 
6.2; Mat.3.12: 2 Co.11.6. 

Thrust, to push, drive, Ex. ix. 1; Ju. 3. 21; 

Is. 13.15; He. 12.20. 

Thummim. See Urim. 

Thunder, the noise occasioned by the dis¬ 
charge of electricity from a cloud posi¬ 
tively charged, or which has more than its 
natural share of it, into one which is neea- 


Mat.10.15; 11.22; Mar.6.11; Lu. 10.12,14. 
Toll, a tax paid for passage, or liberty to 
sell goods in a market or fair, Ezr.4.13,20; 
7.24. 

Tomb, a grave, or place for depositing the 
dead, Job 21. 32; Mat. 8. 28; 23. 29; 27. 60; 
Mar. 5.2,3; 6.29. 

Tongue, the importance of governing it, 
Ps. 39. 1; Ja. 3. 2, &c.;— double, censured, 

1 Ti.3.8. 

Tongues, confusion of, at Babel, Ge.ii.x, 
&c.;—gift of, foretold, Ps. 28.11; Mar. 16. 
17;—conferred, Ac. 2. 4; 10.46; 19.6;—not 
to-be‘exercised in public worship, 1 Co. 

14.2. 

Tooth for tooth, the law of retaliation, Ex. 
21.24;—‘ cleanness of teeth,’ famine, Am.4. 
6;—children’s ‘teeth set on edge,’children 
suffering for the sins of their father, Eze. 

18.2. 

Topaz, a precious and transparent jewel, 
third in value to the diamond, Ex.28.17; 
39.10; Job28.i9‘, Eze.28.13; Re.21.20;—the 
cairngorm is a species of. 

Tophel, to'fel [plaster, mortar], a place 
supposed to be in the country of Moab, 
De. 1.1. 

Topliet, to'fet, or more correctly Topheth, 

2 Ki. 23. 10;—a place on the south-east 
of Jerusalem, in the ‘valley of the son of 
Hinnom’ by ‘the entry of the east gate,’ 
Je.7.31,32; 19.2. It became in later times 
the scene of sacrifices to Baal. It received 
its name from toph, a drum, which was 
beaten to drown the cries of the victims. 

Torch, a kind of flambeau. Zee. 12 6; Na.2. 
3,4; Jn. 18.3. 

Torment, lasting pain or anguish, Mat. 4. 
24; Lu.16. 23,28; 1 Jn. 4.18; Re. 9. 5; 14.11; 
18.7,10. 

Tormentors, agents of the Jewish court of 
justice, whose duty it was to administer 
sentences. Mat. 18.34. 

Tortoise, the sea one is not mentioned in 
Scripture, but that which lives on land, 
and which is called by some the land cro¬ 
codile, and by others the gree?i frog, a 
species of lizard, Le. 11.29. 

Toss, to agitate violently, Is.22.x8; Je 5.22. 
Tossed, deeply afflicted, Ps. 109.23; Is. 54. 

11;—unsettled, Ep.4.14; Ja.1.6. 

Tottering, shaking, feeble, Ps.62.3. 

Tow, more correctly Wick, Is.43.17. 

Towel, a cloth to wipe hands, &c., Jn. 13. 
4.5- 

Tower, a high and strong building, or a 
fortress, Ge. 11. 4, 5; 2 Sa. 22. 51; Ps. 61. 3; 
Pr.18.10;—of Siloam, Lu. 13.4;—Edar, Ge. 
35- 21 Penuel, Ju.8.17;—Shechem, 9.46; 
—Thebez, 50,51;—David, Ca. 4. 4;—Leba¬ 
non, 7.4;—Jezreel, 2 Ki. 9.17;—Hananeel, 
Je.31.38;—Syene, Eze.29.10. 

To wit, an old expression, ‘ that is to say,’ 
Ge.24.21; Ex.2.4; 2 Co.5.19;—‘we do you 
to wit,’ means, we give you to understand, 

2 Co. 8.1. 

Trachonitis, trak-o-nl'tis [rugged region], 
a small rocky district east of Jordan, of 
which Philip was tetrarch, Lu.3.1. Identi¬ 
fied with the modern Lejah, south of Da¬ 
mascus, and in the centre of the kingdom 
of Bashan. Its Hebrew name was Argob. 
Trade, or lawful business, the duty of those 
concerned in it, Le. 25.14; Pr.20.14; Eze. 
28.16; Ho. 12.7;—of Tyre, Eze. 27.1, &c. 
Traditions, doctrines or ceremonies hand¬ 
ed down from age to age, as the Jews pre¬ 
tended, from the time of Moses, to whom 
they were spoken by God, without being 
committed to writing, and which they call¬ 
ed their oral law; the Pharisees set them 
before the written law. Mat. 15. 3; Mar. 7. 
9:—not to be much regarded, Mat. 15. 2, 
&c.; Mar.7.5, &c.; Col.2.8; Tit.1.14; 1 Pe. 

1.18. 

Traffic, merchandise, 1 Ki.10.15; Eze. 17.4; 

28.5.18. 

Train, a company of attendants, 1 Ki.10.2; 

Is.6.x;—to educate, Pr.22.6. 

Traitor, one who betrays his king, master, 
or friend, Lu.6.16; 2^ 3.4. 

Trance, or ecstacy, a state of mind in which 
a person is wrapped into visions of future 
or distant things, while the body seem<s in¬ 
sensible, Ac.10.10; ix.5; 22.17. The word 
occurs also in Nu. 24. 4,16, but only as sup¬ 
plied by the translators. 

Tranquillity, quietness, Da.4.27. 

Transfer, to apply to one what relates to 
another, 1 Co. 4.6. 

Transfigure, to change the figure and ap¬ 
pearance, as Christ did on the mount. Mat. 
17.2; Mar.9.2; Lu.9.28; 2 Pe.x. 18. 













Transform, to change the form, as Satan I 
and his ministers do, by putting on a pious 
appearance, 2 Co. 11.13-15;—applied to the 
saving change of the mind into the divine 
image, Ro.12.2. 

Transgress, to go over the limits which the 
law prescribes, Nu. 14.41; Ne. 1.8; 13.27; 
Mat. 15.3; Ro.2.27; 1 Jn.3.4;—to disobey is 
- to refuse to do what the law enjoins, He. 
2.2. 

Transgressors, foretold that Christ should 
be numbered with, Is. 53.12;—this accom¬ 
plished in his crucifixion with two thieves, 
Mar. 15.27,28; Lu. 23.32,33. 

Translate, to remove from one place or 
post to another, 2 Sa. 3.10; Col.1.13; He. 
ii.S- 

Translation, or removal from earth to 
I heaven, of Enoch, Ge. 5. 24;—of Elijah, 2 
Ki.2.1, &c. 

Transparent, what may be seen through, 
clear as glass. Re. 21.21. 

Travail, labour, labour in childbirth, Ge. 
38.27; Ps.48.6; Jn.16.21; Ga.4.19; 1 Th. 
5-3- 

Travel, a journey, labour, or toil. Ex. 18.8; 

Nu.20.14; Ac. 19.29; 2C0.8.19; 1 Th.2.9. 
Traverse, to go hither and thither, Je. 2.23. 
Treacherous, perfidious, false. Is.21.2; Je. 
3.7-n; Zep.3.4. 

Treachery, perfidy, or breach of faith, to 
be guarded against, Mai.2.16; Je.9.4; 12.6; 
2T1.3.3. 

-of Simeon and Levi to the She- 

chemites, Ge. 34. 13;—of Ziba, 2 Sa. 16. r, 
&c.;—of Ishmael to Gedaliah, Je. 40. 13; 
41-5- 

Treason, disloyalty, the act of betraying a 
sovereign; of Absalom, 2 Sa. 15.1; 18. 9;— 
Sheba, 20.1,22;—Adonijah, 1 Ki.1.5; 2.13, 
23;—Baasha, 1 Ki. 15.27; 16.1;—at Tirzah, 
16. 9,18;—Athaliah, 2 Ki. 11.1,14;—Shal- 
lum, 15.10,14. 

Treasure, a store or collection of goods, Je. 
41.8;—a store of gold, silver, &c., Ge.43. 
23; Eze.22.25;— in the temple, 2CI1.5.1;— 
in what ours should consist, Mat.6.19; Lu. 
12.33; Col.3.1. 

Treasury, that in which treasures are laid 
up,'Jos. 6. 19; Je. 38. 11; Mat. 27. 6; Mar. 
12.41. 

Treaties, or covenants, of Jacob and La¬ 
ban, Ge.31.44;—of the Gibeonites with the 
Israelites, Jos.9.15,19. 

Treatise, a written tract or book, Ac. 1.1. 
Tree, of life in Eden, Ge. 2. 9; 3. 22;—of 
knowledge, 2.17; 3.3;— of life in heaven, 
Re. 2. 7; 22. 2,14;—known by its fruit, or 
men by their actions, Mat.12.33; Lu.6.44. 
Trees, in Canaan, when fit for use after 
the conquest of the country, Le.19.23., 

-, fruit, not to be cut down in war, 

De.20.19;—that are to grow near the river 
that is to flow from the sanctuary, Eze. 
47-7- 

Trench, a ditch about a camp or city, 1 Sa. 
17.20; 26.5; iKi.i8.32;in Lu. 19.43, means 
a palisade or rampart. 

Trespass, an offence or sin, a departure 
from duty, Ge.31.36; 50.17; Mat.6.14; Ep.* 
2.1; Col.2.13. 

Trespass-offering, rules concerning it, Le. 
7 - 1 * 

Trial, a test of virtue by suffering, 2 Co.8.2; 

He.11.36; 1 Pe.1.7; 4.12. 

Tribe, a class of people sprung from one 
origin, as the descendants of each of the 
twelve sons of Jacob, Ex.2^2i; 39.14- 
Tribes, blessed by Jacob, Ge. 49.1, &c.;— 
by Moses, De.33.1, &c.;—their boundaries, 
Jos. 13. 15; 15. 1, &c.;—the numbers and 
orders of them, Nu. 1.1; 26.1, &c.;—twelve 
princes of them under David, 1 Ch.27.16. 
Tribulation, sore vexation or distress, De. 
4.30; Ju.io. 14; 1 Sa.26.24;—the lot of all 
saints, Jn. 16.33: Ac. 14.22;—awful, threat¬ 
ened to sinners, Ro.2.9. 

Tribute, a tax or impost, exacted from the 
Canaanites by Solomon, 1 Ki.9.21,22; 2CI1. 
8.8,9;—that imposed by the Romans on the 
Jews wasaczW/tax, the poll-tax payable by 
every one whose name was in the ‘census,’ 
Mat. 17. 25; Mar. 12. 14; — the ‘tribute- 
money,’ Mat. 17. 24; Lu. 20. 22, was an 
ecclesiastical tax, ‘ the double drachma,’ 
equal to two Attic drachmas, and corre¬ 
sponding to the Jewish ‘half-shekel, pay¬ 
able for the maintenance of the temple ser¬ 
vices by every male Jew from twenty years 
old and upwards. Ex. 30.13, 14; 2 Ch. 24. 
6 , 9 - 

Trickle, to run down in drops, La. 3.49. 
Trim, to fit out, to adjust, or to adorn, 2 Sa. 
19.24; Je.2.33; Mat.25.7. 


THE 13 LB LE STUJ 

Trinity, or three in unity, a term, though 
not found in Scripture, yet properly enough 
used to signify the three persons in the 
one Godhead, or divine Essence, Mat. 3. 
16,17; 28.19; 2 Co.13.14; 1 Jn.5.7;—besides 
these plain texts, numerous intimations of 
this doctrine are given in other parts of 
Scripture, Ge. 1.26; 3.22; 11.7; Is. 48. 16; 
34.16; Zec.13.7; Mat.3.16; Lu.1.35; Jn. 14. 
16,17,26; 15.26; Ga.4.6; 1 Pe. 1. 2; Jude20, 
21, &c.;—and in addition to the evidence 
from these passages, we have the most 
convincing proofs of the supreme Deity 
both of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 
See Christ and Holy Ghost. Salva¬ 
tion the work of, 2 Th.2.13,14; Tit.3.4-6; 

1 Pe. 1. 2. God himself, who alone com¬ 
prehends his own mode of existence, has 
revealed this doctrine to us; and what he 
says we are bound to believe. In its na¬ 
ture it must be incomprehensible to us, for 
everything respecting an eternal and in¬ 
finite God is so; and either to reject it on 
this account, or to attempt to comprehend 
or explain it, is alike impious and absurd. 
Job n.7-9. 

Triumph, to shout with joy on account of 
victory over an enemy, Ex.15.1; 2Sa.i.2o; 
Ps.25.2; 47.1; 2C0.2.14; Col.2.15. 

Troas, tro'as, a maritime city of Phrygia or 
Mysia, on the shores of the Archipelago, a 
little to the south-west of the Hellespont, 
and about 25 miles north of Assos;—here 
Paul several times visited, Ac.16.8; 20.5; 

2 Co.2.12; 2TL4.13. Near it stood ancient 
Troy. It is represented by the modern 
Eski-S tamboul. 

TrogyIlium, tro-jil'le-um, a town (and pro¬ 
montory), at the foot of Mount Mycale, 
on the west coast of Asia Minor, where 
Paul tarried one night on his way from 
Troas to Miletus, Ac.20.15. 

Troop, a band of men, especially warriors 
or robbers, Ge.49.19; 1 Sa.30.8; 2 Sa.2.25; 
3.22; Ho.7.1. 

Trophimus, troFi-mus, a native of Ephe¬ 
sus, who was converted by Paul, and be¬ 
came his companion, Ac.20.4; 21.28,29; 2 
Ti.4.20. 

Trouble. See Affliction. 

Trow, to imagine or think, Lu.17.9. 
Truce-breakers, violators of engagements, 
2TL3.3. 

Trump, or Trumpet, a well-known instru¬ 
ment used in martial music, or to convene 
assemblies, Nu.10.1-10;—sound of, at the 
giving of the law on Sinai, Ex. 19. 16; 20. 
18;—at the resurrection, 1 Co. 15.52; 1 Th. 
4.16. 

Trumpets (Feast of), Le.23.23;—offerings 
on it, Nu.29.1. 

-, seven, in the vision of John, 

Re. 8.6. 

Trust, reliance on the care of another, laws 
concerning it. Ex. 22.7; Le.6.1. 

- in God, or reliance on him, a duty, 

Job 38.41; Ps. 22.4; 31.19; 37-31 56-3: 9 1 - 2 - 
104.27; 115. 9; 118. 8; 125.1; 147.9; P r - J 6- 
20; 28. 25: 29. 25: 30.5; Je. 17.5, 7; 39.18;— 
ought to be, not presumptuous, but the 
fruit of faith in Christ, Ep. 1.12,13;—exer¬ 
cised through Christ, 2 Co.3.4;—with the 
whole heart, Pr. 3. 5,6;—without any re¬ 
serve, 1 Pe.5.7;—continual, Is.26.4;— mo¬ 
tives to it are, his ability to help in every 
case. Is. 50.10; Je. 32.17,27;—his fatherly 
compassion, Ps. 103. 13;—his promise, 34. 
22:125.1,2; Pr.28.25; 29. 25; Na. 1.7;—his 
everlasting strength, Is.26.4;—his loving¬ 
kindness, Ps. 36. 7;—the richness of his 
bounty, 1 Ti.6.17;—the experience of his 
people, Ps. 13. 5, 6; 22. 4; 28.7;—blessings 
resulting from, mercy, Ps. 32. 10;—peace, 
Is.26.3;—safety from enemies, Ps.37.40; — 
prosperity, Pr. 28. 25;—rejoicing in God, 
Ps.5.11; 33.21;—happiness, Pr. 16.20. 

-, declaration of it, by Hezekiah, 2 

Ki. 18. 5;—by Asa, 2 Ch. 14. 11;—by Job, 
Job 13.15;—by David, Ps. 3.6; 27.3; 57.1; 
6 I# 4;—by Isaiah, Is.12.2;—by Paul, 2 Ti. 
1.12; 4.18. 

-, in anything besides God, censured, 

Job 31.24: Ps.33.16; 44.6; 49.6; 52.7; 62.10; 
118.8; 146.3; Is.30.1; 31.1; Je.17.5; 1 Ti.6. 
17. 

Truth, or sincerity of speech, Ps.15.2; 51. 
6; Pr.3.3; 8.7; 12.17,19; 1 Co.5.8; Ep.4.25. 

-r-, purity of intention, Jos. 24.14:1 Sa. 

12.24; Ps.i5.2. 

-, Christian faith, Jn. 1.17; Ga.3.1; 

Ja. 5. 19; 1 Jn. 2. 21; 2 Jn. 2;—how to be 
treated, believed, 2Th.2.i2,i3; iTi.4.3;— 
acknowledged, 2 Ti. 2. 25;—obeyed, R0.2. 
8; Ga.3.1;—loved, 2Th.2.10. 


)ENT S ASSISTANT 

Try, to examine or prove, Ju.7.4; 2 Ch. 32. 
31; Job 7.18; 12.11; Ps.11.4; 26.2; La.3.40; 

1 Pe.4.12; 1 Jn.4.1. 

Tryphena, trl-fe'nah, and Tryphosa, trl- 
fo'sah, two distinguished Christian women 
at Rome, who laboured in the cause of the 
gospel, Ro.16.12. 

Tubal, tu'bal (a flowing forth], the fifth son 
of Japheth, Ge. 10.2; Is.66.19; Eze.27.13; 
32.26. His descendants probably peopled 
the country lying between the Black Sea 
and the Caspian. 

Tubal-Cain, tu'bal-kane, the son of La¬ 
ntech, and the inventor of the art of forging 
iron, Ge.4.22. 

Tumult, a riot, or a confused and noisy 
rabble, 1 Sa.4.14; 2Sa.18.29; Ps.65.7; 83.2; 
Mat.27.24; Ac.21.34. 

Turtle-dove, famed for its kind disposition 
and chastity, to be offered in sacrifice, Ge. 
15.9; Le.1.14; 5.7; Lu. 2. 24;—is a bird of 
passage, Je.8.7; hence Ca. 2.12. 

Tutor, one who takes charge of a child, 
and his estate, while he is under age, Ga. 
4.2.. 

Twain, two, 1 Sa. 18.21; 2 Ki.4. 33; Is.6.2; 
Mat.5.41; 19.5; 21.31; 27.31,51; Ep.2.15. 

Twilight, a dim light after sunset, or before 
the sunrise, 1 Sa.30.17; 2 Ki.7.5,7; Pr.7.9; 
Eze. 12.6,7,12. 

Twinkling, a moment, 1 Co. 15.52. 

Twins, two brought forth at a birth, Ge. 
25.24; 38.27; Ca.4.2,5; 6.6. 

Tychicus, tik'i-kus [fortunate], one of the 
primitive disciples, accompanied Paul, Ac. 
20.4;—sent by Paul to Ephesus, Ep.(?.21; 

2 Ti.4.12;—sent by Paul to Colosse, Col.4. 
7;—to Titus, Tit. 3.12. 

Type, a figure or symbol of something 
future and distant, or an example designed 
to prefigure that distant thing;—the Mo¬ 
saic institutions were a shadow of things 
to come, Col.2.17; He. 10.1;—things which 
happened to the fathers were examples or 
types, 1 Co. 10.11;—the lifting up of the 
serpent in the wilderness was a type of 
Christ’s crucifixion, Nu.21.9; Jn. 3. 14,15; 
—those things which were transacted in 
the tabernacle prefigured spiritual and 
heavenly things, He.9.11,12,23,24. 

Tyrannus, ty-ran'nus [reigning, prince], a 
teacher at Ephesus, in whose school Paul 
preached for two years, Ac. 19.9. 

Tyranny, or severe and cruel government, 
in Pharaoh, Ex. 5.6;—in Rehoboam, 1 Ki. 
12.14. 

Tyre, tire, or Tyrus, tl'rus [rock], an 
ancient and flourishing city of Phoenicia, 
on the east coast of the Mediterranean 
Sea. It is called the daughter of Zidon, 
Is. 23. 12; — a very splendid city, 7, 8; 
Zee.9.3,4;—Solomon brought Hiram from, 
iKi.7.13,14;—its destruction foretold, Is. 
23.1, &c.;—favour to be shown to it after 
seventy years, 17;—and in the latter days, 
18;—threatened for insulting Jerusalem, 
Eze.26.1;—to be conquered by Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar, 7;—its great commerce, 27.1, &c.; 
—its ruin, 26;—God’s judgments against 
its princes, 28. 1;—threatened, Am. 1. 9; 
Zee. 9.3;—the ‘coasts of Tyre’ once visited 
by Christ, Mat. 15.21-29; see also Mat.n. 
21,22; Mar.3.8; Lu.6.17;—the gospel was 
received there, Ac. 21.3-6;—the predictions 
against, have been so fully verified that it 
is now a miserable ruin, unoccupied except 
by a few fishermen as ‘a place to spread 
nets upon,’ Eze.26.14. Its modern name 
is Stir. 


U. 


TJcal, eu'kal [one that has pined away, 
sorrowful], a person to whom Agur ad¬ 
dressed his words, Pr.30.1. 

Ulai, eu'li [pure water], a river of Susiana 
(identical with the Eulaeus of the Greeks 
and Romans), on the banks of which 
Daniel had a vision, Da.8.2,16. 

Ulam, eu'lam [solitary], (1) One of the 
posterity of Manasseh, iCh.7.16.—(2) Of 
Saul, iCh.8.39. 

Ulla, uHa [a burden], one of the posterity 
of Asher, 1 Ch.7.39. 

Unaccustomed, not used to, Je.31.18. 

Unadvisedly, rashly, without deliberation 
or advice, Ps.106.33. 

Unawares, secretly, Ge. 31. 20; Jude 4:— 
suddenly, not expected, Ps.35.8; Lu.21.34; 
He. 13.2;—without design, Nu.35.n;De. 
4.42. 


(Tr-Un)- 

Unbelief) the calling in question or dis¬ 
crediting of the Divine veracity; or the 
treating of God as if he were a liar, in 
what he has testified, promised, or threat¬ 
ened, 1 Jn.5.10:—causes of, Jn.5.44; 2 Co. 
4. 4; Ep. 2. 2; 2 Th. 2. 12; He. 3.12;—conse¬ 
quences of, Mat.24.11,12; 2Ti.3.2-5; 2 Pe. 
2.12;—danger of, Mar. 16.16; Lu.12.46; Jn. 
8.24; Ro. 1.28; 2Ti.2.12, 

Unbelievers, infidels, or those who dis¬ 
credit the gospel, Christians should not 
marry with them, 2 C0.6.14,15,19;—to be 
shunned, Mat. 7. 15; Ro. 16. 17; iTi. 6. 5; 
Phi. 3. 2; 2 Th. 3. 6,14;—how to be distin¬ 
guished in order to be avoided, 1 Th.5.21; 
1 Jn.4.1-3;—threatenings of God against, 
Pr.3.34; 19.29; Je. 14.15; 23.32;—obstinate, 
their fate, Mar.16.16; Lu.12.46; He. 3.19; 
4.1; Re. 19.20; 20.10; 21.8. 

Unblamable, without blame or fault, Col. 
1.22; 1 Th.3.13. 

Uncertain, doubtful, 1 Co. 14.8;—change¬ 
able, 1 Ti.6.17. 

Unchangeable, that cannot be changed. 
He. 7.24. 

Unchangeableness, an attribute of God 
only, Nu.23.19; 1 Sa.15.29;Mai.3.6; He.i. 
12; Ja.i. 17. 

Uncircumcised, not circumcised, Ge. 17.14; 
34.14; Ex. 12.48;—not fit for the service of 
God, Ex.6.12; Je.6.10; Eze. 44. 7; Ac.7.51. 
See Circumcision. 

Unclean persons, ceremonially, to be re¬ 
moved from the camp, Nu.5.1 federally, 
as the heathen and their children were, 
who were not God’s covenant people and 
church, 1 Co. 7. 14;— morally, Ep. 5- 5;— 
meats that were so, Le.11.1, &c.; De. 14.3, 
&c.;—what is so under the gospel. Mat. 
23. 27; Ro.6.19; 2C0.12.21; Ep.4.19; 5.3,5; 
Col. 3.5; 1 Th.4.7; 2 Pe.2.10. 

Uncleanness, want of cleanness, Le. 5. 3; 
14.19; Mat. 23.27; Ro.1.24; 6.19; Ep. 4.19; 
5.3: Col.3.5; 1 Ti.2.3; 2 Pe.2.10. 
Unclothed, the soul is, when the body is 
put off, 2 Co. 5.4. 

Uncomely, not graceful, 1 Co.7.36; 12.23. 
Uncondemned, not proved guilty, Ac. 16. 
37; 22.25. 

Uncorruptness, freedom from error, Tit. 

2.7. 

Uncover, to expose to view, or to defile, 
Le. 18. 6-19;—the head of a woman un¬ 
covered with a veil in an assembly of men, 
according to eastern manners, shameful, 

1 Co.11.5,13. 

Unction, anointing, the grace of God be- 
-stowed on believers, 1 Jn.2.20. 

Undefiled, perfectly pure, and free from 
stain, He. 7. 26; 1 Pe. 1. 4;—holy in a high 
degree, Ps. 119.1; Ca.5.2; 6.9. 
Undergirding, encircling the ship with 
ropes, Ac. 27.17. 

Undersetters, supporters, or feet, 1 Ki. 
7 - 30 - 

Understanding, natural, not sufficient to 
determine in matters of religion, 1 Co.1.19; 
3.19;—but requires assistance, De. 4.6; 1 
Ki.3.9; 1 Ch.22.12; Pr.2.6; 2 Ti.3.15. 
Understood, knew, Ge.42.23; Job 42.3; Ps. 
81.5; Mat.13.51. 

Undertake, to engage, Is. 38.14. 

Unequal, not equal, Eze.18.25,29. 
Unfaithful, treacherous, Pr. 25. 19; Ps. 
78.57. 

Unfeigned, true, sincere, and without dis¬ 
simulation, 2 Co. 6.6; 1 Ti. 1.5; 2 Ti. 1.5; 1 
Pe.1.22. 

Unfruitful, barren, Mat.13.22; 1C0.14.14; 

Ep.5.11; Tit.3.14; 2 Pe.1.8. 

Ungirding, loosing of the girdle. Ge.24.32. 
Ungodly, contrary to God’s will and image, 
2Sa. 22.5; 2G1.19.2; Ps. 1.1,4,6; Ro.4.5; 
5.6. 

Unholy, common, wicked, Le.10.10; 1 Ti. 

1.9; 2TL3.2; He.10.29. 

Unicom, an animal with one horn, as the 
name signifies; noted for its strength, Nu. 
23.22:24.8;—ferocity, Is.34.7;—agility, Ps. 
29.6;—wildness, Job 39.9;—supposed to be 
the rhinoceros, more probably the wild 
buffalo. 

Union to Christ, the connection between 
him and his people; described, by Christ 
being in his people, Ep. 3.17. Colt.27;— 
his people being in him, 2 Co.12.2; 1 Jn.5. 
20;—it is compared to the union of the 
body with the head, Ep.4.15,16;—a build¬ 
ing with its foundation, 1 Pe.2.4,5;—a vine 
and its branches, Jn. 15.4,5:—the conjugal 
union, Ep.5.23:—the head and members of 
the body, 4.15,16;—the union between the 
Father and Son, Jn. 17. 11, 21;—identity 
of body, 1C0.12.12,27;—identity of spirit, 6. 





















THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 

Uproar, a tumult, , Ki.1.4.; Mat.26.5; Ac. | P‘, 33 - ■?: «p. t.;-proud and foolish, Job 
J7 5 II. II, 12; Ps. 39.6; Pr.12.11;—wicked, Ju. 

Ur [fire, light], an ancient city of Chaldea, 9.4; 2 Sa.6.20; Ps.26.4. 
the native place of Terah and Abraham, Vainly, without effect, foolishly, Col 2.18. 
Ge.11.28; 15.7; Ne.9.7; 1 Ch.11.35. It has Vajezatha, va-jes'a-tha [pure, white], the 
with Mueheir. desolate vnnno-est son of Haman. Es.q.q. 


644 (Un—Vi) 

17;—in its nature it is hidden and invisi- | 
ble, Ep. 5. 32;— honourable , 1 Jn. 3. 1, 2;— 
profitable, 1 Co. 3. 21-23 —spiritual, the 
Holy Spirit being its actuating source and 
bond, 6.17; 12.13; 1 Jn.3.24;— vital, in that 
our spiritual life is sustained and actuated 
by the life of Christ through the indwelling 
of his Spirit, Jn. 14.19; Ga.2.20;— indissolu¬ 
ble, Jn. 10. 28; Ro. 8. 35-37^ * Jh. 4.14,17- 
Its evidences are— love to Christ, Jn. 14.21; 
-attachment to his people, 1 Jn.5.1;— de¬ 
light in his word and ordinances, Ps.27.4; 
84.1; -imitation of his example, 1 Jn.2.6; 
—and fruitfulness in holiness, Tit. 2.14. 
Unite, to join, Ps.86.11. 

Unity, the being in concord, Ps. 133.1; Ep. 

4 3,15;—the oneness of the Godhead. See 
God. " 

- of the church, Jn.10.16; Ro. 12. 5; 1 

Co.10.17; 12.13; Ga.3.28; Ep.1.10; 2.19; 4. 
13:5- 2 3,3o;Col. 1.18,24;—amongChristians, 
recommended, Ro.12.16; 15.5; 1 C0.1.10; 2 
Co.13.11; Ep.4.3; Phi.1.27; 2.2; 1 Pe.3.8. 

- of the faith, agreement in belief, Ep. 

4.13;— the Spirit, a union of judgment 
and affection among the members of the 
spiritual body, or church of Christ, 3;—is 
the gift of God, Je.27.39;—is to be sought 
after, 2 Co.13.11. 

Unjust, partial, not just, Ps. 43. 1; Mat.5. 
45; Ln.16.8,10; Ac.24.15. 

Unlawful, contrary to law, unjust, Ac. 10. 

28; 2 Pe.2.8. 

Unlearned, ignorant, Ac. 4.13; 1C0.14.16; 
2 Ti.2.23; 2 Pe.3.16. 

Unleavened. See Leaven. 

Unmerciful, or unkind and cruel, threaten- 
ings against, Ps. 109.12,16; Ho. 4.1; Mat. 
23.23; Ja.2.13. 

Unmindful, negligent, De.32.18. 
Unmovable, fixed, Ac.27.41; 1 Co.15.58. 
Unni, un'ni [depressed], a singer in the 
temple, 1 Ch.15.18. 

Unoccupied, not possessed, Ju.5.6. 
Unperfect, imperfect, Ps.139.16. 
Unprepared, not ready, 2 Co.9.4. 
Unprofitable, useless, tending to hurt, Job 
15.3; Mat. 25.30; Ro. 3.12; Phile.11; He. 
I 3 T 7 - 

Unpunished, not punished, the wicked 
shall not be, Pr.11.21; 16.5; 17.5; 19.5. 
Unquenchable, fire that cannot be put out, 
Mat. 3. 12; Lu.3.17. 

Unreasonable, without reason or common 
sense, Ac. 25.27; 2 Th.3.2. 

Unrebukable, not blamable, or not liable 
to censure, 1 Ti.6.14. 

Unrighteous, unjust or wicked persons, 
Ex. 23.1; Ps. 71.4; Is. 55. 7;—threatenings 
against such, De.26.16; Ro.1.18; 2.8; 1C0. 
6.9; 2 Th.2.10,12. 

Unruly, not governed, 1 Th. 5.14; Tit. 1.6, 
10; Ja.3.8. 

Unsatiable, that cannot be satisfied, Eze. 

16.28. 

Unsavoury, tasteless, Job 6.6. 
Unsearchable, that cannot be sought out. 
Job 5.9; Ps. 145.3; Ro.11.33; Ep.3.8. 
Unseemly, indecent, Ro.1.27; 1C0.13.5. 
Unskilful, wanting knowledge, He. 5.13. 
Unspeakable, what cannot be uttered, 2 
Co.9.15; 12.4; 1 Pe.1.8. 

Unspotted, free from spot or blemish, Ja. 
1.27. 

Unstable, inconstant, not fixed, Ge. 49. 4; 
Ja.1.8; 2 Pe.2.14; 3.16. 

Unstopped, opened, ls.35.5. 

Untempered, not properly mixed and 
wrought together, Eze. 13.10,11,14,15; 22. 
28. 

Unthankful, not disposed to acknowledge 
favours, Lu.6.35; 2 Ti.3.2. 

Untimely, happened before proper time. 
Job 3.16; Ps.58.8; Re.6.13. 

Untoward, perverse or rebellious, Ac. 2.40. 
Unwalled, without walls for defence, De. 
3.5; Es.9.19. 

Unwittingly, without knowing or intend¬ 
ing, Le.22.14; Jos.20.3. 

Unworthy, not meet for, not deserving of, 
Ac. 13.46; 1 Co.6.2. 

Upbraid, to reprove sharply, Mat. 11. 20; 
Mar. 16.14;—to scoff and scold, Ju. 8.15; 
Ja.1.5. 

Uphaz, eu'faz, a place from which fine gold 
was brought, supposed to be identical with 
Ophir, Je.10.9; Da. 10.5. 

Upper, higher in place, Ex. 12.7; Le. 13.45; 

Mar.14.15; Ac.1.13; 19.1. 

Uppermost, the highest in place or power, 
Ge. 40.17; Is. 17.6; Mat. 23.6; Mar. 12.39; 
Lu.11.43. 

Upright, straight up. honest, righteous, 
Ge.37.7; 1 Sa.29.6; Job 1.1; Ps.11.7. 


mounds about 6 miles west of the Eu- 
phrates, and midway between the ruins of 
Babylon and the Persian Gulf. 

Urbane, ur-ba'ne, a disciple at Rome men¬ 
tioned by Paul, Ro. 16.9. 

Urge, to entreat earnestly, Ge. 33. 11; Ju. 

16.16; 19.7;—to provoke, Lu.n.53. 

Uriah, eu-ri’ah [fire of the Lord], a Hittite, 
the husband of Bathsheba, 2 Sa. 11.3;—re¬ 
sists David’s attempts to impose on him, 

6- 13;—is treacherously slain, by David’s 
orders, 14-25;—called Unas, Mat. 1.6. 

Urijah, eu-ri'jah [fire of the Lord], (1) The 
idolatrous high-priest, who, at Ahaz’s re¬ 
quest, formed an altar for idol-worship 
like one at Damascus, 2 Ki. 16.10-16.—(2) 
The prophet, son of Shemaiah, of Kirjath- 
jearim, his case mentioned, Je.26.20,21. 
Urim and Thummim [light, i.e. revela¬ 
tion, and truth or- perfection], probably 
something attached to the breastplate of 
the high-priest, by means of which he 
learned the divine will on occasions of 
national importance, or even of private 
concern. Some suppose that this was done 
by rays of light from the Shekinah falling 
on the stones of the breastplate, or on some 
letters inscribed on it. Others that the 
Urim and Thummim only qualified the 
high-priest for presenting himself to re¬ 
ceive answers from the mercy-seat, which 
were given in -audible voice, Ex. 28. 30; 
Le.8.8; Nu.27.21; De.33.8; Ezr. 2. 63; Ne. 

7- 65. 

Usurp, haughtily to claim power without 
right, iTi.2.12. 

Usury (the Heb. word so rendered means 
biting ), the gain taken for the loan of 
money, corn, &c.;—the Jews, who were 
not a commercial people, and who bor¬ 
rowed only in cases of necessity, were for¬ 
bidden to exact it from their brethren, 
Ex.22.25; Le.25.36; De. 23.19;—censured, 
Pr. 28. 8; Eze. 18. 8,13,17; 22.12;—may be 
taken of strangers, De.23.20. 

Utterance, the act of uttering words, pro¬ 
nunciation, Ac.2.4; 2C0.8.7; Ep.6.i9;Col. 
4-3- 

Uttermost, extreme, most remote, 2 Ki. 7. 
5; Mat.5.26; He.7.25. 

TJz [sandy, soft soil], (1) Son of Shem, Ge. 
10. 23.—(2) A country in Arabia, where 
Job resided, situation uncertain, but pro¬ 
bably adjoining Bashan on the east,Job 1. 
1;—first mentioned, Ge. 10.23;—colonized 
by the descendants of the son of Aram, 1 
Ch.1.17. 

Uzal, u'zal [a wanderer], a son of Joktan, 
Ge. 10. 27; 1 Ch. x. 21, whose descendants 
settled in the district of Arabia called Ye¬ 
men, the capital of which was called Uzal. 
It is now called Sanaa , with a population 
of about 15,000 Jews. 

Uzzah, uz'zah [strength], and Ahio, the 
sons of Abinadab, smitten for touching the 
ark, 1 Ch.13.9; 2 Sa.6.3. 

Uzzen-Sherah, uz'zen-she'rah [ear of 
Shem], a small city of Ephraim, near 
Beth-horon, iCh.7.24. 

Uzziah, uz-zl'ah [strength of the Lord], 
reigned over Judah for fifty-two years. 
During his reign a great earthquake; re¬ 
ferred to, Am. 1. 1; Zee. 14. 5. See Aza- 

RIAH. 

Uzziel, uz'zi-el [might of God], (1) The 
fourth son of Kohath, Ex.6.18; Nu.3.19; 
1 Ch. 6. 2,18.—(2) One of the sons of Ishi, 
1 Sa. 14.48; 15.7; 2 Sa.18.12. 


V. 


Vagabond, one who wanders about with¬ 
out a settled habitation, Ge. 4. 12,14; Ps. 
109.10; Ac. 19.13. 

Vail, a covering which the Jewish women 
wore over their heads and faces, in token 
of modesty, and reverent subjection to 
their husbands, Ge. 24. 65; 1 Co. n. 3,6,7, 
10;—in Ru.3.15 means a mantle or cloak; 
—the curtain which divided the holy place 
from the holy of holies, Ex. 26.31; Le.16. 
2; Mat.27.51; He.6.19;—a darkness on the 
mind, 2 Co. 3.14-16. 

Vain, unprofitable or worthless, De.32.47; 


Vale. See Valley. 

Valiant, brave, courageous, intrepid, 1 Sa. 

14.52; 16.18; 2 Sa.2.7; 23.20; He.11.34. 
Valley, low ground lying between hills;— 
as of Siddim, where stood Sodom and Go¬ 
morrah, Ge. 14.3;—of Shaveh, or the King’s 
dale, 17;—Eshcol, Nu.32.9;—Jezreel, Ho. 
1.5;—Bochim, Ju. 2. 5;—Gad, 2 Sa. 24. 5, 
margin;—Jericho, De. 34. 3;—Lebanon, 
Jos. 11. 17;—the Passengers, or Hamon- 
gog, Eze. 39.11;—Achor, Jos. 7.24; Is. 65. 
10; H0.2.15;—Ajalon, Jos. 10. 12;—-Sorek, 
Ju. 16.4;—Elah, 1 Sa. 21.9;—Rephaim, or 
giants, Jos. 15. 8; 18.16; 2Sa ; 5.i8; Is.17.5; 
—Berachah, 2CI1.20.26;—Hinnom or To- 
phet, Jos. 18. 16; 2Ki. 23. 10; Je. 7. 32; — 
Megiddo, 2 Ch.35. 22; Zee. 12. n;—Salt, 2 
Sa.8.13;—Succoth, Ps.60.6; 108.7;—Baca, 
Ps. 84.6; — Gibeon, Is. 28. 21; — Jehosha- 
phat, or Decision, Joel 3. 2,14;—Shittim, 
18;—Moab, De. 34. 6;—Zephathah, 2CI1. 
14.10;—Zeboim, 1 Sa.13.18;—Gerar,Ge. 26. 
17;—Hebron, 37.14. 

Valour, personal bravery, prowess, Ju.3. 

29; 6.12; 11.1; 2 Ki.5.1; 2 Ch.17.17. 

Value, the worth of a thing, Job i3-4;Mat. 
10.31. 

Vanish, to cease to be seen, to disappear, 
Job 6.17; 7.9; Is.51.6; He.8.13; Ja.4.14. 
Vanities, heathen idols, De.32.21; 1 Ki. 16. 

13,26; Je.14.22; Ac.14.15. 

Vanity, what is unsatisfactory and perish¬ 
ing, Ec.1.1, &c.;—subjects of, named, Ps. 
39. 6,11; 60.11; 62.9; 94.11; Pr. 10. 2; 21.6; 
Ec.2.1,3,4-11; 4.4:6.12; Is.57.12; Je.23.32; 
—or conceit and boasting, censured, De. 
8. 17; 9.4; Ps.62.10; Pr. 25. 27; 26.12; 27.2; 
30.8; 1 Co.8.2; 2 Co.10.17; Re.3.17;—very 
common, Pr.20.6; Jn.7.i8. 

Vapour, moisture, like a cloud, exhaled by 
beat, Job 36. 27,33; Ps.135.7; 148. 8; Ac.2. 
19;—life compared to, Ja.4.14. 
Variableness, inconstancy and liability to 
change, none with God, Ja. 1.17. 
Variance, discord or dissension. Mat. 10. 
35; Ga.5.20. 

Vashni, vash'ni [Jehovah is strong], the 
son of Samuel, 1 Ch. 6. 28;—called Joel, 1 
Sa.8.2. 

Vashti, vash'tT [beauty], the queen of Aha- 
suerus, refused to appear at his command, 
Es. 1. 12;—on this account degraded from 
her royalty, 19. 

Vaunt, to boast, Ju.7.2; 1 Co. 13.4. 
Vehement, violent, eager, ardent, Ca. 8.6; 
Jonah 4.8; 2 Co. 7.11. 

Vein, the stratum or course of metal in a 
mine, Job 28.1. 

Vengeance, punishment, or penal retribu¬ 
tion, Ge.4.15; De. 32. 35, 41, 43; Is.34.8; 2 
Th.1.8. 

Venison, the flesh of deer, or of beasts of 
chase, Ge.25.28; 27.3,19,25,33. 

Venom, poison, De.32.33. 

Venomous, poisonous, Ac. 28.4. 

Vent, passage, outlet. Job 32.19. 

Venture, a hazard or chance, 1 Ki. 22. 34; 
2 Ch.18.33. 

Verified, proved to be true, Ge.42.20;! Ki. 
8.26; 2 Ch.6.17. 

Verily, truly, Ge.42.21; Ex.31.13; Mat.5. 
18; 6.2,5;—when doubled, as it often is by 
Christ, it approaches to the solemnity of 
an oath, Jn.1.51; 3.3,5,11; 5.19,24,2556.26, 
32,47,53, &c. 

Verity, truth, Ps.111.7; iTi.2.7. 
Vermilion, a lively red colour, Je. 22. 14; 
Eze.23.14. 

Vessels of the temple, foretold to be carried 
to Babylon, Je.27.19;—used in Belshaz¬ 
zar’s feast, Da.5.2;—restored, Ezr.1.7. 

- of wrath, the wicked so called, 

who fit themselves for destruction, Ro. 9. 
22;— of mercy, the righteous, prepared by 
God for glory, 23. 

Vestments, robes for the idolatrous priests, 
2 Ki. 10.22. See Clothes. 

Vestry, the place where the robes of the 
priests lay, 2 Ki.10.22. 

Vesture, a dress, chiefly an upper robe, 
Ge.41.42; De.22.12; Ps.22.18; 102.26; Mat. 
27.35; He. 1.12; Re. 19.13,16. 

Vex, to distress by provocation, frowns, 
wickedness, &c., Ex.22.21; Le.18.18; Nu. 
25.17,18; Is.63.10; 2 Pe.2.7,8. 

Vexation, the cause of trouble and uneasi¬ 
ness, De.28.20; Ec.1.14,17; Is.9.1; 28.19; 
65.14. 


Vial, a kind of vessel, in the form of a 
bottle or censer, 1 Sa. 10.1;— seven of them, 
representing the last plagues, Re.15.1;— j 
poured out, 16.1, &c. 

Vices, or faults and sins, many enumerated, 
Mat. 15. 19, &c.; Mar. 7. 21; Ro.1.19, &c.. 

1 Co.6.9. Ga. 5.19, &c.; 2Ti.3.2; Tit.3.3; 1 
Pe.2.1, 4.3,15; Re.21.8. 

Victory, or conquest of enemies, from God, 
1Sa.17.47; Ps.33.16; 46.9; 60.12; 76.6; 108. 

13; 144.10; Ec.9.11;—over death and the 
grave, 1 Co.15.55,57. 

Victuals, meat, food, sustenance, Ge. 14. 

11; Ex.12.39; Le.25.37; De.23.19; Mat.14. 

Vigilant, watchful, attentive to duty, iTi. 

3.2; 1 Pe.5.8. 

Vile, worthless, base, or wicked, De.25.3; 

Ju. 19.24; 1 Sa. 3.13; Job 40.4; Ps.15.4; Is. 

32- 5 . 6 . , M; 

Village, a small town without walls, Nu. 
32.42; De.3.14; Jos. 13.30; Ju. 10.4; iKi.4. 

13. In the N. T. the word is used of 
Bethphage, Mat. 21. 2;—Bethany, Lu. 10. 

38;—Emmaus, 24. 13;—Bethlehem, Jn. 7. 

42. The word ‘villages,’ in Hab. 3. 14, 
should be ‘captains.’ In Le. 25. 31 ‘vil¬ 
lages’ is more correctly rendered (as in 34) 
‘suburbs.’ In Eze.8.11 it means properly 
‘open country.’ 

Villany, wickedness, baseness. Is.32.6; Je. 

29.23. 

Vine, a plant which bears clusters of grapes, 
out of which wine is pressed; and which so 
abounded in Palestine that almost every 
family had a vineyard, Ge.40.9,10; Le.25. 

5; 1 Ki.4.25; 2 Ki.18.31;—Israel compared 
to, Ps.80.8; Is.5.i,2;Eze.i5.i,&c.;—Christ 
compares himself to, Jn.15.1. 

Vinegar, weak red wine, Nu. 6. 3;—pro¬ 
vided for the Roman soldiers, Jn.19. 29;— 
‘mingled with gall’ was offered to our 
Saviour on the cross. This mixture of 
gall, or rather myrrh—a soporific usually 
administered to deaden the sense of the 
tortures endured—was refused by our 
Lord, Mar. 15.23; Mat. 27. 34;—at a later 
period in his sufferings a sponge filled with 
a mixture of this acid wine and water was 
put to his mouth by one of the by-standers, 
who held it upon a stalk of hyssop; this was 
done in kindness to refresh him amid his 
agony. Mat. 27. 48;—poured on nitre or 
soda, Pr.25.20. 

Vintage, (1) Season for making wine, or 
the produce of wine for the year, begins in 
Syria in the middle of September, and 
lasts two months, Le.26.5; Is.16.10; 24.13; 

Mi. 7. 1.—(2) An emblem of judgments, 

Re. 14.18. 

Viol, a stringed instrument of music, pro¬ 
bably the same as the psaltery, Is.5.12; 14. 

11; Am.5.23; 6.5. 

Violate, to break or transgress, Eze. 22.26. 
Violence, application of strength to do 
hurt, Ge. 6.11; Le.6. 2; 2 Sa. 22. 3; Ps.11.5; 

Lu. 3.14;—earnest endeavour, Mat.11.12. 
Viper, a kind of serpent which brings forth 
its young alive. Its bite is very poisonous, 

Job 20. 16; Is. 30. 6; 59. 5; Ac. 28. 3; — the 
Pharisees compared to, Mat. 3.7; 12.34; 23. 

331 Lu.3.7. 

Virgin, a woman who has had no carnal 
commerce with man, Ge.24.16; Is.7.14;— 
figuratively, the church, or people of 
Israel, 2 Ki. 19. 21; Is. 23.12; 37. 22; Je. 14. 

17; 18.13; 31.4,21. 

Virginity, purity, Le.21.13; De.22.15; Lu. 

2.36. 

Virgins, parable of the ten, Mat.25.1, &c.; 

—four daughters of Philip, who were pro¬ 
phetesses, Ac. 21. 9;—persons of either sex 
not married, 1 Co.7.25; Re. 14.4. 

Virtue, moral probity of manners, Phi.4.8; 

—Christian courage or fortitude, 2 Pe.1.4; 
power or efficacy, Mar.5.30; Lu.6.19; 8.46. 
Virtuous woman, one who is chaste, 
pious, and industrious, Ru.3.11; Pr.12.4;— 
her character described, 31.10-31. 

Visage, the countenance, face, or look, Is. 

52.14; La.4.8; Da.3.19. 

Vision, a supernatural appearance, ex¬ 
hibited to the eye of the body or mind 
while the person is awake, Nu.24.4; 1 Sa. 
3.1,15; 2 Sa.7.17; Mat.17.9; Lu.1.22; 24.23; 

Ac. 10.17;— Valley of. Is. 22.1. 

Visions, or appearances of God to man, in 
various ways;—to Adam, probably in a 
human form, and by an articulate voice, 
Ge.2.16; 3.8; 4.9:6.13;—to Abraham, 12.1; 
13.14;—in a vision, 15.1; 17.1; 20.3;—as an 
angel to Hagar, 16.7; 21.17;— to Abraham 
as a traveller, 18.1, &c.;—probably in a 
vision, 22.1;—by an angel, 11;—to Jacob 


























in a vision, 28.12;—Laban in a dream, 31. | 
24;—Jacob in a human form, 32.1,24;— 
perhaps in a vision, 35.1,9;—in a vision by 
night, 46.2;—to Moses in a burning bush, 
Ex.3 2; -Balaam by an angel, Nu.22.31; 
—Joshua by an angel, Jos.5.13;—Samuel, 

1 Sa.3.2-15;—Gideon by an angel, Ju.6.12; 
—Daniel in a vision, Da.8.1;—Isaiah, Is. 
6.1-8;—Ezekiel, Eze. 1.4-14; 8.2-14; 37. 
1-10; xl.-xlviii.;—Amos, Am. 7.1-9; 8.1-6; 
—Zechariah, Zee. 1.8; 3.1; 4.2; 5.2; 6.1;— 
Joseph by an angel, Mat. 1. 20; 2. 19;— 
Paul, Ac. 9. 3,6,12; 16.9,10; 18. 9; 22.18; 2 
Co. 12.1-4;—Ananias, Ac. 9.10-12;—Peter, 
10.9-17;—John, Re.i.r2. 

Visit, to go to see and meet with another, 
Ju.15.1; Ac.7.23;—God visits men, by be¬ 
stowing on them mercies, Ge.50.24; Ps.8o. 
14; 106.4; Lu.1.68; Ac. 15.14;—by inflicting 
chastisement or punishment, Ex.32.34; Ps. 
89.32; Je.5.9; 14.10. 

Visitation, a judicial visit, a judgment, 
Nu.16. 29; Job 10.12; Is. 10. 3; Je. 8.12; 10. 
15; Lu.19.44; 1 Pe.2.12. 

Visiting others not to be frequent, Pr. 25. 
17; 1 Ti.5.13; Tit.2.5. 

- the sick , &c., recommended. Mat. 

25135; 2 Ti.i.j6; Ja.1.27. 

Vocation, calling by the Spirit and grace 
of God, Ep. 4.1. See Call (Effectual . 
Voice, of God, thunder, Ps.18.13; 29.3,4,7- 
9;—his word and commandment, De.30.8; 
Jos. 5.6; iSa.28.18; Ps. 106.25. 

- from heaven , at the baptism of 

Jesus, Mat. 3.17; Mar. 1.10; Lu. 3. 22;—at 
the transfiguration, Mat. 17. 5; Mar. 9. 7; 
Lu.9.35: 2 Pe. 1.18;—in the temple, J 11.12. 
28;—addressed Saul, Ac.9.4. 

Void, empty, or without, Ge. 1.2; De.32.28; 

Ps.89.39; Ac.24.16; Ro.3.31. 

Volume, something rolled up, as was the 
ancient form of books, Ps.40.7; He.10.7. 
See Books. 

Voluntary, willing, done from free inclina¬ 
tion, Le.i.3< 7.16; Eze.46.12; Col.2.18. 
Vomit, to discharge or throw up, Job 20. 

15; Pr.23.8; 25.16; Jonah 2.10. 

Vows, solemn engagements to God, toper- 
form some duty, or to abstain from some¬ 
thing sinful; not to be broken, and rules 
concerning them, Nu.30.1, &c.;Le.27.i; 
De. 23. 21; Ps. 50.14; 56.12; 66.13; 76.11; 
116.18; Ec.5.4; Je.35.6. 

-, of a person, Le.27.2;—of a beast, 9; 

—of a house, 24;—of a field, 16;—of Jacob, 
Ge.28.20;—of Jephthah, Ju. n. 30,35;—of 
the Israelites against the Benjamites, 21. 
1, &c.;—of the Rechabites, Je. 35.6;—of 
the Israelites, for the destruction of the 
Canaanites, Nu. 21. 2;—of Hannah, con¬ 
cerning Samuel, iSa.1.11;—of David, Ps. 
132.2. See Oaths. 

Voyage, travel by sea, Ac.27.10. 

Vulture, a large bird of prey, of the eagle 
kind, with a long neck almost bare of 
feathers, and with the legs covered with 
feathers to the feet, and which feeds on 
carrion. The Heb. word so rendered de¬ 
notes a clamorous bird of prey. It was 
probably the species of falcon called by the 
Arabs yuyn, i.e. the Falco cesalon, the 
English merlin, De. 14. 13; Job 28.7; Is. 
34.15;—rendered ‘kite’ in Le. 11.14. The 
word ‘ vulture ’ in the same verse is a dif¬ 
ferent word in the original, denoting a ra¬ 
venous bird of rapid flight. 


w. 


Wafer, a thin cake of fine flour, anointed, 
or baken with oil, and used in the conse¬ 
cration offerings of the priests, Ex.29.2,23; 
—in the meat-offerings, Le.2.4;—in thank- 
offerings, 7.12;—in the offerings of Nazar- 
ites, Nu.6.15. 

Wages, money or goods given for service, 
Ge.29.15; 30.28; 31.7,8; Ex.2.9;—not to be 
kept from a hired servant for even one 
night, Le.19.13. 

Wagging of the Head, imported insult 
and mocking, Je. 18.16; La.2.15; Zep.2.15; 
Mat. 27.39; Mar. 15.29. 

Waggons, sent by Joseph for his father, 
Ge.45.19,27;—offered by the princes for 
the service of the tabernacle, Nu.7.2-8. 

Wailing, mourning aloud, accompanied 
with wringing the hands, beating the 
breast, &c., Es.4.3; Je.9.10,18; Eze. 27.31; 
Mar. 5.38. 

Waiting on God, attending on his worship, 


I HE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


(Vi-Wi) 


645 


Is.40.31; Pr.8.34;—trusting in his promise, | 
and patiently expecting its fulfilment, Ps. 
xxv.; 3.5; 27.14; 33.20; 37.7,9:40.1; 62.1; 
69.3,6; 130.5,6;—blessings to be waited for: 
pardon, Ps. 39. 7,8;—mercy, 123.2;—guid¬ 
ance and teaching, 125.5;—protection, 33. 
20; 59.9,10;—salvation, Ge. 49.18; Ps. 62. 


Walk with God, to live as in his sight, 
and in obedience to his will, as did Enoch 
and Noah, Ge. 5.22; 6.9;— after the Spirit, 
to follow the teaching of the Holy Ghost 
in his Word, and to depend on his assist¬ 
ance, Ro.8.1,4; Ga.5.16,25;—w* Christ, to 
adhere to his truth, and to tread in his 
steps. Col. 2.6;— by faith, to be habitually 
impressed with the realities of the eternal 
world, 2 Co.5.7. 

Wallow, to roll in the mire, or to turn from 
side to side, 2 Sa. 20.12; Je. 6.26; 48. 26; 
Eze.27.30; Mar.9.20; 2 Pe.2.22. 

Wander, to rove, or go without knowing 
whither, Ge. 20.13; Nu. 14.33; De. 27.18; 
He. 11.37,38. 

Want, poverty or indigence, De. 28. 48,57; 
Job 30. 3; Lu. 15. 14;—to be borne with 
patience, Job 1.21; Phi.4.12. 

Wantonness, or lasciviousness, censured, 
Ro. 13.13; Ja.5.5; 2 Pe.2.18. 

War, the laws of it, De.20.1, &c.;—wicked¬ 
ness not to be practised in it, 23.9;—who 
are to be excused from fighting, 24.5;—the 
original cause of it, Ja.4.1. 

-, often a divine judgment, Le. 26. 25; 

Ju.3.8,12; 4.2; 6.1; 10.7; 2CI1.16.9; Is.5.25; 
Je.5.15; Eze. 14.17. 

Ward, a prison, Ge.40.3; 41.10; 42.17: Le. 
24.12;—a watch or guard, Ne. 12.25; Is.21. 
8; Ac. 12.10;—a class of persons who serve 
together, Ne.12.24; 13.30. 

Wardrobe, a place where clothes are kept, 
2 Ki.22.14; 2 Ch.34.22. 

Ware, something exposed to be sold, Ne. 
10.31; 13.16,20; Je.10.17; Eze.27.16,18,33. 

-, to be aware, Ac. 14.6; 2TL4.15. 

Warfare, a state of war, 1 Sa. 28. 1;—the 
Christian life is a warfare with spiritual 
enemies, 1 Co. 9.7; 2 Co. 10.4; 1 Ti.1.18;— 
the flesh, Ro.7.23; 1 Co.9.25-27; Col.3.5; 
—the world, Jn. 16. 33; 1 Jn. 5. 4, 5 ;—the 
devil, 2 Co. 2.11; Ep. 6.11;—powers of dark¬ 
ness, Ep. 6.12;—the armour described, 6. 
13-17; Ro.13.12; 2 Co.6.7; 1 Th.5.8;—how 
to be conducted, He. 2.10; 1 Ti. 1. 18, 19; 
1 Pe.5.8; iTh.5.6; 2Ti.2.4; Jude 3. 
Warning, to be given to sinners, Eze. 3.17, 
18; Col.1.28; 1 Th.5.11. 

Warrior, a man for war, 1 Ki. 12.21; Is.9.5. 
Wars of the Lord (Book of the), a docu¬ 
ment quoted, Nu.21.14. 

Washing, the feet of strangers, customary 
in eastern countries, where they journeyed 
barefoot, or only with sandals, Ge. 18.4; 19. 
2; 24.32; 43.24;—the hands, the supersti¬ 
tion of the Jews with respect to it. Mar. 
7.3; Lu. 11.38 —figuratively, the purifica¬ 
tion of the soul both from the guilt and 
the defilement of sin. Is.4.4; Ep.5.26; Tit. 
3.5; Re.1.5. 

Wash-pot, the vessel in which the feet were 
washed;—applied to Moab, to point out 
its abject and degraded state, Ps.60.8. 

W aste, a desolate place ,De.32.io;Job30.3; 
Is.24.1;—loss, not to be made, Pr. 18.9; Jn. 
6.12. 


Waster, one w r ho spends lavishly, Pr.13.9; 
—anything which destroys, as a desolating 
army, &c., Is.54.16. 

Watches, the Jews in ancient times divid¬ 
ed the night into three: the evening, the 
middle, and the morning, each including 
four hours, Ex.14.24; Ju.7.19; 1Sa.11.11; 
—after the captivity they adopted the Ro¬ 
man custom, and divided the night into 
four watches. Mat. 14.25; Mar.6.48;—to a 
person sleeping soundly the time between 
the watches seems but a moment, Ps.90.4. 

Watchfulness, vigilance, or care to avoid 
surrounding enemies and dangers; a duty, 
Mat.24.42; 25.13; Mar.13.37; Lu.12.35; 21. 
36; 1C0.10.12; 16.3; Ep.5.15; iTh.5.6; 1 
Pe.5.8; Re.3.2; 16.15. 

Water, turned into blood, Ex.7.19;—made 
to appear as blood, 2 Ki.3.22;—bitter made 
sweet. Ex. 15.23;—turned into wine, Jn.2. 
3;—brought out of a rock, Ex. 17.6; Nu. 
20.7;—miraculously brought to supply an 
army, 2 Ki. 3. 20:—divided and made to 
stand on a heap, Ex.14.21; Jos.3.13; 2 Ki. 
2.8,14;—supports iron, 6.6;—Jesus walks 
on it, Mat. 14. 25; Mar. 6. 48; Jn. 6.12;—of 
jealousy, N11. 5. 17, &c.;--of purification, 
19.1, &c.;—of life, Re. 22.1. 

-, fguratively, trouble, Ps. 69. 1;—a 


multitude of people, Is.8.7;—the doctrines 
and ordinances of the gospel, 55.1;—the re¬ 
freshing influences of the Spirit, 12.3; 35.6, 
7; 44-3! Jn.7-37.38- 

Water-spout, a large mass of water col¬ 
lected into a sort of column, one end of 
which is on the sea or land, and the other 
in the clouds; and by which water, in the 
former case, is sometimes raised into the 
clouds, and sometimes, in both cases, de¬ 
scends from them in torrents;—a phenome¬ 
non frequently seen on the coasts of Syria, 
Ps.42.7. 

Waters, a vision of, Eze. 47.1, &c.;—living, 
Zec.14.8; Jn.7.38; Re.7.17; 21.6; 22.1,17;— 
of jealousy, Nu. 5.11-31;—of separation, 
19.9. 

Wave-offerings, so called from the par¬ 
ticular motion used in presenting them;— 
a sheaf, and also portions of sacrifices, to 
be waved in various directions by the 
priests. Ex.29.24; Le.8.27. 

Wavering, unstable or unsettled, He. 10. 
23; Ja. 1.6. 

Waves, billows, or swellings above the 
level of water, Ps. 107.25; Mat.8.24;—afflic¬ 
tions, Ps. 42.7; 88. 7;—overwhelming ene¬ 
mies, Je.51.55; Eze.26.3. 

Wax, (1) The substance of which bees form 
their cells, Ps.22.14; 68.2:97.5; Mi.1.4.— 
(2) To grow or increase, Ge.26.13; Ex. 1.7. 
—(3) To become,Nu. 11.23; Jos.23.1; 1 Sa. 
k- 5 - 

Way, is put for a journey, Ge.24.42; 42.25; 
—custom, or manner, 6. 12; Je. 10. 2;— 
human conduct. Is.59.8; Ps.i.6; Pr.2.8. 
Wayfaring, travelling, Ju.19.17; 2 Sa.12.4; 
Is.35.8; Je.9.2; 14.8. 

Ways of the Lord, his laws and com¬ 
mandments, 2 Sa. 22.22; Ps.18.21; 138.5;— 
his providential allotments, 145. 17;— are 
always right. Ho. 14.9; Ac.13.10. 

Weak in Faith, how to be treated, Ro. 

14.1; 15.1; 1 Co.8.7; 9.22; 1 Th.5.14. 
Weakness, a defect, feebleness, 1 Co. 1.25: 

2 Co. 12.9; He.7.18. 

Wealth. See Riches. 

Wean, to deprive a child of the breast, Ge. 
21.8; 1 Sa.1.22; Ps.131.2; Is.11.8. 

Weapons, or arms of the Christian warfare, 
not carnal, 2 Co. 10.4. 

Weariness, fatigue, or lassitude; much 
study is, Ec.12.12;—wicked men account 
the service of God, Mai. 1.13. 

Wearisome, tedious, tiresome. Job 7.3. 
Weasel, a small well-known animal, but in 
Le.r1.29 supposed to be the mole. 
Weather, the state of the air, Job 37. 22; 
Pr.25.20; Mat. 16.2,3. 

Weaver, one who works webs of cloth. Ex. 
35.35; 1 Sa.17.7; Job 7.6; Is.38.12. 
Wedding, the marriage ceremony, Lu. 12. 
36; 14.8;— garment, furnished by the host. 
Mat. 22.3,8,11. 

Wedlock, the marriage state, Eze. 16.38. 
Week, natural, the space of seven days, 
Ge. 29.27,28. The Jews gave no special 
name to the days of the week, simply 
designating them as first, second, &c.;— 
prophetical. Da. 9. 24;— feast of weeks= 
feast of Pentecost. 

Weeping, accompanying contrition, Ps.6.6; 
69.10; Joel 2.12,17; Mat.26.75. 

-of Hagar, Ge.21.16;—of Esau, 27. 

38;—of Esau and Jacob, 33.4;—of Jacob, 
29.11;—for the loss of Joseph, 37.35;—of 
Joseph on seeing his brethren, 42.24; 43. 
30; 45.2,14;—on meeting his father, 46.29; 
—over him when dead, 50.1;—of the daugh¬ 
ter-in-law of Naomi, Ru.1.9,14;—of Elisha 
before Hazael, 2 Ki. 8. 11;—of Hezekiah, 
20.3;—of the old Jews, Eze. 3.13;—of the 
disciples of Jesus, Mar. 16.10;—of Jesus at 
the grave of Lazarus, Jn.11.35:—over Je¬ 
rusalem, Lu. 19.41;—of Peter, Mat.26.75; 
Mar. 14. 72; Lu. 22. 62;—of the elders of 
Ephesus, Ac.20.37;—of Paul, Phi.3.18. 
Weigh, to find the heaviness of anything 
by balance, or scales, 1 Ch.20.2; Ezr.8.29; 
—to determine the worth of a character, 
or an action, 1 Sa.2.3; ls.26.7; Da.5.27. 
Weights, required to be just, Le. 19. 35; 
Pr.11.1; 16.11; 20.10,23; Eze. 45. 10; Mi.6. 
10;—diverse kinds of, prohibited, De.25. 
13. 

Welfare, happiness, success, Ge. 43.27; Ex. 

18.7; Ps.69.22; Je.38.4. 

Well, of Jacob, Jn. 4. 6,12 (it is dug in the 
rock, and is about 75 feet deep and 9 feet in 
diameter);—Beer-lahai-roi, Ge. 16.14 ;— 
Bethlehem, 2 Sa.23.15; 1 Ch.11.17:—Beer- 
sheba, Ge. 21. 30. 31Elim. Ex. 15. 27:— 
Hagar,Ge.21.19;—Haran,29.3,4Marah, 
Ex. 15.23;—Rehoboth. Ge.26.22. 


Wells, of water, of great value in eastern 
countries, where the people are much ex¬ 
posed to heat, Ge.21.30; 26.15,18; Ex.15. 
27; Nu.20.17; Jn.4.6;— of salvation, or the 
word and ordinances of Christ, Is. 12.3;— 
wisdom a well-spring of life, Pr. 16.22. 
Wen, a fleshy excrescence, or hard knob, 
Le.22.22. 

Wench, a young girl, 2 Sa.17.17. 

Whale, the largest of fishes, sometimes 
measuring above 100 feet in length, Ge.i. 
21;—the Hebrew word thus translated 
signifies any monster of the deep, Job 7. 
12: Ps.74.13; 148.7; Is.27.1; Eze.29.3; 32.2: 
Mat. 12.40, compared with Jonah 1.17. 
Whatsoever, that, Ge.31.16; Nu.22.17; Ps. 
8.8; Mat.5.37; 7.12. 

Wheat, a well-known grain, of which bread 
is usually made, Ex.9.32; Ju.6.11;—parable 
of it, mixed with tares, Mat. 13.25. 

Wheels, for chariots, &c., to roll upon. Ex. 
14. 25; Ju. 5. 28;—a species of punishment 
inflicted by, Pr. 20. 26; — employed by 
potters, Jc.18.3;—seen in vision, Eze. 1.15, 
16; 10.10. 

Whet, to make sharp, De. 32.41; Ps.7.12; 
64.3; Ec. 10.10. 

Whirlwind, a strong wind which moves 
rapidly about in a circular manner; and 
which sometimes raises heavy bodies from 
the ground, carries them to a distance, and 
produces great devastation, 2 Ki. 2.1,11; 
Job 37. 9; 38. 1; 40. 6; Ps. 5"8. 9; Pr. 1. 27;— 
figuratively, destruction by foreign armies. 
See., Je.25.32; Eze.1.4; Da.11.40. 
Whisperer, one who secretly bears tales, 
an odious character, Pr. 16.28; Ro.i. 29;2 
Co. 12.20. 

Whit, the least point, jot, or tittle, 1 Sa.3. 

18; Jn.7.23; 13.10; 2 Co.11.5. 

White, stone, the token of acquittal from a 
charge of guilt, Re. 2. 17;— raiment, the 
emblem of complete victory, immaculate 
purity, and festive joy, 3.4; 4.4; 7.9,13; 15. 
6 ; 19.8,14. 

Whithersoever, to whatsoever place, Pr. 

17.8: Mat.8.19; Re. 14.4. 

Wholesome, contributing to health, Pr. 15. 
4: iTi.6.3. 

Whore, described, Pr.2.16; 5.3; 7.5; 9.13. 

-, the great mystical one, judged. 

Re. 17.1; 19.2. 

Whoredom, every species of illicit com¬ 
merce between the sexes, forbidden ( see 
Adultery, Fornication, and Incest); 
this sin disgraces and destroys the body. 
Job 31. 12; Pr. 5. ii; 1 Co. 6. 18:—stupifies 
the conscience, and hardens the heart, Ec. 
7.26; H0.4.11;—blots the reputation, Pr. 
6.32,33;—wastes the estate, 5.10:6.26;— 
leads to all manner of impiety and villainy, 
5.8-14;—involves whole families in shame 
and misery, Ge. 34.1-7:—brings many to 
an untimely end, Pr.6.26; 7.26;—exposes 
to the wrath of God, and to everlasting 
perdition. He. 13. 4; Re. 21. 8; 22. 15:—to 
guard against this sin, we ought to be 
deeply impressed with its evil nature and 
consequences, Ge.39.9:—to watch against 
indulging it in thought, Pr. 4. 23; Mat 15. 
19;—to avoid seeing or hearing what might 
prove an incentive to it, Job 31.1; Mat. 5. 
28;—to shun idleness and intemperance, 
Pr.23.31,33; 1 Co.9.27;—to cherish the be¬ 
lief of the presence and all-seeing eye of 
God, Pr. 5.20,21;—to meditate often on 
death, the grave, and the final judgment. 
Job 30.23; Ro. 14.10;—to be frequent in 
prayer for the help of the Spirit, Ps.19.13; 
—and when circumstances render it proper, 
to marry, 1 Co. 7. 9:—often signifies the 
idolatrous practicesof the professing people 
of God, Je. 3.9; 13.27: Eze. 16. 33; 23.8,17; 
43 - 7 . 9 . &c. 

Whoremongers, they' who converse with 
fornicators, iTi. 1.10; He. 13. 4; Re. 21.8; 
22.15. 

Whosoever, any without restriction, Mat. 

11.6; 13.12; Ro.2.1; Re.22.17. 

Wicked, or ungodly persons, characterized, 
2 Ki. 19. 26; Job 24. 2: Ps.10.3; 22. 12; 36.1; 
37.21; 50.17; 58. 3; Pr. 2.12; 4.16; 6.12; 16. 
27: 21.10; 24.2; Is.59.3; Eze.i8.io; 22 6-12; 
Ro. 1. 29; 3.11, &c.;—compared to despic¬ 
able things. Ps.1.4: 58. 4; 59 - 6; Is. 57 20; 
Je. 6. 30; Eze. 2. 6; Ho.13.3; Mat.7.6,26;— 
not to be envied, Ps.37.1; 73.2; Pr.23.17: 
24.1,19; Je.12.1;—no peace to them. Is.57. 
2i;—their punishment, 27. 13-23. See 
Punishment. 

Wide, the gate and way to destruction. 

Mat.7.13. 

Widow, a woman whose husband is dead, 
Ge.38.11; Ro.7.3;—of Zarephath, her meal 















646 (\Y i—Wr) 

and oil multiplied, and her son raised to- 
life, iKi. 17. 8, &c.of Nain, her son 
raised to life, Lu.7.12;—one that gave her 
mite commended by Jesus, Mar. 12.42. 

Widows, destitute, but under the care of 
Providence, De.io. 18; Ps. 68.5; 146.9; Pr. 
15-25; Je.49.11;—proper objects of charity. 
Ex. 22.22; De.24.17; 27.19; Job 22.9; Is. 1. 
17, 23; Je. 7. 6; x Ti. 5. 3; Ja. 1. 27;—their 
qualifications for offices in the Christian 
church, 1 Ti.5.4, &c. 

Wife. See Marriage, and Wives. 

Wilderness, the Heb. word midbar, usu¬ 
ally translated ‘wilderness,’ is derived 
from a root which signifies ‘to lead to 
pasture;’ and means a pastoral country or 
district as distinguished from an agricul¬ 
tural. The midbar of Syria and Arabia 
was inhabited for the most part by no¬ 
mads, who lived in tents. Mention is 
made of the wilderness of Arabia, Shur, 
Paran, Jericho, Judah, Engedi, Ziph, 
Maon, Beersheba, &c., Ex. 14. 3; 15. 22; 
Nu. 10. 12; 13. 3; 14. 2,29; De. 1.19; 32.10; 
Eu.8.29;—the Hebrews thus named the 
common ground near cities and villages, 
which remained uncultivated, and was 
destined for feeding their cattle, 1 Ki. 19. 
15; Is. 40. 3; Mat. 3. 1; 15- 33; Lu. *5- 4'~ 
figuratively, the world, Ca.8.5. 

Wiles, crafty tricks, Nu. 25. 18;—enticing 
temptations, Ep.6.11. 

Wilily, artfully, Jos.9.4. 

Will of God, his sovereign pleasure, Da. 
4.35; Ac.2t.14; Ep.i. 5;—his purpose and 
decree, Ep.i. 11;—his written word and 
law, Mat.7.2i;Ep.5.i7; 6.6; iTh.4.3; 5.18. 

- of Man, that faculty of the soul by 

which he freely chooses or rejects, Le.1.3; 
19. 5;—as he sees not the excellency and 
importance of divine things, till his mind 
be enlightened by the Spirit of God; so, 
till this be the case, he cannot choose 
them, Ps.110.3; 1 Co.2.14; Ro.8.5-8. 
Willow, a well-known plant, which grows 
in moist places, and by the brinks of rivers, 
Le. 23. 40; Job 40. 22; I.s; 15. 7; 44. 4;—the 
‘weeping -willow,’ called the ‘Babylonian 
willow,’ with reference to Ps. 137.2. 
Will-worship, religious rites and services 
not commanded, Col.n.23. 

W imples, hoods or plaids, Is. 3.22. 

Wind, a sensible motion of the air, Ge.8.1; 
Ex. is. 10 figuratively, destruction, Je. 
49.36; 51.1; Da.7.2. 

-, amost destructive, called the simoom 

or samiel, which appears like a purple 
haze, advances with great rapidity, and, 
though it rarely lasts more than seven or 
eight minutes, is so poisonous in its effects, 
that it instantly dries up and withers every¬ 
thing over which it passes, and suffocates 
all who inhale it. Camels and other ani¬ 
mals instinctively perceive its approach, 
and bury their mouths and nostrils in the 
ground; and travellers throw themselves 
on the sand, with their faces wrapped in 
their clothes, till it be past. Though not 
mentioned in Scripture by either of the 
above names, yet it is plainly referred to 
by its awful effects, 2X119.7,35; Ps. 103. 
15,16} Je.4.ri. 

W indows, passages for admitting light into 
houses, were made of lattice-w ork before 
the invention of glass (see Lattice), and 
opened not upon the street, but upon the 
court within, Ge. 6.16; 8 . 6 ; 26.8: Jos.2.15, 
21; Ju.5.28;— of heaven, the clouds, Ge.7. 
n; 8. 2;—abundant eflusion of blessings, 
Mai. 3.10. 

Wine, the juice of the grape, prepared by 
fermentation, forbidden to the priests while 
officiating in the tabernacle, Le.10.9;—in¬ 
toxicates Noah, Ge.9.21:—the proper use 
of it, Ju.9.13; Ps. 104.15; Pr.31.6; Ec. 10. 
19; 1 Ti. 5. 23;—a type of God’s anger, to 
be drunk by all nations, Je. 25. 15; —by 
mystical Babylon, Re. 16. 19. The Jews 
had a great variety of wines, all of which 
were fermented. They also made certain 
syrups or molasses-from the vine, but these 
were never called wine. 

Wine press, to tread, or press the juice 
out of the grapes, Ne. 13. 15; Job 24.11 
figuratively, to execute judgment with 
great slaughter, Is.63.1-6; La. 1.15; Re. 14. 
19.20; 19.15. 

Wings, are figuratively used to signify the 
spreading and warming beams of the sun, 
Mai. 4. 2;—protection, Ps. 17.8; 36.7; 57.1; 
61.4; 63.7;—a vast army, Is.8.8;— the swift 
motions of the wind, Ps.18.10; 104.3. 
Winking with the eye, is expressive of 
mockery, or of giving a token to. hurt 


- THE WORLD’S B1 

others, Pr.6.13; 10.id; Ps.35.19 :— God 
at the times of ignorance, his patient bear¬ 
ing with the heathen world, Ac. 17.30. 
Winnow, to clean corn from chaff by wind; 
the grain being taken up in a shovel, and 
thrown in the wind, Ru.3.2; Is.30.24. 
Winter, in the Holy Land, extends from 
the beginning of December to the end of 
January, when the weather is variable, 
and often remarkable for its heavy rains, 
falls of snow and hail, and excessive cold 
and frost in the mountainous parts, though 
in the lower ground it is comparatively 
mild, Ge.8.22; Ps.74.17; Ca.2.11; Mat.24. 
20; 2 Ti.4.21. 

Wisdom, prudence and discretion to per¬ 
ceive what is proper, Ec. 2.13,14;—know¬ 
ledge of sciences and arts, Ac. 7.22;—quick¬ 
ness of invention, and dexterity in the exe¬ 
cution of curious works. Ex.31.2,3;—craft 
and cunning, 2Sa.13.31 Job5.13:—genu¬ 
ine piety, Ps.90.12; Job 28. 28;—this de¬ 
scribed, De.4.6; Job 28.28; Ps. hi. 10; Pr. 
9.10; 28. 7; Je.9. 24; Mat. 7. 24; Ja. 3.13,17; 
—the advantage of gaining it, Job 28. 12, 
&c.; Pr.3.13; 8.11; 16.16,24; 3.14; Ec.7.11; 
i2.n;—better than folly, 2.13; 7. 19; 9.13; 
—the way to obtain it, 1 Ki. 3. 9; Ps. 119. 
98; Pr.2.1, &c.; Ec.2.26; Da.2.21, &c.; Ja. 
1.5 personified, her complaint, Pr. 1. 20; 
—her invitation, 8. 9;—her promises, 2. 3; 
—a spurious and deceitful kind, Je.8. 9; 9. 
23; 1 Co. 1. 19; 2 Co. 1. 12; Ja. 3. 15;—the 
marks of, in the works of God, Ps.104.1, 
24; 136.5; Pr.3.19; Je. 10.12;— of God, the 
gospel so called, 1C0.1.24; 2.7;—creatures 
accounted wise, Pr.6.6; 30.24. 

-, men celebrated for it in different 

respects, Bezaleel and Aholiab, Ex. 31. 2, 
&c.;—Ahithophel, 2 Sa. 16.20, &c.;—Solo¬ 
mon, 1 Ki.4.30;—Ethan, Heman, Chalcol, 
and Darda, 31;—Hiram from Tyre, 7.13; 
—Daniel, Eze.28.3. _ 

Wise Men, or Magi, come from the east 
to Jerusalem, to see Christ, Mat. 2.1,2;— 
were sent for by Herod, who attempted to 
deceive them, 7. 8 ;— were guided by a 
supernatural star or meteor, 9, 10;—wor¬ 
shipped the Saviour, and presented to him 
gifts, 11;—were warned of God not to re¬ 
turn to Herod, 12. 

Wishes, good and commendable, 2 Co. 13. 
9; 3 Jn.2;— evil, to be suppressed. Job 31. 
1,30; Ps.40.14. 

Wist, thought, knew, or understood. Ex. 
16.15; 34-29; Le.5.17; Jos.2.4; 8.14; Ju. 16. 
20; Mar.9.6; 14.40; Lu. 2.49; Jn. 5.13; Ac. 
12.9; 23.5. 

Wit, ?ve do you to 7vit, we inform you, 2 
Co. 8.1. 

Witchcraft, sorcery, or wicked arts and 
cheats, Ga. 5. 20; Re. 18. 23;—strictly for¬ 
bidden, Le ; 19.26,31; 20.6; De.18.10; Mai. 
3.5; Re.21.8; 22.15;—instances of it, and 
of similar acts, 1 Sa.28.7; 2 Ki.9.22; 17.17; 
21.6; 2 Ch.33.6; Ac.8.9; 16.16; 19.19. 
Witches are women, and Wizards are 
men, who practised secret arts, and pre¬ 
tended to do so by the assistance of some 
evil spirit, who was ever ready at their 
call, 2 Ki.9.22; Is.8.i9‘,29.4;47.9,i2; Mi.5. 
12;—associated with idolatry, De.18.9-14; 
2Ch.33.5j6;—of Endor, 1 Sa.28.7;—‘a wo¬ 
man who had a familiar spirit,’ literally, ‘a 
mistress of the Ob ,’ to be cut off, Ex. 22.18. 
Withal, likewise, or at the same time, 1 
Ki.19.1; Ps.141.10; Ac.25.27;—with, or by 
means of, Ex. 25.29; 30.4. 

Withdraw, to remove or take away, 1 Sa. 
14.19; Job 9.13; 13.21; Pr.25.17; 2TI1.3.6; 

1 Ti.6.5. 

Withered, sapless, dried up, Ge.41.23; Ps. 

102.4: Mat. 12.10; Jn.5.3. 

Withhold, to refrain, hold back, or keep 
from, Ge.23.6; 2Sa.13.13; Ps.40.11; 84.11; 
Pr.3.27. 

Withs, willow twigs, or twisted boughs, 
Ju.16.7-9. 

Withstand, to oppose or resist, Nu. 22. 32; 

2 Ch.13.7,8; Ac.11.17; Ep.6.13. 

Witness, a person who gives his evidence 

or testimony, Jn.1.7; Ac.1.22; 2.32; 7.58; 
10 43;—a martyr for the truth, or one who 
suffers death for his testimony, Re. 1.5; 3. 
14;—a testimony, evidence, or proof, Ex. 
22.13: De. 31. 19; Mar. 14.55;-^/^, laws 
against it. Ex. 23.1; De. 19.16, &c.;—strictly 
forbidden. Ex.20.16; Pr.6.16,19; 19.5,9,28; 
21.28:25.18;—Christ the ‘faithful and true 
witness,’ Re.1.5; 3.14. 

Witnesses, not to be fewer than two, Nu. 
35.30; De. 17.6; 19.15; Mat. 18.16; 2C0.13. 
1; 1 Ti. 5.19;— two, that prophesy. Re. 11. 
3 , &c. 


BLE AUXILIARY 

Wittingly, knowingly, by design, Ge.48.14. 
Witty, ingenious, skilful, Pr.8.12. 

Wives, not to be slandered, De. 22. 13;— 
when not to cohabit with, Le. 12. 1-5; 20. 
18;—theirduty,Ge.3.i6; Ep.5.22; Col.3.18; 
Tit. 2. 5; 1 Pe. 3.1;—good ones are of the 
Lord, Pr.18.22; 19.14;—a blessing to their 
husbands, Pr. 12.4; 31.10-12,23;—good ones 
mentioned, Ju. 13.10; 1 Sa.25.3; Es.2.15-17; 
Lu.1.6; Ac.18.2,26; 1 Pe.3.6;—bad ones 
mentioned, Ju.14.15-17; 2Sa.6.i6; iKi.21. 
25; Job 2.9; Mar.6.17. 

Wizards. See W1 tch es. 

Woe, pronounced upon the covetous op¬ 
pressors, &c., Is. 5. 8-22; Hab. 2. 9 ;—by 
Jesus on Chorazin, &c., Mat.11.21, &c.;— 
on the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites, 
23.13-29;—on the rich, full, &c., Lu.6.24- 
26;— three upon all the earth. Re. 8.13;— 
the first of them past, 9.12;—the second 
past, 11.14. 

Wolf, a fierce and cruel beast of prey, of 
the dog kind, is of a quick smell, can long 
bear hunger, and which inhabits the.forests 
of Palestine, and of every country of Eu¬ 
rope except the British Isles, from which 
it has been exterminated, Ge.49.27; Is.11. 
6; Je.5.6; Jn.10.12;—wicked rulers, judges, 
persecutors, and false teachers, compared 
to Tvolves, Eze. 22. 27; Zep.3. 3; Mat.7.15; 
10.16; Lu.10.3; Ac. 20. 29;—the rapacity of 
Benjamin compared to that of wolf, Ge. 
49.27. 

Woman formed, Ge. 2. 21;—a virtuous one 
described, Pr. 31. 10, &c.; — the mischief 
arising from a wicked one, Ec. 7. 26;—one 
clothed with the sun, or the church. Re. 12. 

1;—one clothed in purple and scarlet, sit¬ 
ting upon a beast, 17.3. 

Women, immodest, punished, De.25.11;— 
how they should behave in assemblies for 
public worship, 1 Co. 11. 5, &c.;— poTver 
exousia ) on the head of, i.e. the kerchief 
or head covering, the sign of her depend¬ 
ent or subordinate position, 11.10;—not to 
speak in public, 14. 34; 1 Ti. 2.11;— aged, 
their duty. Tit. 2.3;— young, theirs, 2.4; 1 
Ti. 5. 14;—how to adorn themselves, 2.9; 

1 Pe.3.3;— 7vise andprudent ones, Deborah, 
Ju.4.4, &c.;—Abigail, 1 Sa.25.3,14, &c.;— 
the woman that interceded for Absalom, 2 
Sa. 14. 2, &c.;—one that advised the sur¬ 
render of Sheba to Joab, 20.16,‘-r-the queen 
of Babylon, Da. 5. 10;— pious ones, Eliza¬ 
beth, the wife of Zacharias, Lu. 1. 6 ;— 
Mary, the mother of Jesus, 27;—Mary 
Magdalene,and others that attended Jesus, 
Mar. 15. 40; Lu. 8. 2;—Martha and Mary, 
the sisters of Lazarus, Jn. 11.5;—Dorcas, 
Ac. 9. 36;—Lydia, 16.14;—Priscilla, 18.26; 
— artfidones, Rebekah,Ge.27.6;—Miehal, 

1 Sa.19.13;— vuicked ones, Jezebel, 1 KL21. 

7, &c., 25;—Athaliah, 2 Ki.11.1. 
Wonderful, surprising or astonishing;— 

God’s testimonies are, PS.T19.129;—things 
that are so, Pr.30.18;—Christ so called, Is. 
9 6- 

Wonders, signifying miracles, Ex. 3.20; 4. 
21; Ac.2.22,43; 4.30;— signs or tokens. Is. 

8. t8. 

Wont, accustomed or used, Ex.21.19; Nu. 
22.30; 2 Sa.20.18; Mat.27.15. 

Wood, the timber of trees, Ge. 22.6,7;—a 
forest, Jos.17.18; 1 Sa.23.16; 2 Sa.18.8. 
Woof, the threads that cross the warp in 
cloth, the weft, Le.13.48,51, &c. 

Wool, the fleece of sheep, Ju. 6.37; 2 Ki. 3.4; 
Pr.31.13; Is. 1.18. 

Word of God (the Logos), one of the titles 
given to the Lord Jesus Christ, expressive 
of his being the teacher and interpreter of 
the divine mind and will, Jn. 1.1,14; 1 J11. 
5.7; Re.19.13;—the Holy Scriptures, Lu. 
4. 4; Ep. 6. 17; 1 Pe. 1. 23;— the gospel of 
Christ, Lu.5.1; Ac.4.31; 6.7; 8.14; 13.7;—a 
revelation of some particular message from 
God, 1 Ki.12.22; 1 Ch.17.3. 

Words of Men, shall be judged by God, 
Mat. 12.36,37. 

Workmanship, manufacture, skill, .1 Ch. 

22.15; Is.44.11; Ac.19.25. 

Works of God, in creation and providence, 
great and unsearchable, Job 5.9; 37.5; Ps. 
89.5, &c.; 104.1; Ec.8.17; Je.10.12;—lead 
to their Author, Ps. 19.1; 75.1; 145.10; Ac. 
14.17; Ro.1.19;—in redemption, Ac.2.1 t;— 
great and marvellous, Ps. 139.14; Re. 15.3. 

■- of Men, they are to be judged by 

them, Job 34.11; Ps.62.12; Pr.24.12; Is.3. 
10; Je.17.10; 32.19; Eze.7.8,27; 24.14; Mat. 
16.27; Ro.2.6; 2C0.5.10; i Pe.1.17; Re.2. 
23; 20.12; 22.12. 

-, good, must be such as are required 

of God, De.6.24;—must spring from love 


to him, 11.1;— be performed from the heart, 
10.12;—and must be done to his glory, 1 
Co. 10.31; Phi. 1.11;—are wrought by God, 
Is.26.12; Phi.2.13;—only spring-from abid¬ 
ing in Christ, Jn. 15.4,5;—are evidences of 
the goodness of men’s principles, Mat. 7. 
17; 12.33;—absolutely required, 5.16; 2 Co. 
9.8; Ep.2.10; Col. 1.10; 1 Ti.2.10; 2 Ti.2.21; 
3.17; Tit.2.14; 3.8,14; He. 13.16,21; Ja.2.17. 
See Obedience. 

Works of the Law, will not justify, Ro. 3. 
20; 4.2; 11.6; Ga.2.16; Ep.2.8,9;—men said 
to be justified by, Ja.2.24. .SV* Justifi¬ 
cation. . 

World, the whole material universe, Jn. 

1.10;—this globe which we inhabit, 1 Sa. 

2. 8; Ps. 24. 1; 90. 2;—the Roman empire, 
Lu. 2.1; Re. 13. 3;—Gentiles, Ro. 11.12, 25; 
—earthly and sensual possessions and en¬ 
joyments, 1 Jn. 2. 15; — the corruptions- 
which prevail on earth, Ga. 1.4; Ep. 2.2; J a.. 
1.27;—ungodly men, Jn-7- 1'- *4- T 7» J 9> 22 » ‘ 
27; 15.18,19;—to it the followers of Christ 
are not to be conformed, Ro. 12. 2; Ga. 6. 
14; Ja.1.27; 4.4; 1 Jn.2.15; 5.4. 

Worldly, human, bent upon the world, Tit. 
2.12; He.9.1. 

Worms, Job’s flesh was covered with, Job 
7.5;—Herod was eaten of, Ac.12.23;—one 
which dieth not, or an accusing conscience. 
Mar.9.44,46,48. 

Wormwood, an herb of the genus Arte¬ 
misia, distinguished for its extreme bitter¬ 
ness of taste; destructive to worms;—any¬ 
thing bitter and painful compared to, De. 
29. 18; Pr. 5. 4; Je.9.15; 23.15; La.3.15,19; 
Am.5.7; Re.8.11. 

Worship, civil, the honour and reverence 
given toasuperior, Mat.18.26; Lu.14.10;—■* 
religious, to be paid to God only. Ex. 30. 
14; Mat.4.10; Lu.4.8; Ac. 10.25; 14.13; &c.;‘. 
Re. 19.10; 22.8;—not to be given to angels. 
Col. 2. 18;—refused and reproved when 
offered to them. Re. 19.10; 22.8,9. 

-, family, in which all the members 

of a household meet to read the Holy 
Scriptures, and to join in prayer and praise; 
exemplified by Joshua, Jos. 24. 15;—by 
David, 2 Sa.6.20:—by Daniel, Da.6.10;— 
by Christ and his disciples, who were his 
household, Lu. 9. 18; : —its obligation is 
plainly acknowledged, in the judgment 
threatened for its neglect, Je. 10. 25; — 
public, required, De. 26.10,11; 2 Ki. 17.36; 
Ps. 22. 22,25; 35.18; 95.6; 107. 32; 116. 14; 
122.1,4; Mat.18.20; Ac.1.14; 10.33; He.10, 
25:—ought to be solemn, not light and 
trifling, Le. 10. 3; Ps. 89.11; Ec. 5.1;— sin¬ 
cere, and not hypocritical, Eze. 33.31,32;— 
with holy cheerfulness, and not with for¬ 
bidding gloom, Ps. 33.1; 100.1,2; 147.1 ;— 
and with simplicity and purity. Mat. 15 9; 
He. 10.22. 

-, public, advantages of: by it our 

knowledge of divine things is increased, 
Pr.8. 33, 34; Mai. 2. 7; — our attention is 
called away from worldly objects and pur¬ 
suits, and directed to the concerns of 
eternity, Ps.85.8; Ac. 10.33;—our devotion 
is enlivened, and our zeal excited, Pr.27. 
17; Is. 40.31;—worldly distinctions are in 
some measure forgotten, and the poor 
meet on the same level with the rich, Pr. 
22.2; Ja. 2.1-5;—brotherly love is promoted, 
Ps. i22.i v &c.;—we place ourselves within 
the reach of many encouraging promises, 
Ex.20.24; Ps.36.8; 92.13; 132.13-16; Is.40. 
31; 56.3-7; Mat. 18.20;—sinners are thus 
converted, Ac. 16. 13, 14;—saints are re¬ 
freshed and strengthened, Ps.63.1-5; 84.1, 
&c.; Is. 40. 31;—the honour of Christ’s 
ordinances is maintained, Ps.72.17-19; Is. 
56. 4 - 7 - 

Worthy, deserving of, Ge.32.10; De. 25. 2; 
2 Sa. 22. 4;—valuable, 1 Sa. 1. 5;—suitable, 
or answerable to, Lu.3.8; Ep.4.1; Col.i.io; 
—good or pious, Mat.10.11,13; Lu.7.4. 
Wot, to know, or be aware of, Ge. 21. 26; 
39.8; 44.15; Ex.32.1; Nu.22.6; Jos.2.5; Ac. 
3.17; Ro.11.2; Phi.1.22. 

Wrap, to roll up in a covering, Ge.38.14; 1 
Ki. 19.13; Mat. 27.59; Lu. 2. 7;—to roll to¬ 
gether, 2 Ki.2.8; Jn.20.7. 

Wrath of Man, extreme anger, prompting 
to revenge, Ge. 49. 7; Es. 2. 1; 3. 5; 7. 10;— 
just punishment, Ro.2.5; 13.4,5. 

-of God, his holy indignation at 

sin, and righteous punishment of it, De.9. 
7; J0s.22.20; 2CI1.19.2; 24.18;—denounced 
on impenitent sinners, Ex.22.24; Ezr.8.22;' 
Lu. 21.23; Jn. 3. 36; Ro. 1.18; 2.5,8; Ep. 
5.6. 

Wreaths, a kind of net-work in the form of 
garlands or chaplets, with artificial sprigs* 














THE BIBLE STUDENT’S ASSISTANT 


leaves, flowers, and fruit, Ex.28.14, &c.; 1 | 
K1.7.17; 2 Ch.4.12,13. 

Wrest, to twist by violence, to turn by 
force in a wrong way. Ex.23.2,6; De.16. 
19; Ps.56.5; 2 Pe.3.16. 

Wrestle, to struggle with one for victory, 
Ge.30.8; 32.24,25; Ep.6.12. 

Wretched, miserable, Ro.7.24; Re.3.17. 
Wring, to twist or turn round with violence, 
Le.1.15; Ju.6.38; Ps.75.8; Pr.30.33. 
Wrinkle, a furrow of the skin or face, 
caused by age or emaciation from disease. 
Job 16. 8;—any roughness or deformity, 
e P- 5 - 2 7 - 

Writing, was originally practised on hard 
substances, such as stones and metals;— 
the decalogue was written on two tables, 
or smooth flat pieces of stone, Ex. 34.1; 
De. 10.4. The book of Job is supposed by 
some to be the most ancient written docu¬ 
ment in existence; others believe that the 
documents embodied in the first part of 
the book of Genesis are the earliest extant. 
See Books. 

Wrong, an injury, Ge. 16.5; Je.22.3,13; La. 
3.59; Mat.2p.13;—what is improper or un¬ 
just, De. 19.16; Hab.1.4. 

Wrongfully, unjustly, Job 21.27; Ps.35.19; 

38.19; 119 86; Eze.22.29; 1 Pe.2.19. 

Wroth, angry or irritated, Ge. 4. 5; 31. 36; 
40.2; Ex. 16. 20; Is. 54.9; 64. 5; Mat. 18. 34; 
22.7. 


Y. 


year they computed their festivals, and | Zadok, za'dok [just], 1 Son of Ahitub, a ] 


the prophets also occasionally dated their 
oracles and visions, Zec.7.1. The months 
of this, with the corresponding months of 
our year, are here presented:— 


1. Nisan or Abib, 

2. Jyar or Zif, 

3. Sivan, 

4. Thammuz, 

5. Ab, 

6 . Elul, 

7. Tisri, 


March and April. 
April and May. 
May and June. 
June and July. 

J uly and August. 
August and Sept. 
Sept, and October. 


8. Marchesvan or Bui, October and Nov. 

9. Chisleu or Kisleu, Nov. and Dec. 

10. Thebet, Dec. and January. 

11. Sebat, January and Feb. 

12. Adar, Feb. and March. 

sabbatical, or every seventh, Ex. 


Yarn, linen , brought from Egypt by Solo¬ 
mon, 1 Ki.10.28; 2CI1.1.14. 

Yea, yea, and Nay, nay, our speech re¬ 
quired to be; or our affirmations and 
denials to be simple, and free from oaths, 
Mat.5.37; Ja.5.12. 

Year, is either solar, or lunar, or civil. 
The solar year is measured by the appar¬ 
ent motion of the sun through the twelve 
signs of the zodiac, and consists of 365 
days, 5 hours, and 48 minutes. The lunar 
is measured by twelve lunations, or re¬ 
volutions of the moon from change to 
change, and is eleven days less than the 
solar, consisting of 354 days, 8 hours, and 
48 minutes. And the civil is that which, 
for convenience, computes by whole days; 
and among us consists of 365 days, and 
every fourth year of 366. Among the 
Hebrews the year was partly lunar and 
wandering, and partly solar and fixed. It 
consisted ordinarily of twelve, and occa¬ 
sionally of thirteen synodical months, al¬ 
ternately of twenty-nine and thirty days 
each, so that two months included two 
moons, and the one of these years 354 days, 
and the other no less than 383 days. As 
the former of these falls eleven days short 
of the true or solar year, they were com¬ 
pelled, in order to keep their festivals at 
the proper season, to add a whole month 
to the year as often as it was needful, com¬ 
monly once in three, and sometimes once 
in two years. This intercalary month was 
added at the end of the year, after the 
month Adar, and was therefore called 
Veadar, or a second Adar. The year 
was also distinguished into the civil, and 
the sacred or ecclesiastical year. The 
civil year commenced on the fifteenth of 
our September, because it was an old tra¬ 
dition that the world was created at that 
season ; and by it they computed their 
jubilees, and dated all contracts, the birth 
of children, and the reign of kings. The 
months of this year, consisting alternately 
of twenty-nine and thirty days, are ex¬ 
hibited in the following table, with the 
corresponding months of our year: 

1. Tisri, to part of Sept, and October. 

2. Marchesvan or Bui, October and Nov. 

3. Chisleu or Kisleu, Nov. and Dec. 


23.10; Le. 25.1; De. 15.1;— 0/ jubilee , Le. 
25.8. See Jubilee. 

Yearning of the Bowels, imports the 
movings of tender affection and compas¬ 
sion, Ge.43.30; 1 Ki.3.26. 

Yell, to cry like a young lion, Je.2.15; 51. 
38. 

Yesterday, a thousand years are as, with 
God, Ps. 90. 4;— to-day, and for ever, 
Christ is the same during, expressive both 
of his eternity and immutability, He. 13.8. 
Yield, to produce, Ge.1.11; 4.12; Le.19.25; 
26.4,20;—to surrender or resign, 2 Ch.30. 
8; Pr.7.21; Mat.27.50; R0.6.19. 

Yoke, a curved piece of wood laid on the 
neck of cattle, and bound to it by thongs, 
for drawing waggons, &c., Nu. 19.2; De.21. 
3 figuratively, bondage or servitude,Ge. 
27.40; Le.26.13; Ac.15.10; Ga.5.1; 1 Ti.6.1; 
—calamity, La. 1.14; 3.27;-a prophetical 
emblem, Je. 27.2;—of Christ, easy, Mat. 
11.30; Ro.12.1; ijn.5.3. 

Younger, more young, 06.9.24:19.31,38; 
Job 30.1; Eze. 16.46,61; Lu. 15.12,13; iTi. 
5.1,2; 1 Pe.5.5. 

Youngest, Ge.42.13,15; 44.2,12; Jos. 6.26; 
Ju.9.5; 1 Sa.16.11. 

Young Persons, their duty, Le. 19.32; Pr. 
1.8; Ec. 12.1; La.3.27; Tit. 2. 6; r Pe.5. 5;— 
examples of good ones: Obadiah, 1 Ki.18. 
12;—Josiah, 2 Ch. 34. 3;—David, Ps. 71. 5, 
17;—Jesus, Lu. 2.52;—Timothy, 2TL3.15; 
—bad ones: Er, the sqn of Judah, Ge. 38. 
7;—the sons of Eli, 1 Sa.2.12; 3.13,22;— 
Absalom, 2 Sa. 15. 2, &c.; — those that 
mocked Elisha, 2KL2.23. See Children. 
Youth, early life, imagination of men evil 
from, Ge.8.21;—sins of, bewailed, Job 13. 
26 ;Ps. 25.7;—wife of, Pr.5.18; Is.54.6; Mai. 
2.14,15;—husband of, Joel 1.8. 


4. Thebet, 

5. Sebat, 

6. Adar, 

7. Nisan or Abib, 

8. Jyar or Zif, 

9. Sivan, 

10. Thammuz, 

11. Ab, 

12. Elul, 


Dec. and January. 
January and Feb. 
Feb. and March. 
March and April. 
April and May. 
May and June. 
June and July. 
July and August. 
August and Sept. 


__, the sacred or ecclesiastical, began 

in March, or the first day of the month 
Nisan, because at that time they departed 
out of Egypt, Ex. 12.1; Re. 23.5;—by this 


7 .f \. annim , zii-a-na'im [removals], a ‘plain’ 
(or more correctly ‘terebinth’), where 
Heber, the Kenite, pitched his tent, on the 
border of Naphtali, not far from Kadesh; 
called also Zaanannim, Jos.19.33; Ju.4.11. 

Zabad, zA'bad [God-given], one of David’s 
mighty men, 1 Ch.11.41. 

Zabdi, zAb'dl [gift of Jehovah], the father 
of Carmi, Jos. 7.1. 

Zabulon, zab'u-lon, Mat.4.13,15, the Greek 
form of Zebulun. 

Zaccheus, zak-kS'us [just], a chief publican 
resident in Jericho, seeks to see Christ, 
Lu. 19. 2-4;—is called by him, 5;—enter¬ 
tains Jesus, and avows concern for the 
poor, &c., 8;—is encouraged by him, 9.10. 

Zachariah, zilk - a - rl'ah, or Zechariah 
[remembered of Jehovah], (1) The four¬ 
teenth king of Israel, succeeds his father 
Jeroboam the second, 2 Ki. 14. 29 ;—after 
a wicked reign of six months, was slain, 
15.9,10.—(2) Son of Jehoiada, high-priest 
of the Jews, is supposed to be the same 
with Azariah, 1 Ch. 6. to, n:-was put to 
death in the temple by order of Joash, 2 
Ch. 24.20,21; Mat. 23.35.—(3) The son of 
Jeberechiah, who understood the visions 
of God, 2 Ch. 26.5:—attested Isaiah’s writ¬ 
ing, Is.8.2.—(4) One of the minor prophets, 
was bom in Babylon, returned with the 
first band of exiles under Zerubbabel; and, 
while yet young, began to prophesy soon 
after Haggai.Ezr.s. 1greatly encouraged 
the Jews in building the second temple, 
Zee. 1.12, &c.; 8.1, &c. 

Zachariaa, an ordinary priest of the family 
of Abia.and the father of John the Baptist, 
his character, Lu. 1.6;— his vision, 11;— his 
prophecy, 67. 


priest in the time of David, whom he ac¬ 
companied in his flight from Absalom, 2 
Sa. 15.24;—put in the place of Abiathar as 
high-priest, 1 Ki. 2.35;—anoints Solomon, 

1. 39;—his descendants to be high-priests 
in future time,Eze. 44.15.—(2) Also a priest, 
the ancestor of Ezra, Ezr.7.2. 

Zair, za'ir [little], a city or place in the land 
of Edom, where Joram defeated the Edom¬ 
ites, 2 Ki.8.21. 

Zalmon, zal'mon [shady], a lofty hill near 
Shechem, which is often covered with snow, 
Ju.9.48;—called Salmon, Ps.68.14. 
Zalmunna, zal-mun'nah [shelter is denied 
him], and Zeba, kings of Midian, after 
whom Gideon pursued, Ju. 8. 5,6;—con¬ 
quered and slain by him, 10-21; Ps.83.11. 
Zamzummims, zam-zum'mims [noisy peo¬ 
ple], a race of giants, dispossessed by the 
Ammonites, De. 2. 20;—called Zuzims, Ge. 
14 - 5 * 

Zanoah, zan-6'ah [marsh], two towns thus 
named in Judah, Jos.15.34,56; Ne.3.13. 
Zaphnath Paaneah, zaf'nath - pa - a - ne'ah 
[discoverer of secrets], the name which 
Pharaoh gave to Joseph, Ge.41.45. 

Zaphon, za'fon [the north], a city of Gad, a 
few miles east of the Sea of Galilee, Jos. 
13.27;—called Shophan, Nu.32.35. 

Zarah, za'rah or Zerah [a rising of light], 
the son of Judah by Tamar, and twin- 
brother of Pharez, Ge. 38.30;—his posterity, 

1 Ch.2.6. 

Zared, za'red [exuberant growth], Nu. 21. 
12;—called also Zered, De.2.13,14;—a val¬ 
ley separating Moab from Edom. 
Zarephath, zar'e-fath [smelting - house], 
called also Sarepta (Lu.4.26), a city of the 
Phoenicians on the coast of the Mediter¬ 
ranean, between Tyre and Zidon, where 
Elijah lodged some time with a widow, 1 
Ki. 17.9,10; Lu.4.26. It is represented by 
the modem village of Surafend. 

Zaretan, zarie-tan [cooling], the place where 
the waters of Jordan rose up in an heap, 
and its channel for a long time made dry, 
Jos. 3.16; — called also Zartanah, 1 Ki. 4. 
12;—Zarthan, 7.46;—Zereda, 11.26;—Zere- 
rath, Ju.7.22. 

Zareth-Shahar, za'reth-sha'har [splendour 
of the dawn], a city of Reuben, a few miles 
south of Heshbon, Jos. 13.19. 

Zatthu, zat'thu [lovely, pleasant], the cove¬ 
nant with Nehemiah, Ne.io 14. 

Zeal, ardour of mind for or against a per¬ 
son or cause, 2Sa.2i.2; 2 Ki.10.16;—that 
which is good, commended, Nu. 25.11; 2 
Ch.31.21; Ec. 9.10; Mat. 5.6; 1 Co. 16.13; 
Ga. 4. 18; Tit. 2.14; Jude 3; Re. 3.19;— 
Christian, includes scriptural knowledge 
of that for which we are zealous, Ro.14.5; 
—unfeigned concern for the glory of God, 
i Co. 10.31;—fervent desire to promote the 
spiritual interests both of ourselves and 
others, Ro. 10.1;— active exertions in the 
use of appointed means, 11.14; 1 C0.9.20- 
22:—exertions proportioned to the import¬ 
ance of our object, Mat.23.34;—the motives 
to it, are: the divine command, Ga. 4.17; 
Re. 3.19;—God abhors and threatens the 
want of it, Am. 6.1; Re. 3.15,16;—the ex¬ 
ample of Christ, Ps.69.9; Jn.2.17;—the im¬ 
portance of religion, Lu. 10.42; Phi.3.7-9; 
—the difficulties which attend our salva¬ 
tion, Ep.6.12;—the advantage of it to our¬ 
selves and others, 2 Co.9.2,6; Ja.5.20; -the 
glory which it brings to God, Jn.15.8; Ga. 
1. 24; 2Th. 1. 11, 12 ;— commendable, ex¬ 
amples of: in Moses, Ex. 32.20;—Phinehas, 
Nu. 25. 11-13 ;—Caleb, 13. 30; 14.6-9; — 
David, Ps. 119. 139;—Paul, Ac. 20. 24;— 
Epaphras, Col. 4.12,18;—the Corinthians, 
1 Co. 14.12; 7.11; 9.2 excessive, its bad 
effects, Mat.10.35; Lu.21.16; Jn.16.2;— im¬ 
proper, reproved, Lu. 9. 55; Ro. 10. 2, 3;— 
erroneous, examples: of Saul in slaying 
the Gibeonites, 2 Sa. 21.1,2;—of the Jews 
against Stephen, Ac.7.55;—of the heathens 
of Ephesus, 19.28;—of the Jews at Jerusa¬ 
lem against Paul, 21.28; 22. 22;—his own 
zeal for the law before his conversion, 9.1, 
&c.; 22.3; 26.5; Phi.3.6 hypocritical, in 
Jehu, 2 Ki. 10. 16 \—of God, his fixed and 
earnest concern for his own glory, and the 
good of his people, 2 Ki.19.31; Is.9.7; 59. 
17: 63.15; Eze.5.13. 

Zealous, ardently, Nu. 25.11,13; Ac. 21.20; 
1 Co. 14.12: Tit.2.14: Re.3.19. 

Zealously, with passionate ardour, Ga. 4. 

17,18. ..... 

Zebah, ze'bah [sacrifice], a Midianitish 
prince, Ju.8.5. See Zalmunna. 

Zebedee, zeb'e-dee.the father of the apostles 


(Wr— Ze) 647 

James and John, Mat. 4.21; 10.2; Man. 

19,20. 

Zeboim, zebO'im, 1) The valley ^/[valley 
of hyenas], one of the wild ravines which 
run down the eastern slope of Benjamin 
into the Jordan plain, 1 Sa.13.18.—(2) The 
city of [city of roes], one of the five cities 
of the plain, and grouped with Sodom and 
Gomorrah, Ge. 10. 19; De. 29. 23; Ho. 11. 8. 
The names of the valley and of the city 
respectively are in the Hebrew radically 
different words. 

Zebul, ze'bul [habitation], governor of the 
city of Shechem, Ju.9. 28;—calls Abime- 
lech to fight against Gaal, 30-41. 

Zebulun, zeb'u-lun [dwelling), the sixth 
son of Jacob by Leah, Ge. 30. 20; 35.23;— 
his sons, 46.14; Nu.1.30;—prophetic bene¬ 
diction of his father respecting his off¬ 
spring, Ge.49.13;—the borders of the terri¬ 
tory of the tribe of, described, Jos. 19.10- 
16. 

Zechariah. See Zachariah. 

Zedad, ze'dad [mountain side], a city of 
Syria, on the north-east border of Pales¬ 
tine, Nu.34.8: Eze.47.1,15. 

Zedekiah, zSd-e-kl'ah [the justice of the 
Lord], (1) The son of Josiah, and last king 
of Judah, succeeds Jehoiachin, 2 Ki.24.17; 

2 Ch.36.10;—rebels against Nebuchadnez¬ 
zar, 13; Je. 52. 1;—his captivity foretold, 

34. 1; 37. 17; Eze. 12. 8; 21.25;—sends for 
Jeremiah, Je.21.1;—taken, and his eyes 
put out, 2 Ki.25.4, &c.; Je.39.4; 52.8.—(2) 
The false prophet, reproved, i-Ki. 22. 11, 

24.—(3) Another false prophet, awfully 
denounced by Jeremiah, Je.29.21,22. 

Zeeb, z6'eb [wolf], and Oreb, two princes 
of Midian taken and slain, Ju.7.25. 

Zelah, ze'lah [a rib, a side], a city of the 
tribe of Benjamin, probably the native 
place of king Saul, not far from Jerusalem; 

—here Saul was buried in ‘the sepulchre 
of Kish his father,’ 2 Sa.21.14. 

Zelophehad, ze-lo'fe-had [first-born], the 
son of Hephar, died without sons, but left 
five daughters; their inheritance, Nu.27.1; 

—to whom married, 36.10. 

Zelotes, ze-l&'tes [zealous], the surname of 
Simon the Canaanite, one of the apostles, 
Lu.6.15. See Simon. 

Zelzah, zel'zah [shade from the sun], a 
place near Rachel’s sepulchre, on the 
boundary of Benjamin, 1 Sa.10.2. 
Zemaraim, zem-a-ra'im [double-mount 
forest], a city of the Benjamites, near 
Bethel, Jos. 18.22;—near to it was a mount 
of the same name, at the foot of which 
500,000 of Jeroboam’s army were killed, 
201.13.4,17. 

Zenas, ze'nas, a distinguished Christian 
mentioned in Scripture, Tit. 3.13. Called 
a ‘lawyer,’ as being skilled in the Jewish 
law. 

Zephaniah, zef-a-nl'ah [defended of the 
Lord], (1) One of the minor prophets, who 
lived in the time of Josiah, king of Judah, 
Zep.1.1, &c.—(2) The deputy high-priest, 
under Seraiah, 2 Ki. 25.18; Je.52.24;—by 
him Zedekiah consulted the prophet Jere¬ 
miah, 21.1; 29.29: 37.3. 

Zerah, ze'rah [rising], 1) The son of Si¬ 
meon, and father of the Zarhites, called 
also Zohar, Ge.46.10; Nu.26.13.—(2) King 
of Ethiopia or Cush, invaded Judah with 
1,000,000 of infantry, and 300 chariots, but 
was defeated by Asa, 2 Ch. 14.9-15. 

Zered. See Zared. 

Zereda, zer-e'da [cooling], a town in Eph¬ 
raim, 1 Ki.11.26; 2 Ch.4.17;—probably the 
same as Zaretan, Jos,3.16;—Zererath, Ju. 
7.22;—Zartanah, 1 Ki. 4.12; and Zarthan, 
7.46. 

Zeruah, ze-rii'ah [leprous], the mother of 
Jeroboam, 1 Ki. 11.26. 

Zerubbabel, ze-rub'ba-bel [born in Baby¬ 
lon], or Zorobabel, the son of Shealtiel, 
and of the royal race of David, Ezr. 3. 2; 
Mat. 1. 12;—the same with Sheshbazzar, 
his Chaldean name, Ezr.1.8,11; 5.14,16;— 
to his care Cyrus committed the sacred 
vessels sent back to Jerusalem which 
had been carried to Babylon, to the num¬ 
ber of 5400, i.i-ii;— with him went up 
from Babylon to Jerusalem 42,360 Jews, 
together with 7337 servants, 2.64,65;—was 
zealous in rebuilding the temple, Ezr. 5. 2: 
Hag. 1.12;—was encouraged by the pro¬ 
phets Haggai and Zechariah, Hag. 1. 1, 
&c.: Zec.4.6-10. 

Zeruiah. zer-u-T'ah [wounded], one of Da¬ 
vid’s two sisters, and mother of Joab, 
Abishai, and Asahel, 2 Sa.2.18; 3.39; 8.16: 
16.10; 1 Ch.2.16. 
























648 (Zi—Zu) THE WORLD’S BIBLE AUXILIARY 


Ziba, zg'bah [statue], servant of king Saul, 
his treachery, 2 Sa. 16.1; 19.24. 

Zibiah, zib-T'ah [seven], the mother of king 
Joash, 2 Ki. 12.1. 

Zichri, zik'ri [remembered], the name of 
several of the posterity of Benjamin, 1 Ch. 
8.19,23,27; also 2 Ch. 17.16. 

Zidkijah, zid-kl'jah [the justice of the 
Lord], one who sealed the covenant with 
Nehemiah, Ne.io. 1. 

Zidon. See Sidon. 

Zif [bloom-month], the second month of the 
Jewish sacred year, and the eighth of their 
civil year, agreeing to part of our April, 1 
Ki 6.1,37; also called Jyar. 

Ziklag, zik'lag [pressed], a city in the 
south of Judah, allotted to Simeon, Jos. 
15.31; 19.5:—was given by Achish, king of 
Gath, to David for an asylum from the 
rage of Saul, t Sa. 27. 6;—was burned by 
the Amalekites, 30.1;—David repaired and 
dwelt in it, 2 Sa.1.1. 

Zillab, zil'lah [a shadow], one of the wives 
of Lantech, and mother of Tubal-Cain, Ge. 

4 * 9 - 

Zilpah, zil'pah [a dropping], the handmaid 
of Leah, and concubine of Jacob, Ge. 29. 
24: 30.9,10; 35.36. 

Ziltbai, zil'thi [shadow, i.e. protection, of 
Jehovah], one of the posterity of Benjamin, 

1 Ch.8.20. 

Zimran, zim'ran [celebrated in song], son 
of Abraham by Keturah, Ge.25.2. 

Zimri, zim'ri [celebrated in song], (1) A 



murders and succeeds him, 1 Ki.16.10;— 
burns himself, 18.—(2) The son of Salu, a 
prince of a chief house of the Simeonites, 
slain by Phinehas for criminal connection 
with Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a prince 
of Midian, Nu.25.14,15. 

Zin [a low palm-tree], a wilderness to the 
south-west of the Dead Sea;—the Israel¬ 
ites come thither, Nu. 20.1;—rebelled in, 
27.14; De.32.51. 

Zion, zT'on [dry, sunny mount], called Sion 
in the New Testament, the highest point 
in Jerusalem, being 2539 feet above the 
level of the Mediterranean. This height 
was the Salem of Melchizedec, and was 
afterwards occupied by the Jebusites till 
it was taken by David, 2 Sa.5.9; 1 Ch.11.7; 
—sometimes denotes the whole city, Ps. 
149. 2; 88. 2; Is. 33. 14; Joel 2. 2;—after the 
captivity the name given to the eminence 
on which the temple was built. Symboli¬ 
cally given to the habitation of the re¬ 
deemed, He. 12.22; Re. 14.1;—daughter of 
Jerusalem, Is. 1.8. 

Ziph, zif [a flowing], the name of a city of 
the tribe of Judah a few miles from Hebron 
on the borders of the wilderness of Ziph, 
where David concealed himself from Saul, 

1 Sa.23.14,15,19; Ps.54. title. 

Zippor, zip'por [small bird], the father of 
Balak, king of Moab, Nu.22.2; 23.18; Jos. 
24.9. 

Zipporah, zip-poVak[little bird], one of the 
seven daughters of Jethro, and the wife of 
Moses, Ex.2.21;—bare to him two sons, 


22:4.20;—circumcised them, 25;—she with 
her sons were brought by her father to 
Moses in the wilderness, 18.1-6. 

Zithri, zith'ri [protection of Jehovah], son 
of Uzziel, Ge.6 .22. 

Ziz [a flower], a hill in the south of Judah, 
near which the Moabites and Ammonites 
were destroyed by God, for the help of 
Jehoshaphat, 2 Ch.20.16-25. 

Zoan, zo'an [low], a very ancient city of 
Egypt (built seven years after Hebron), 
not far from the Mediterranean, near the 
mouth of the Tanitic branch of the Nile, 
and long of great note, Nu.13.22; Ps. 78. 
i2, 43; Is. 19. 11; 30. 4; Eze. 30. 14; -was 
called Tanis by the Greeks; now San, an 
insignificant village. 

Zoar, zC'ar [smallness], originally called 
Bela, one of the five cities which rebelled 
against Chedorlaomer, Ge. 14. 2;—for its 
safety Lot interceded, and to it he fled, 
19.20-23;—it seems to have stood near the 
base of the mountain range at the s. e. 
corner of the Dead Sea, De.34. 3; Is. 15.5. 
Zobah, zo'bah [station], a portion of Syria 
constituting one of the kingdoms of Aram, 
lying between Hamath and the Euphrates; 
—against the kings of which Saill fought, 

1 Sa. 14. 47;—David smote the king of, 2 
Sa 8.3; t Ki.11.24. 

Zoheleth, zo'he-leth [a serpent], a stone by 
En-Rogel, 1 Ki. 1.9. 

Zophar, zo'far [sparrow], one of Job’s three 
friends who came to visit him, called the 
Naamathite, probably because he came 




from Naama, probably some place in 
Idumea, Job 2.11;—answers Job, 11.1, &c.; 
—his second speech, 20.1, &c. 

Zophim, zo'fim [watchers], a place on the 
‘ top of Pisgah ’ to which Balak brought 
Balaam, Nu.23.14. 

Zorah, zo'rah [hornet’s town], a city of the 
tribe of Dan, near the border of Judah, 
not far from Eshtaol, Jos. 19. 41;—here 
Samson was born, and buried, Ju. 13.2-25; 
16.31;—men sent from, to spy the land, 18. 
2;—rebuilt and fortified by Rehoboam, 2 
Ch. 11. 10;—called Zareah, Ne. 11. 29; - 
Zoreah, Jos. 15.33. 

Zuph, zuf [honey-comb], (1) A Levite, the 
great-grandfather of Elkanah, the father 
of Samuel, 1 Sa.i.i; 1 Ch.6.34,35.—(2) The 
place where his posterity dwelt was thus 
named, 1 Sa.9.5. 

Zur [stone], a prince of Midian, whose 
daughter was killed by Phinehas for crimi¬ 
nal connection with Zimri, Nu.25.15;—was 
himself slain, 31.8. 

Zurishaddai, zu'ri-shad'T [the Almighty 
my rock], the father of Shalumiel, chief of 
the tribe of Simeon at the departure of the 
Hebrews from Egypt, Nu.1.6; 7.36. 
Zuzims, zfi'zims [the prominent ones], a 
race of giants who dwelt beyond Jordan, 
and who were conquered by Chedorlaomer 
and his allies, Ge. 14. 5;—supposed by some 
to be the same with the Zamzummims, 
De. 2.20,21;—were allied to the Rephaim 
and other gigantic races who originally i* 
habited Palestine. 


BO 84 * 



























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